Spacers: Do you order extra?

[RNTadaaaa]

I'm finding some of my Kinders with asthma have inhalers with no spacers. Unfortunately some parents do not seem to be able to afford them. Or Health care Providers don't order them....which....is a story for another day.

I was surprised at the cost the pharmacy gave me for my kid's spacer. 50.00!

In my past school, the Office of school health sent extra spacers at the beginning of the semester for students who might need it.

Do you have this problem at your school and if so, do you buy spacers?

If so, please recommend your site for ordering. I am also looking it up and so far I see 23.00 a spacer.

Thank you!

[Flare, ASN, BSN]

2 hours ago, ruby_jane said:

I am going to be the Grinch here.

Technically this is medical equipment and while there are disposable alternatives...why is it that this is coming out of your clinic budget? When I had a $2K budget for high school I probably would have jumped on the disposables. My budget in elementary for 650 kids is..... $150. I can't budget $17 for medical equipment for a few kids.

I have called the MDs office to say that there is no spacer for the student (even though it was ordered). One or two had samples to send (which I labeled for the kid and kept). More suggested the toilet paper roll solution, which I documented.

This also might be a nice PTA/PTO ask - $17 for disposable spacers is probably something a PTA would get behind!

that's an insulting budget. Christ, replacement aed pads alone cost well more than $150.

[ruby_jane, BSN, RN]

52 minutes ago, Flare said:

that's an insulting budget. Christ, replacement aed pads alone cost well more than $150.

Insulting!!! It's disrespectful!!!

Seriously, AED pads and batteries come from a different budget, as do things like computers and cots.

[CanIcallmymom, BSN, RN]

52 minutes ago, Flare said:

that's an insulting budget. Christ, replacement aed pads alone cost well more than $150.

I constantly remind our school that the AED pads need replacing out of the campus budget, not the nurse budget. These are not a "clinic only" item. We have multiple AEDs though. I will gladly order them, but it needs to not come out of my budget.

[Flare, ASN, BSN]

they don't really give me too hard of a time with my budget as long as I'm being reasonable. If they started getting snippy with the budget then all of the "little things" that I order that really have nothing to do with my officer DIRECTLY - ice packs for sports, aed pads, narcan, ect - would be come major argument points. Epipens too, but I don't pay for those. And I suppose if i felt like doing the leg work i could get the narcan free too, but i don't.

[AdobeRN]

36 minutes ago, Flare said:

they don't really give me too hard of a time with my budget as long as I'm being reasonable. If they started getting snippy with the budget then all of the "little things" that I order that really have nothing to do with my officer DIRECTLY - ice packs for sports, aed pads, narcan, ect - would be come major argument points. Epipens too, but I don't pay for those. And I suppose if i felt like doing the leg work i could get the narcan free too, but i don't.

I don't stress about my budget either. I have $600 for the year (745 students) - not much money and I make it stretch out, always have been frugal with the budget so admin doesn't worry or question my spending habits.

If it comes down to me needing basic supplies for the clinic my secretary/principal will figure out a way for me to get what I need and if they don't I can go to the district nursing coordinator and she could get what I need. Our district nursing department pays for the "big" items - Stock Epipens, AED supplies, clinic ipads, stock albuterol and tubing etc etc.

[guest1135272]

everything in medicine costs a ton. ebay, amazon are best places. or one may fall into your pocket at work? haha joking,

[PollywogNP, ADN, BSN, MSN, LPN, NP]

You can use the accordion tubing that comes with some nebulizer kits as a spacer. I worked for an asthma clinic & we would order the blue accordion tubing by the foot in a giant roll that we cut with scissors.

[PollywogNP, ADN, BSN, MSN, LPN, NP]

[SchoolNurse91, BSN, RN]

That's an insane budget! I don't have one

[MrNurse(x2), ADN]

On 1/7/2020 at 10:57 AM, kelleyk1991 said:

That's an insane budget! I don't have one

Same here, meds and bandaids are provided by us.

[jupitercrash, LPN]

On 12/13/2019 at 2:02 PM, ruby_jane said:

Insulting!!! It's disrespectful!!!

Seriously, AED pads and batteries come from a different budget, as do things like computers and cots.

I don't even have a cot. I have one single chair. If I have more than one kid, the others have to sit in the secretaries office and wait. I am pretty sure my "clinic" used to be a supply closet or something.