Student Down! Where's Everybody?

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I have a dilemma that I need help with. At my school admin, counseling, security, and me carry walkie talkies. Teachers have phones in their rooms. So anyway, I get a call from a teacher that a student has been in the bathroom for 20 minutes and he was wondering if I'd go check on her. No mention of an emergency. So I get up there and the kid is down and incoherent. Not a known diabetic, no significant health history. Immediately I called for backup from security. No response. I called admin. No response. Finally I say "Is ANYONE hearing this transmission?" and my trusty (and absolutely wonderful!) Health Aide comes over the radio and says, "It's loud and clear". I quickly tell her to usher all the kids in the office over to admin and get herself up to the bathroom to help me.

Meanwhile, the student on the floor is hyperventilating, and complaining of chest pain. Another kid tells me that her boyfriend just broke up with her. Ok, so now it's looking like a glorified panic attack, but of course I don't know that for sure. Again I call out for admin and security. Nothing.

Long story short, I get the girl back to my office and run vital signs. Everything is looking ok physically. But she starts to pass out. (hyperventilating) and she won't use the paper bag I've given her to use for her breathing. I call Mom, and mom freaks and says "Call 911!" Still no help from admin or security. So I dial 911.

An ambulance driving up to the front of the school got admin going, of course. THEN everyone came out of the woodwork.

So I'm wondering, how do I address this and who should I address it with? I'm already on the admin's poop list, and they've thrown me under the bus more times than I care to recall. Of course, I documented the bejeezus out of the incident and followed up with mom. They held the kid at the ER for several hours under observation and concluded it was, in fact, most likely a panic attack.

I am really bugged by this incident. And I'm worried about my license. I think I did everything I was supposed to do, but I still worry.

Any ideas, or commiseration :) would be greatly appreciated!

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Wow! I don't even know what to say....You absolutely did the right thing! Is there a District Nurse, or Health Director who covers your school? Try contacting the agency that oversees your school; ours is the Health Dept. and we there is a School Health department that oversees school policy and procedure. I'd request a meeting of everyone responsible post haste to discuss what happened, and why nobody responded? What if the kid had overdosed, or was hypoglycemic, or whatever? Your emergency response "system" is non-existent and there could have been fatal consequences. Bet they wouldn't like to be explaining on your local news station why nobody responded to you, never mind to the parents or lawyers. FYI - try carrying your cell phone with you. You can always call 911 from there, or at least the front office on your phone - maybe that would catch their attention. I can't believe that any administrator, or responsible adult, for that matter, would be angry with you for your actions. Sadly, some administrators don't understand the seriousness of a medical emergency... And if you don't see any concrete changes, I'd consider looking for another job!

Geesh! :banghead:

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

I always have my cell phone on me. And in my district where we do have walkies, but only use them for things like fire drills and such, i tend to call or text my admins should there be an issue like what you described. I agree though - in your case perhaps a call to the office saying that Nurse Tencat is in the bathroom with an emergency and needs backup should have been made after it was clear that no one was answering you. Your admins should not be upset with you - you did nothing wrong - they are the ones that neglected to respond until it became a 9-1-1 issue. To me a student missing for 20 minutes should have sent the chain of events in motion long before you were called.

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No one ever goes into the bathroom to check on a student, no matter how long they've been in there. THAT is a fact.

Tencat, I complain a bit about my Admin. not backing me up with the cell phone rule and catering to Special Snowflakes, but I know without a doubt that when this scenario presents itself they are there for me. They have been

This is unacceptable.

If you are already on their poop list, they most likely will not hear you on this. I would update your resume and wait for an out.

I'm glad the girl was okay.

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Thank God she was ok! I usually carry my cell phone, but had left it in the pocket of the jacket I was wearing. I will address this with my coordinator. I just wasn't sure where to go first. Ugh. I know I should be brushing up the ole' resume and getting the heck out of Dodge, but right now my own kids are counting on a mom who has their schedule too. Thanks for listening!

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Sorry about your situation Tencat! Maybe if it gets out to the parent community about your admin being such an unresponsive turd, things will change for the better. Admins do not like being questioned by the community because it leads to being questioned by their higher-ups. Glad the child is ok. I certainly was scary though.

I also carry my cell phone and admins are very responsive to texts….. they are young. If called to the playground, I grab my radio and alert the office staff who always have their radios on.

Good luck with the rest of the year!

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I'm not a nurse just yet but I do know you did everything right

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Specializes in ED, School Nurse.

First of all, how frustrating for you.

When I have a student down, we/I use the overhead page system to announce a "Code Blue". I have a Code Blue team of about 10 teachers/staff who are comfortable responding in an emergency situation. When a "Code Blue" is called, whoever can (without leaving students unsupervised) responds. I take care of the nursing part of things, but my Code Blue team corrals student, waits for/directs the ambulance, gets student demographic info, calls parents, etc while I am dealing with the emergency.

That might be something to consider while you are evaluating this situation with the "powers than be".

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Specializes in kids.

Can you ask for a debriefing as to the WHY no one responded?? Do you have an EPC Emergency Planning Committee? They may (or may not) be able to help.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

That's really sad, but true. When it hits the fan all you hear is crickets. I think If I were in your shoes I would walk to the head admin and turn in my radio; "I don't need to carry the damn thing if it doesn't work when I need it."

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That must have been very frustrating! It sounds like you did everything right in the situation though. I think a debriefing with admins about why there was no answer is a good idea, and having a plan in place for next time.

And our bathroom misfits go through the office first because if it's a male, our disciplinarian will check it out, and if it's a female I'll get the call from the office. It's only happened once so far and it was just an upset stomach, so not nearly as "exciting."

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You did everything right. I would be pissed about the lack of backup! But I have been there, indeed.

My first week on the job, a grandparent fell in the parking lot and fractured her hip. I sat with her waiting for the ambulance, iced her noggin which had a huge contusion...My office knew I was out there ALONE and cue the crickets!! Ridiculous.

I have since learned to just say "I NEED SOMEONE HERE NOW." if you can get through, of course. :sarcastic:

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