I don't typically rant on here . . . and I don't know why my patience today is low . . . BUT----
1) Take kid off bus early for vomiting, chills and temp 99.8. Ten minutes later, temp 101.5, call parent who says "can't you just give him some medicine and let him rest? Parent arrives 75 minutes later . . . temp now 102.5 . . . kid wouldn't take Tylenol . . .
2) Staff member who says "can you listen to my heart?" Me: "Why?" Her: "It doesn't feel right. I can't feel it." putting her hand on her chest. No pain, no SOB, no history, denies palpitations . . . . I listen and get normal, regular AR/Radial Rate. Me: "if IT (whatever that is) doesn't go away, see your doctor. I don't see any emergent problem."
I wish I could put a sign on my door -"WHAT HAPPENS AT HOME SHOULD BE TAKEN CARE OF AT HOME."
THIS. So many times when I ask what the parent did about the injury that happened last night (or three days ago) I get, "Mom said to have you check it out."
Specializes in school nursing/ maternal/child hospital based.
21 hours ago, ruby_jane said:
Today I received a note from a parent. The student was c/o wrist pain and "could (I) check his wrist to see if it still bothering him?"
Um...he's in here, crying. No medication on board. No x-ray to confirm if it's a break on the ulnar side but that's what I'm betting because there's a deformity....
Also the dad who picked the kid up said mom had to tie the kid's shoes this AM so...yeah. That should have been a sign that it's "still bothering him."
I am sorry to be ranty. This one got to me.
I am finding this kind of thing happening more and more. Many times parents will say," I have such a high deductible I cant afford to take them, what do you think"? UGH!!!! What do I think, if you are concerned enough to ask me what to do, then you need to have it properly examined. I cant run rapid strep, I dont have x-ray vision, I cant prescribe meds. I dont pull teeth and cant treat fill cavities!!!! Sometimes the weight and responsibility of what I am asked to do is overwhelming. I get where the parents are coming from, but man does it stress me out. I try to be super polite about it, joke " If I had one super power, it would be xray vision. Would make life easier for all of us." Im afraid this is going to be a problem that will continue to grow for us.
Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.
On 3/9/2019 at 5:59 PM, AnnieNP said:
I'm not a school nurse, but I love reading the threads here. I am in awe of all of you!!!!!
I'm not a school nurse either. I was originally drawn into this forum by a thread on the main page that caught my eye, and I have been returning ever since. This is a greatly underappreciated specialty, and they have the greatest stories. It bears some similarity to my own specialty (corrections), because they operate in an environment ruled by people who know little or nothing about the medical profession, and they sometimes have strange ideas about what we ought to be doing.
I'm not a school nurse either. I was originally drawn into this forum by a thread on the main page that caught my eye, and I have been returning ever since. This is a greatly underappreciated specialty, and they have the greatest stories. It bears some similarity to my own specialty (corrections), because they operate in an environment ruled by people who know little or nothing about the medical profession, and they sometimes have strange ideas about what we ought to be doing.
I'm not a school nurse either. I was originally drawn into this forum by a thread on the main page that caught my eye, and I have been returning ever since. This is a greatly underappreciated specialty, and they have the greatest stories. It bears some similarity to my own specialty (corrections), because they operate in an environment ruled by people who know little or nothing about the medical profession, and they sometimes have strange ideas about what we ought to be doing.
Oh Corrections....My very first job right out of LVN school was at our County Detention Center - fun times & lots of good stories ? I never realized how truely naive I was about life until I worked there.
Specializes in ICU/community health/school nursing.
19 hours ago, Orca said:
I'm not a school nurse either. I was originally drawn into this forum by a thread on the main page that caught my eye, and I have been returning ever since. This is a greatly underappreciated specialty, and they have the greatest stories. It bears some similarity to my own specialty (corrections), because they operate in an environment ruled by people who know little or nothing about the medical profession, and they sometimes have strange ideas about what we ought to be doing.
YAAASSS!! Thank you. The comparison is apt. Florid psych issues, hunger for attention, daily meds, and then occasionally a bonafide emergency that shakes you up and reminds you why you're here.
chasinRT
199 Posts
THIS. So many times when I ask what the parent did about the injury that happened last night (or three days ago) I get, "Mom said to have you check it out."