Stressed out, is it just me?

[AllykatRN]

Hi Y'all,

It is my first week as a school nurse at an elementary school, I am feeling a little bit stressed out. I think it is because I am used to having orientation and training last more than a day. I feel as though there is a million questions with little outside support (my supervisor is new also). I have no clue about immunization compliance and how to to complete this, as well as how to start with health screenings, not even sure how to use the equipment.

Plus I am in MA and have to get a state DESE license and take a literacy test, and some mandatory training. I know I have a year to do these things but then I feel like I am constantly have new things come up that I have NO CLUE how to do, like new students files (what am I supposed to do with these??), health summarys, etc, and there is both paper and 2 different student computer records that I need to learn. What happens

when orders expire and the parents wont return my calls/letters?

I'm sorry for the long vent but anyone who says that school nursing is easy, esp in the beginning, is probably lying the kids are cute but a lot of them are "testing" me, it can get very busy very fast. I could use a few words of encouragement as a new school nurse...Thanks for listening.

Here at my school we use Power School which I am nor a fan of. My district where my kids go to school uses Aspen- also not a fan...I mentioned in your other thread you posted back in September all the info pertinent to MA nurses- hope it was helpful. MTEL is not hard, just annoying. There are practice tests online which are the exact format of the real thing so worth checking out : Practice Tests

Select whichever ones you want in the pull-down menu.

I feel like there are several of us on this forum in MA- this forum has been really helpful. I have completed everything for my DESE except my 2 day training that I am unable to go to until Summer of 2018 probably, sigh. They have everything else I need on file. It is a long process but like another poster mentioned, the trainings are actually helpful.

[WineRN]

Like everyone else said, Just hold on!

Someone posted when I first started about it being a circus, and at first it really is. Learning all the ropes, training teachers about how YOU are going to run things in your health office, teaching the littles the difference between pain and discomfort, and trying to file the sometimes endless amount of paperwork that you just want to throw in the air like confetti. It really is a lot.

But the chaos does become more manageable and every day is different.

There are still some days here when parents/students will throw me for a loop and make me question policies. But utilize the other nurse's in your district and this forum. We are a fun group that wears pink on Wednesdays.

[peacockblue]

You can also go to your local school nurse cluster meetings if your area has that sort of thing. Call the nurse at a neighboring school district and introduce yourself. I have found the nurses in local districts to be a great help, especially when new mandate or policies come down the road.

[Amethya]

It gets better. You can do it! Work hard and learn about your students!

[scuba nurse, BSN, MSN, RN]

Hang in there! It gets better! Make sure you connect with the other nurses in your district, and see how they handle things. I am in MA as well, and as far as DESE, take your time, don't feel like you HAVE to do it now. The MTEL is so easy dont even worry about that, if you passed the nursing boards you will pass that! It is basic reading and comprehension of English. Anything you send to DESE make sure you keep copies of (they tend to lose things).

As far as orders for meds, if you have the doctors name and number, I call and get a fax # then send a fax stating that orders need to be renewed for this school year, and to fax me the orders. This is sometimes easier than asking parents to get it, even though they are supposed to, many dont!

Get your immunizations in ASAP. There is a deadline to file info with the state and that is in December. Hopefully the nurses you work with will help you with that info and how to input into your system. We use SNAP, so I only know how that works.

Good luck! Any questions, just ask!

[moreoreo]

You are not alone! When I started in the middle of last school year, I was calm and happy for about a week and then quickly grew overwhelmed as my to-do list grew longer and I kept encountering situations that I didn't know how to handle. Find peace in the fact that each time you get flustered, you are learning how to do something that you will later do with ease. Mondays used to be a nightmare for me because kids would show up stating XYZ happened over the weekend and mom said to blah-blah-blah but now I just take small blips like that in stride because I have handled them so many times. And I haven't finished a full year yet!

As a weird side note, I stopped drinking coffee (d/t current pregnancy, plus I've realized caffeine is like an ice pack for tiredness, and I am anti-ice-pack ) and have seen a marked difference in my mood and stress level at work. Ultimately I think we have to remember that we prioritize the children first and everything else can be addressed in its time later. Remembering that everything cannot get done RIGHT NOW has been helpful to me this school year.

Good luck!!!