I need your feedback and suggestions. Thank you in advance for always giving me your input on things that trouble me with my job !
Have you noticed and upsurge in students of elementary ages having incontinence issues ?
I'm talking urine and BM. I have large numbers of kids who range from Kindergarten to Sixth grade who are constantly in my clinic for soiling or wetting their clothes.
These are not occasional accidents either. These kids are coming in once and sometimes twice each day. I have many kids who have 504's specifically stating that they are to come to the private clinic bathroom each day and they are to sit on the toilet for 20-30 minutes so that they will become "potty trained".
These daily kids are tying up my only bathroom and I have no other source of water if I need to wash my hands or deal with a student with a nose bleed, loose tooth..etc.
I have a small storage closet that I keep many bags of clothes for upward of 15-20 students who's parents want me to house spare clothes for their child, in case they have an accident. I am over run with these bags and I am running out of room.
My clinic smells like a johnny house most of the day and students, teachers and parents make comments about the odor when they enter the clinic.
Teachers expect me to thoroughly clean up these kids when they poo themselves, but I do not. Will not. Cannot. I will however, lay out their clothes, wipes, bag for them to change themselves. If they have no supplies or they cannot do this task on their own, I will then call the parent to come clean them or take them home for a bath.
The expectation that teachers and parents have of me is unbelievable. I believe that, even with a witness/staff member being in your presence is not good enough in this day and age. Kids lie about disturbing things all of the time and there is no way that I will risk my license and lively hood on one false accusation of touching inappropriately or harming a child.
To say that this just doesn't happen these days, is to bury your head in the sand ! All it takes is one parent to turn to social media and construct lies about what you did to their little snowflake and your career is over.
Please friends, please tell me how you handle these situations. Tell me how this is solely a nursing problem. Why the school nurse. When did poop in the pants become more important than my diabetic's, my students with asthma, my students with a feeding tube.... ???
Specializes in Cardiology, School Nursing, General.
I only had some accidents happen, but not always. The only one that happens a lot is a child who does have a medical condition and he does wet himself occasionally, but these last weeks, frequently. So I had to ask mom to send me at least a week's worth of clothes, so I can have something for him because I literally ran out of underwear so I have to call parents to bring clothes for the kids, because I can't help them. Most of my accidents are menstrual issues, and I'm tired of it. I'm planning to tell them if they come again for the same problem after how many times and are not responsible for their bodies, I will charge them for pads because I am a not a dispenser and I'm running out of supplies again!
OMG guys. I'm not a school nurse, but am a longtime lurker here because you guys are hilarious. And hearing all the stories in this thread, just...wow. I cannot fathom that there are so many school-aged kids with this problem and that you are expected to deal with it. And that so many parents don't even care about it. Mind blown. I wish I could buy you all a drink!!!
I would agree if my in laws were still alive. FYI Abena are the best adult brief bar none. Unfortunately they are $2 each but hold over a liter of fluid.
A liter - Holy Hannah! They should market to the people that wish to stand in Times Square on new Years Eve!!
Honestly, I think that this anecdote should be in the Washington Post or New York Times. (obviously with all names and locations confidential)
I just do not think that there is any awareness much less appreciation for how health, wellness and personal responsibilty, parenting, resilience, virtue-based curriculm and society AT-LARGE IS SLIPPING away
Google ' the Dangerous Consequences of Potty Training Too Early by Steve Hodges, MD. It might give you some insight into why this is a big problem today. There is such parenting competition these days due to social media! Whose baby slept through the night soonest? Whose was potty trained earliest? While I worked I heard these conversations of young moms. Maybe what you're seeing now is a result of this.
Google ' the Dangerous Consequences of Potty Training Too Early by Steve Hodges, MD. It might give you some insight into why this is a big problem today. There is such parenting competition these days due to social media! Whose baby slept through the night soonest? Whose was potty trained earliest? While I worked I heard these conversations of young moms. Maybe what you're seeing now is a result of this.
Google ' the Dangerous Consequences of Potty Training Too Early by Steve Hodges, MD. It might give you some insight into why this is a big problem today. There is such parenting competition these days due to social media! Whose baby slept through the night soonest? Whose was potty trained earliest? While I worked I heard these conversations of young moms. Maybe what you're seeing now is a result of this.
Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
This whole thread reminds me of a friend my brother had. He was in middle school at the time of these accidents listed below. He would defecate in his pants & random places that weren't the toilet.
One time he pooped in the trash can in my brother's room, it smelled to the high heaven's. Another time we were coming back from a trip & this boy pooped his pants & it stunk so bad! I don't know if this boy had mental health or GI issues. What is scary is that kid now has a son of his own. Yikes.
WOW!!! I have already talked to admin about kids coming to use the nurse bathroom. I presented as I was not going to start one on one assisting naked kids and secondly, it was taking up so much time that I now can refer them to the front office where they get clothing from another room with a huge assortment. The classrooms all have one or two assistants and up front they have at least 3 people. I feel like I have nothing to complain about after reading this! I think I would have quit. I'm not sure why it has to be the nurse's office where kids change clothes. Good luck! I really hope you can get this resolved.
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
WOW!!! I have already talked to admin about kids coming to use the nurse bathroom. I presented as I was not going to start one on one assisting naked kids and secondly, it was taking up so much time that I now can refer them to the front office where they get clothing from another room with a huge assortment. The classrooms all have one or two assistants and up front they have at least 3 people. I feel like I have nothing to complain about after reading this! I think I would have quit. I'm not sure why it has to be the nurse's office where kids change clothes. Good luck! I really hope you can get this resolved.
Since I'm not a school nurse I was wondering this as well. It is not a medical problem when parents don't bother to train their children. So why should any of this be the nurse's responsibility? Until administration is properly inconvenienced, nothing will change. The (ahem!) turd needs to go in their pocket.
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:roflmao:.
Amethya
1,821 Posts
I only had some accidents happen, but not always. The only one that happens a lot is a child who does have a medical condition and he does wet himself occasionally, but these last weeks, frequently. So I had to ask mom to send me at least a week's worth of clothes, so I can have something for him because I literally ran out of underwear so I have to call parents to bring clothes for the kids, because I can't help them. Most of my accidents are menstrual issues, and I'm tired of it. I'm planning to tell them if they come again for the same problem after how many times and are not responsible for their bodies, I will charge them for pads because I am a not a dispenser and I'm running out of supplies again!