using my personal phone instead of school provided

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The school hasn't provided me with a phone. All the staff uses their own telephones. I only use with staff, not parents.

If I had a school provided phone, could I send photos to parents when they're requesting to a have photo sent to them? What about videoing a student who had rather strange partial seizures and father asked if I could video student's events, so he can share them with the neurologist?

If I could use school provided phone for this? Any ideas how I would get consent from the parent? Is this something I could get every parent to sign at the beginning of the school year?

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Specializes in School nursing.

I don't have a school provided phone.

I do, however, have a Google number that I have given parents (texting is awesome because I have it set up so the texts go to my work email as well) - not usually for pics though.

If I have to take one, I use the student's phone instead; this is easy given I work with MS/HS students.

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Specializes in Med-surg, school nursing..

I don't have a work provided phone but I wish I did. I have many parents ask me to just text them because it's easier. I've had parents ask me to send pics of things. Field day I have to use my personal phone to call from outside and parents NEVER answer *67 numbers.

@JenTheSchoolRN I need to know what this Google number is?

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Specializes in School nursing.
2 minutes ago, OyWithThePoodles said:

I don't have a work provided phone but I wish I did. I have many parents ask me to just text them because it's easier. I've had parents ask me to send pics of things. Field day I have to use my personal phone to call from outside and parents NEVER answer *67 numbers.

@JenTheSchoolRN I need to know what this Google number is?

Google Voice: https://voice.google.com

It is awesome! You get a different phone number that goes through the Google Voice App on your phone and you can link it to a Google account; my school uses Google now for its email system so this can link directly to my work email. When I was head chaperone for our senior trip, I gave my Google Voice number to parents and students. Calls still went through my phone and I texted through the app. I send it up so copies of texts through it go to my email and it also emails me when I have a voice mail through the app.

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Specializes in school nursing.

Gonna have to download google voice! Looks like a good app. I have used my personal cell when I am at an emergency "scene" calling a parent so I don't have to leave the student's side or wait for someone else to call.

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I don't have a school provided phone but I have a school ipad. I use that to take photos (with parent request/consent) if needed and send via email. I do not use my personal phone for any school business.

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Specializes in School Nursing.
On 5/4/2019 at 5:32 PM, Nurse2Kids said:

could I send photos to parents when they're requesting to a have photo sent to them? What about videoing a student who had rather strange partial seizures and father asked if I could video student's events, so he can share them with the neurologist?

If I could use school provided phone for this? Any ideas how I would get consent from the parent? Is this something I could get every parent to sign at the beginning of the school year?

I do have a district provided cell and I am not allowed to record/share any types of media of students. The reason being if the parent were questioning anything staff did, or if it turned into a CPS case, my phone and subsequently myself could be subpoenaed. I wholeheartedly agree with this. If parents need to see their child they should come into the school. If they want monitoring of seizures, first I would need a doctor's order, then the parent would need to provide the material to perform that monitoring.

Just my two cents. You should look into your district's/schools policies.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

I have a school phone and I frequently communicate with parents by text and frequently send photos of bumps, bruises, cuts, busted lips, rashes and various other conditions to parents. I have provided video evidence of asthma exacerbations as well as video of acute tardive dyskenesia, and other video, which have been very helpful for the MD to diagnose the conditions. All of this falls into FERRPA requirements just like what you say to someone or other written info you distribute. If you distribute it appropriately, in accordance with parent consent and patient confidentiality, you are not breaking any laws.

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1 hour ago, OldDude said:

I have a school phone and I frequently communicate with parents by text and frequently send photos of bumps, bruises, cuts, busted lips, rashes and various other conditions to parents. I have provided video evidence of asthma exacerbations as well as video of acute tardive dyskenesia, and other video, which have been very helpful for the MD to diagnose the conditions. All of this falls into FERRPA requirements just like what you say to someone or other written info you distribute. If you distribute it appropriately, in accordance with parent consent and patient confidentiality, you are not breaking any laws.

I love this, and feel the school would most likely provide me a phone, if I presented the idea the right way. May I ask how you obtain consent? Do you gather consent on every student at the beginning of the year, or on a prn basis throughout the year? Would you be interested in sharing your consent form with me? I want to revise our registration papers that every parent completes at the beginning of the year, and would like to get consent from every parent, so I'll have it when needed.

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Specializes in Med-surg, school nursing..

@JenTheSchoolRN is the google voice free or do you have to pay?

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
15 hours ago, Nurse2Kids said:

I love this, and feel the school would most likely provide me a phone, if I presented the idea the right way. May I ask how you obtain consent? Do you gather consent on every student at the beginning of the year, or on a prn basis throughout the year? Would you be interested in sharing your consent form with me? I want to revise our registration papers that every parent completes at the beginning of the year, and would like to get consent from every parent, so I'll have it when needed.

In regard to phone usage...I don't have a consent "form." Many times when the "voice mail is full," or "the voice mail has not been set up," or "this number is not accepting calls at this time," etc., I will text the number and get a response. I Identify myself on the text but only use first names in the message. Once the text is responded to with no objection, the implication is the parent consents to that form of communication. I never send an initial photo or video without asking the parent if they want me to do that. I have many text strings for historical purposes. Just yesterday a little one fell off his chair and busted his lip. I have historically communicated with this parent by text and photos so I simply texted a photo with a brief description of the injury to his mom. She responded...thank you - notification complete - end of story. I text a noon BG reading to a parent every...simply put in the number - send. Hope this is helpful.

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