seeing students in the last 15 minutes of the day

JenTheSchoolRN, BSN, RN · Mar 12, 2015

This drives me nuts too, especially during Friday special that ends right before the bus. Gotta love an injury on a Friday afternoon when most parents commute an hour or more. Sigh. With that said, perhaps something is going on during the bus ride? My daughter is 7th grade and hates the bus because of bullying, really foul language and yes, kids doing drugs and I've even heard oral sex. Just a thought for those who frequent the HO right before going on the bus.

School bus or public transit? We have bus monitors on the school buses here, but busing ends at 6th grade. I would not be surprised to hear a kid saw/heard any of what you mentioned on some public transit lines...

OldDude · Mar 12, 2015

I screamed loud enough that I finally got it changed...but a couple of years ago the 4th grade teachers decided they would have recess the last period of the day. The kids would take their backpacks to recess and be dismissed from the playground. What a nightmare that was trying to sort out what head bump could be dismissed to walk home, what kid needed to be kept here after school for parents to pick up, yadda, yadda. The teachers weren't pleased when I got that changed but they loved it while it was happening!

ro2878, ADN, BSN · Mar 13, 2015

I know that I posted this somewhere else a while ago, but it was so unbelievable that I will never forget it and have to share again.

Our dismissal bell rings at 2:15 pm and student sent to me at exactly 2:06 pm with hiccups!

SassyTachyRN · Mar 14, 2015

We dismiss at 3:30. Yesterday, at 4:10 (my hours end at 4) a student came to me from an after school group with a broken toenail...

Guest03/15/15, BSN, RN · Mar 15, 2015

I almost want to think perhaps you may have to dig a little bit more on why these kids come see you so late, for a non urgent issue, or repetitively.

Perhaps something inappropriate is happening at home or they are being abuse by someone. Many times physical ailments stem from psychological reasons.

Im not a school nurse but rather I work in the ER so heres my example.

I had an older gentlemen who had already been to the ER 3x this week for a "general illness" - everything came back alright and he had been sent home prior visits. So this day when I had him for the first time I sat down and started to ask some deep questions. It came to light that his wife had recently been placed in a rehab facility for a broken hip. He had been all on his own and he was literally worried sick about being alone. Those pesky "what ifs" bothered him. What if he fell and no one was around? What if ran out of food? Then again, he was just lonely.

We had social services set him up with home health care and provided transport services daily to go to an adult center every day for socialization.

He has yet to be back in and that was a couple of months ago.

SnowyJ, RN · Mar 15, 2015

ErNurse2010,

You do have a point, and many of the children I see throughout the day just need a little extra TLC. And even some further questions that can be handled with our counselor. There is no doubt of that.

However, in my experience, often these end of the day visits are ones orchestrated by the teacher for silly things, or from a child that just doesn't feel like taking the bus ride home. (Some are on the bus for 45+ minutes.)

I agree that end of the day recess is a problem, and unfortunately it happens a lot at my school as a "reward" for a good day. (And lets face it, a break for the staff.) Then, as others have said, I have to make a quick decision about calling/not calling a parent.

A student was sent down to see me 5 minutes before the bell on Friday because his foot hurt. It had been hurting for 2 days. I told him Mom could check it out when he got home.

Flare, ASN, BSN · Mar 16, 2015

exactly - the 2 day old foot pain that could have been seen at any given point during the day, but instead becomes a priority 5 minutes before you are about to walk out the door is the kind of stuff that just grinds my gears. And when I ask then (because you all know I do) why they didn't come earlier in the day I get one of 3 responses: A: Deer in the headlights and crickets chirping (no response); B: "The teacher wouldn't let me" (so no teacher all day would let you AND you couldn't come on your free period); C: It is REALLY bothering me a lot / I just banged it against the BLANK.

we've all been there

Farawyn · Mar 16, 2015

grinds my gears

I say this all the time.

lvnforschool · Mar 17, 2015

I have one teacher who sends at least 3-5 kids my way daily. Always same answer" the teacher said I look sick". It drives me nuts, but I go through all the hoops, temp,let them rest, and send them back to class. My luck it will be that 1 Time I didnt go by the book, and kid was really sick or something else going on. Better to be safe than sorry.

SchoolNurseTXstyle · Mar 17, 2015

We dismiss at 3:30. Yesterday, at 4:10 (my hours end at 4) a student came to me from an after school group with a broken toenail...

Sending them to me 30-45 after school is over and it is past my contracted time makes steam come out of both ears. And they do not even bother to call and see if I am still in the building, they just assume that I am. I would love to set cameras up in my clinic. I wonder how many kids just come and sit for hours waiting for me.

SnowyJ, RN · Mar 18, 2015

Ugh! The old "teacher said I don't look good." Drives me nuts. Sometimes a child is just tired or getting over an illness. I generally check their temp and send them back to class unless the child tells me they don't feel well.

My teachers are so fearful of having any kind of illness in their classroom. While I understand this, they take it to an extreme. To the point where it is starting to affect the kids. "Johnny is sick and I sit near him in math."

MollyJ · Mar 18, 2015

Love the comments!

I have a few teachers who send kids to me for "TLC".

If they do it rarely or occasionally, I am fine with that but if it's routinely I can get a little stern. I do not believe in reinforcing the idea that if...your mom's a dead-ender, if you're feeling sad and out of sorts, if your friends dissed you today...that we adults should reinforce the idea that you should medicalize your feelings. "I feel sad--angry--upset and there fore I am sick." Anyone ever met those kind of adults in other settings?

However, I DO think that every adult in the building should make an effort to have positive contacts with kids that are independently reinforcing. So, I try to be aware (and I am working on this--it's in progress) that when I see those kids in the hall that make me grind my teeth when I see them in my office, I try to acknowledge them and tell them I am glad they are with us today.