Those days where you mumble "WTHeck" to yourself

Specialties School

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Background: my nurse aid recently quit and now I'm the only nurse for 2500+ students. To cut down on malingering and ensure I get a lunch, my admin's allowed me to close the clinic down to walk-ins during the 3 lunch periods mid-day. I lock the door, cover the window, and have a sign on the door that I'm closed. I'm only open for medical emergencies and to dispense medications/procedures. Staff and students were notified before this went into effect 3 weeks ago.

Today, I'm sitting down to (finally) eat my lunch after cathing one of my kiddos. As she's leaving, a teacher slips in through the door, sits down on a cot and looks at me.

"..Can I help you?" I ask

(in the sorriest tone I've ever heard): "I'm sick ?"

"Could you please come back in 30 minutes? I'm taking my lunch."

"Oh. Uh, well, okay. I guess I'm just going to have to go home then because 30 minutes is not going to work."

Am I in the twilight zone??? How do people think it's okay to be this way?

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Specializes in Disaster Medicine / Public Health / School Health.

So frustrating. I cannot imagine being the only nurse for so many students. Plus I imagine everything counts as an "emergency." I see several staff who use the clinic like Primacare and it gets worse every year.

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

Sounds like the staff member was looking for any excuse to leave. How obnoxious!! Seriously - the culture of immediacy that's expected from the school health office is appalling. I just can't imaging how some of these people manage having to sit in a Dr's waiting room or worse an ER waiting room seeing triaged more severe cases get served before them.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

I tell the teachers all the time they are are grown ups, and they don't need my permission to leave early. If they have a fever, I'll vouch for that, but otherwise, be a grownup.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

I cannot imagine being responsible for that many students. What a huge liability! I only have 260 students and many days I am completely slammed and overwhelmed. Never do I get a lunch! I hope they realize that and get you help ASAP. Staff members are difficult to deal with here too. I have some that just want to come in on their planning period and take a nap! Nice for them when I have a ton of kids in clinic that are sick and I get no "planning period". Love my job and most of my co-workers but it sure is frustrating when I hear them complain about how much work they have and yet, they get nap time!

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Specializes in School Nurse, past Med Surge.

She is a &@!)!@_ adult! Unbelievable.

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Ugh! I can't even deal with that kind of nonsense. Also, what are you supposed to do for her in 30 min? I'm assuming she had a cold. Yuck, I'm so sorry:(

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Specializes in Oceanfront Living.

" Welp, missing eating my lunch doesn't work for me" says the OP

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7 minutes ago, beachbabe86 said:

" Welp, missing eating my lunch doesn't work for me" says the OP

That's exactly right. I'm entitled to fair labor protections I.e. an uninterrupted 30 minute lunch just like everyone else in the building. I'd happily interrupt my lunch for an emergency, but an adult coming to me for allergy symptoms is not one.

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On 3/10/2020 at 1:44 PM, Flare said:

Seriously - the culture of immediacy that's expected from the school health office is appalling. I just can't imaging how some of these people manage having to sit in a Dr's waiting room or worse an ER waiting room seeing triaged more severe cases get served before them.

Of all the things that have surprised me about school nursing, this is #1 on the "cons" side of the list - nearly every adult in the building expects to have access to any OTC medication, any free medical advice on any topic from knee replacement to chemotherapy, or evaluation of any pain or injury or minor illness evaluated immediately, this minute, regardless of what I might be doing (not to mention my scope of practice). I have had staff literally barge to the front of a line of students, demanding that I take their temperature. If I just hand them a thermometer, as I sometimes do to get them out of my way, they look genuinely hurt. You're not going to put it in my mouth for me?

I finally started telling staff that if they really need medical care immediately, we would need to call EMS. They scoff and say something like, "I don't need an ambulance just for this rash!" OK then....you don't need immediate help. So I'm going to finish my med pass and set up this kid's nebs, thanks.

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Specializes in kids.
On 3/13/2020 at 2:45 PM, Mavnurse17 said:

That's exactly right. I'm entitled to fair labor protections I.e. an uninterrupted 30 minute lunch just like everyone else in the building. I'd happily interrupt my lunch for an emergency, but an adult coming to me for allergy symptoms is not one.

Yes we are! But when will it happen on a regular basis?

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