Students and wet pants!

[Lisagoldsberry]

I just started my first day as a middle nurse last week and already have a question. What do I do if I get a student that wet his/her pants? My other question was should I keep spare clothing in my office?

[Jolie, BSN]

I worked in middle school for a year and never had this happen, thank goodness.

I had a supply of clothes in my office, but they weren't "mine." They were brought in by the assist. principal, who was in charge of dress code enforcement. If a student needed more modest clothing and was unwilling to wear their gym shorts/sweats, s/he could pick something out of the closet. Ironically, the items were all outdated private school uniforms.

So, if a student did have a bathroom accident, I would have been hesitant to put him/her in those clothes. Gym clothes are always a temporary solution until a parent can bring something. At the middle school level, I would be more concerned about getting to the root of what caused the accident (gi illness, uti, etc.).

Are you concerned about special needs students? In our building, they were toileted by the special ed teaching assistants, who handled any mishaps. Extra clothing was kept in the special ed area, so those kids were never brought to me for that reason.

[BettyGirard, BSN]

I inherit the previous year's lost and found so I often have some stuff, I take it home and wash it.

Usually I just call the parents though.

[Purple_Scrubs, BSN, RN]

I always call the parents first. Ultimately this is their responsibility, not the school's. Only if I absolutely cannot contact anyone, or they are an hour or more away and can't get here, then I will dig through my closet for something appropriate for them. My clothes come mainly from the counselor who has in her budget for this. I will admit to purchasing a few things from my own checkbook, however, when I find an exceptionally good deal!

ETA: We ask all Pre-K parents to provide a complete set of clothes since they are the ones most often who have accidents. The PK assistants handle this in the classroom, so I never see them. It is only if an older studnet has an accident that they will ask me for help. I also never assist the child with changing. I hand them the clothing, a bag for the dirties, and send them into my bathroom. I generally never get the clothes back so I don't have to worry about washing them.

[Lisagoldsberry]

Yes purple scrubs, but what about middle schoolers having accidents?

[Purple_Scrubs, BSN, RN]

I would just call home. If the school can supply a few articles of clothing, that is great, but again, ultimately it is the parent's responsibillty. If they are soiled with feces they should be taken home to clean up/shower anyway.