Parents keep medicating their febrile kids in the morning

Specialties School

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This is getting ridiculous. I have sent home several kids this week with fevers who are medicated early in the morning and then when it wears off, they spike a temp. I know this because they always say "my mom gave me medicine this morning". So they have spent hours in the classroom contagious, possibly infecting other students. It takes all I have to not be completely inappropriate with these parents and ask them why they would risk the health and safety of other kids. And these same parents I am sure would be furious if their kid contracted flu from a kid who came to school contagious.

The current K student in my office has a temp of 102. She tells me "My mommy took my temperature this morning and said I have a fever and gave me red medicine to make it go away". This is a student who is missing her boosters for MMR, Varicella, Polio and DTaP because mom, who is a pharmacy tech by the way, claims they "no longer immunize because of our religion". Drives me NUTS. And now mom is not answering the phone because I am sure she knows I am calling to come get her sick kid. Grrrrrrrrr. OK, rant over.

oh, but i put on my sweetest voice when i give that lecture. If i were in the South i think i'd say "Bless your heart" to punctuate it.

I was told a southern joke by a nursing friend a few years ago and I still remember the phrase and it's sarcastic meaning. After hearing about the Tylenol dosing I would have had a hard time not responding, "Why, How nice?!" Did that right after hearing her joke several years ago when our boss's boss was standing over my computer giving me a new pet project to do, spelling out exactly how he wanted each thing done. I just blurted it out, didn't even catch myself. Sent her and my other coworker out in the halls hysterical. Thankfully, he didn't catch on and was completely confused.

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I get so frustrated with the school that my daughter goes to. Parents send the kids into school sick all the time. Of course they're coughing and spewing all over each other so then they all get sick. I wish someone would start enforcing the 24 hours with no fever rule. This way, when the medication wears off at school, they cannot send them back the next day, because it has not been at least 24 hours (with or without fever medication). School is a place for learning. It is not a daycare service (and even they have fever guidelines). I know parents have to work and kids get sick and it's hard to find a sitter/get off work, BUT...THEY ARE YOUR SICK CHILD, YOU TAKE CARE OF THEM.

My child got sick maybe twice a year before she went to school. I'm lucky if I can keep her virus free for 3 weeks in a row now. Should have bought stock in Lysol and Purell.

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Specializes in Peds, School Nurse, clinical instructor.

It is infuriating and happens almost every day, though I try to be pleasant with my verbal interactions, I think my death stare gets my point across!

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I think this falls into the same infuriating category: On Tuesday we had 35 students absent due to illness, on Wednesday (Valentine's Party day) we had 5 absent!, on Thursday we had 28 absent. Here where that math gets tricky: of the 35 on Tuesday, only 3 were also absent on Wednesday, but 20/35 were absent on Thursday...hmmm. Apparently this particular strain of illness takes a 24 hour break for Valentine's day parties...

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Specializes in ICU/community health/school nursing.
of the 35 on Tuesday, only 3 were also absent on Wednesday, but 20/35 were absent on Thursday

The data nerd in me bows to the data nerd in you.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

Welcome to my world. Since our district doesn't have an actual "fever/vomit free for 24 hours sans meds" policy, I can't enforce anything. My first week as a school nurse the principal hear me tell a parent not to bring the child back until fever free for 24 hours and she grilled me, and asked me to provide the policy, which I learned there was none, and she forbid me from telling parents that anymore because "they'll be keeping kids home for days"...

Funding based on average daily attendance makes doing my job much harder. It also doesn't help that most of my parents who work are working poor, and if they don't go to work they don't get paid, or will lose their job.

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Sounds like there's a real need for a 'nothing serious but just a little sick' daycare center for kids whose parents can't always take off work easily, e.g. nurses sometimes. You could have separate rooms with comfy recliner cots, tvs, movies, video games, and lots of popsicles and Gatorade and stuff. They can bring their own lunch, blankets, meds, humidifiers, etc. It could be staffed by nurses. You could have strict rules about no high fevers, excessive vomiting, lethargy, no severe illness, just common cold, flu, etc.

'Just a Little Sick Kid' Day Care Center...hmmm.

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Specializes in allergy and asthma, urgent care.
Sounds like there's a real need for a 'nothing serious but just a little sick' daycare center for kids whose parents can't always take off work easily, e.g. nurses sometimes. You could have separate rooms with comfy recliner cots, tvs, movies, video games, and lots of popsicles and Gatorade and stuff. They can bring their own lunch, blankets, meds, humidifiers, etc. It could be staffed by nurses. You could have strict rules about no high fevers, excessive vomiting, lethargy, no severe illness, just common cold, flu, etc.

'Just a Little Sick Kid' Day Care Center...hmmm.

You would make a fortune.

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Sounds like there's a real need for a 'nothing serious but just a little sick' daycare center for kids whose parents can't always take off work easily, e.g. nurses sometimes. You could have separate rooms with comfy recliner cots, tvs, movies, video games, and lots of popsicles and Gatorade and stuff. They can bring their own lunch, blankets, meds, humidifiers, etc. It could be staffed by nurses. You could have strict rules about no high fevers, excessive vomiting, lethargy, no severe illness, just common cold, flu, etc.

'Just a Little Sick Kid' Day Care Center...hmmm.

I especially love your name for the center. All you have to do now is to find the financing and get the regulatory events in order. Employees and business are already in place.

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Regulatory events :wideyed:, financing :uhoh3:...:banghead:

Oh thanks, caliotter3, the name just hit me. :happy:

Maybe the 3 of us can go in together, BCgradnurse! :snurse::snurse::snurse:

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Specializes in ICU; Telephone Triage Nurse.

I work telephone triage and you'd be surprised the amount of agonizing occurs over a fever - as if the fever is the illness. "I gave Tylenol but the temp's not normal" (as if they want to send the child to school). They seem to completely ignore the rest of the symptoms of an illness and micro focus on that fever.

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I especially love your name for the center. All you have to do now is to find the financing and get the regulatory events in order. Employees and business are already in place.

The last hospital I worked at actually had a "sick care/day care" program for the employees kids. It was nice - they accepted children up to age 18 - I think they charged $7-8/hour, you could drop your kid off while you worked. Great option for those parents not able to miss anymore work or those that had to come in for a few hours until coverage could be found. They had little cots and secluded areas to keep the kids separated- it was staffed with LVN/RN's and a few nurse techs.

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