School Nurse / Parent Issue

Specialties School

Published

A question for you school nurses - Have you had a parent who seems to be convinced that there is something wrong with their child (medically) so much so that you watch them put their child through numerous tests, medications, doctor visits only to find there is nothing actually wrong and yet it never ends. If so, what have you done? I've contacted our state's child welfare department and they have said if there is no evidence of physical harm, then there is not much that can be done. It is now manifesting in this child as they visit the infirmary quite frequently with complaints of pains in various body parts, without fever, point tenderness, or anything that points to an actual issue. My fear is that this is harming the child in that they are becoming "paranoid" about something being wrong. This has been going on for 2 years now and seems to just keep going. Suggestions?

Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

Hi Pixinator! Welcome to AN.com!

If the Mods don't move your thread, check out this forum:

https://allnurses.com/school-nurses/

You'll get more replies and the School Nurses are a great group!

Edit: Not that other Nursing Specialties are not great. It's merely that I want to give them a plug whenever I can!

Specializes in Pedi.

Sounds like a Munchausen by Proxy case. I wouldn't really expect CPS to do anything about it until it's really bad because that's how they roll.

As a kid who had something wrong with her but nothing came back on the tests, I wouldn't dismiss this quite yet or label the parent with munchaussen yet.

I know my parents had to have spent thousands of dollars on me for an unknown illness st the time. My mom took me to every doctor possible in hopes that they could figure out what was wrong because I was miserable. And I would do that for my kids.

Unless you see the actual abuse of munchaussens I would let it go. I would treat the child to the best of your ability and release them. I don't think you need to get the state involved. That would have been awful for me to be taken away from my parents when I needed them the most.

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