I just have to check in with you all and ask what your perspective on Sports Physicals is. What part do you play in the process? Are they handled by your AD? You? Who?
Do face challenges, such as getting them in on time?
Keeping coaches from letting kids practice and participate in competition, before all the I's are dotted and the T's are crossed?
Do you have a local healthcare providers that do mass Sports Physicals days? Or, do parents have to take their kids to their family Doctor for clearance?
I work k-4. There's really no sports activities that go on after school in my building everything happens in the high school. So I wonder if the sports department in the high school handles it.
I have absolutely nothing to do with them. As great as this may sound, non-involvement presents a problem for me. This year, purely by chance, I found out about several athletic students with asthma and allergies. They were keeping their inhalers and EpiPen in their gym lockers. Problem? I had no idea that these students had medical concerns. They had no Medication Permit, no Emergency Care Plan, no documentation of said medical issue on Emergency Authorization Form. Nada. The student/parents found it important enough to inform coach, but not important enough to inform the nurse. And coach, who is not even based here in my building, either assumes that I already know or that it isn't his job to inform me or is clueless himself because he doesn't even read the physical forms that are submitted. Heck, I do not even know the extent of the coaches' medication training because, unlike every other staff member and teacher in my district who is authorized to give student medication, they are not trained by the nurses. The athletics department here is like their own little world where the school nurses are not welcome.
Specializes in School Nurse. Having conversations with littles..
Oh yikes Snuggle. I am so sorry. Unfortunately, there is probably a really good reason why you are unwelcome. Sounds like you are going to have to send yourself your own invitation. Better yet, I think several of us should just show up and help you get your "school nurse" point across.
I have absolutely nothing to do with them. As great as this may sound, non-involvement presents a problem for me. This year, purely by chance, I found out about several athletic students with asthma and allergies. They were keeping their inhalers and EpiPen in their gym lockers. Problem? I had no idea that these students had medical concerns. They had no Medication Permit, no Emergency Care Plan, no documentation of said medical issue on Emergency Authorization Form. Nada. The student/parents found it important enough to inform coach, but not important enough to inform the nurse. And coach, who is not even based here in my building, either assumes that I already know or that it isn't his job to inform me or is clueless himself because he doesn't even read the physical forms that are submitted. Heck, I do not even know the extent of the coaches' medication training because, unlike every other staff member and teacher in my district who is authorized to give student medication, they are not trained by the nurses. The athletics department here is like their own little world where the school nurses are not welcome.
I know. It's a balance between doing it all, and not being included, for me, as well. I'd like to be more included in concussion stuff, and less with the clearances. Also, some of the AD think that because they coach a sport they are doctors.
Oh well. I do what I can do.
Hang in there, SnugglePuggle, and vent to us! We get it.
Our school requires pre-participation physicals for 7th and 9th graders. That's it. Not sure I agree with that because a lot can happen to a student's health between freshman and senior year.
It's all handled through our athletic department, so I have nothing to do with this. I coordinate concussion/other athletic injury care with the athletic trainer for student-athletes who report to me the next day with symptoms who didn't see the athletic trainer for whatever reason the day before. I don't always get the return courtesy from the ATC, which is frustrating at times.
Our school district does not require yearly physicals. We don't even have yearly health update forms, which will change next year as I have (with the other nurses in my district) designed a form we are sending home to be filled out with all of the beginning of the year paperwork.
I used to be an athletic trainer (before I was nurse) and I was involved in the mass sports physicals. I got REALLY good at taking manual blood pressures back then. It's a good way to get those annual physicals in if you have the resources to do it that way.
I chose to be involved in doing the physicals. I just to be a very good athlete in my younger years (I know, you can't tell any more). I practiced combat sports since my early teens and until 2-3 years ago, and experienced every injury imaginable. I am 49 now. So yes, I have great rapport with a number of local coaches, student athletes and their families. Communicating with them with plenty of time in the Spring and prior to school start is key. Lots of information is also another relevant point. It is a process I enjoy and not complicated at all for us. We see nearly 200 student athletes every year.
I'm not a school nurse, but my 14 yr old has done cross country, track/field, and volleyball with school. The RN's office and school district website have the forms; the parents are responsible for scheduling a physical with the provider of their choice. Athlete doesn't participate until the form is on file.
Last year, she decided at the last minute she wanted to run CC, and our peds office had long since booked their available sports physical appts. We got it done at a Target clinic.
I know. It's a balance between doing it all, and not being included, for me, as well. I'd like to be more included in concussion stuff, and less with the clearances.
Also, my dtr got a pretty good concussion this past fall; she got hit in the head w a volleyball. She was symptomatic for close to two weeks. Anyway, the LSN was very involved! Really all the coach did was have her sit out and report to us the incident and that she'd briefly seemed confused but no LOC. I messaged the coach saying per the MD, no sports until she'd been asymptomatic for 2 days, and that was it.
The RN was in regular contact with me, and contacted the peds office to get her dr's recs in writing, even though I had told her what he said. No exams, math homework (she's in a high school Higher Algebra)/minimal reading, no devices, no gym class. She even let her come sit in her dimmed office when she needed to bc she was so photophobic. I think she might have eaten lunch in there a few times too, bc the caf is so noisy.
I imagine she needed to have everything documented in part because of how much school work she couldn't do, but I felt very fortunate that my girl had her help. This mama doesn't play with TBI issues.
I'm not a school nurse, but my 14 yr old has done cross country, track/field, and volleyball with school. The RN's office and school district website have the forms; the parents are responsible for scheduling a physical with the provider of their choice. Athlete doesn't participate until the form is on file.
Last year, she decided at the last minute she wanted to run CC, and our peds office had long since booked their available sports physical appts. We got it done at a Target clinic.
Great way to handle the last minute decision and get the pre-participation physical done! Because of your post, I was reminded that it's always a good idea to ensure that on or with the physical exam forms that a list of acceptable physical exam providers is provided. I'm not, of course, referring to naming each individual provider, but by type instead... such as MD, DO, APRN, PA, etc...
I do that all the time! My concern about just the AD having the physicals is the missing data piece, as well as most in my area are sent with an IZ update.
Some PE's come with just the clearance, a others are a full PE with ALL kinds of info a coach/AD really has no business knowing.
It is work, but I check them, especially for the actual date of the exam. I have had more than one come in with a current date of the printing of the exam, but the actual visit was more than a year ago!
Farawyn
12,646 Posts
This is mostly grades 7-12.