Vent about teachers (as much as I love them)

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Specializes in med-surg, IMC, school nursing, NICU.

This vent is pretty common but I am wondering if anyone else has had this experience with the teachers or other staff at their school.

I am a new school nurse this year and I am also relatively young-- in my late 20's. I'm not married and I don't have any children. I noticed pretty quickly that a lot of the teachers who ARE parents tend to undermine my judgment when it comes to the calls I make and the care I provide. A few examples:

1) A third grade student came to my office c/o nausea. No fever, ate breakfast. I let her rest for a few minutes and she said she was feeling better. Off she went, through the main office to the cafeteria because it was faster that way. Well, one of the secretaries comes in and says "you can't just let sick kids parade through the office. I don't want to get sick." or something to that effect. I explained to her that the student wasn't sick, afebrile, etc and her response was "I'm a mom. I can tell when a kid is sick and that kid had no business walking around the office."

I had NO idea having a child automatically made you an RN! I could have saved a lot of money by skipping college and just getting pregnant!

2) A second grader with a previously sustained broken arm was c/o pain. I administered Tylenol as per our standing medicine orders and gave her an ice pack. I also called mom and she was satisfied with my treatment. About an hour later, her teacher came bursting into my office like the Kool-Aid man demanding to know "what else could be done" about the pain the student was complaining about because "whatever I did earlier wasn't helping." I explained to the teacher that I gave the student a PRN dose of Tylenol and an ice pack. I called mom and other than that, there really wasn't much else to be done. The teacher then asked if she could have a second dose of Tylenol and I said no. She said "Well, if it was my child I would just give her another dose. The first one didn't work."

I fear for her child's liver.

I don't get it! I understand that having a child is great experience with all the illness and booboos that come with childhood. What I don't understand is why these teachers are acting like their parenting skills somehow overpower my 4 years of college, bachelor's degree, national licensure and almost 4 years of experience. Maybe it's because I am a little younger than the previous nurse at my school (like 35 years younger...) or maybe they just assume I am inexperienced with ALL nursing because I am new to the school. Whatever. All I do know is if I busted into their classroom (OH YEAH) and started telling them how to teach multiplication or run the front office, I would be escorted off the premises faster than you can say "Acute hepatic failure r/t acetaminophen overdose"

I'm done now. The school day is over and I have my childless house to get to...

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Oncology, School Nursing, OB.

It's not because you don't have kids, it's because you're a new nurse to that school and they don't trust you yet. We've all went through it whether we have kids or not. It's probably worse because you do look much younger. Note to yourself, don't let kids walk through the main office period. She was probably annoyed at the extra foot traffic and used the possible illness as an excuse. Secondly that teacher should've been more respectful and how are you supposed to know if your treatment didn't work if she didn't send the child back down for a reassessment? It just takes time to build those relationships. I've found if I make an effort to personally get to know the staff they are much easier to work with. There's always going to be those few you just need to grin and bear it. However, they have no right to ever demand you do something! They are not your boss. If they ask nicely you can work with them but don't let them order you around.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

I know you're frustrated, I've had a few people try to tell me how to do my job too since I started. I just tell them what I see and that is that. With your #2 situation, I am thinking teacher was probably really annoyed by the student complaining of the pain. If I had to bet, the student was probably using it as an excuse not to do his or her work all day, and she hoped you could "fix" it. I've noticed some kids have an absolute ZERO pain tolerance. I find myself using the FAST scale because when I ask they will give me a 10, every time, even if I see them running around and laughing with their friends.

Oh an aside. We don't give any OTC meds without the student's doc ordering it, AND it being filled by a pharmacist... I imagine you're awfully busy with standing OTC med orders.

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Many teachers think they know everything. They may know a lot of stuff, and can often be an asset. Some will end up your allies and friends.

YOU are the final, and sometimes only, medical "voice" in the school. It's your call. Don't let them forget it. Nicely, if possible.

GOOD LUCK!

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

oh, i feel your pain. Despite me having 14 years of school nursing experience, i've been at this school for 4 years. People STILL treat me like i just came in off the turnip truck. I have a child of my own, I have been doing this job a long time - longer that some of the teachers have been teaching. Longer than some of the teachers have been parents. Yet they still question me. And if I send a kid with a stomach ache back and they puke in class, it's the golden opportunity for some of them to rejoice in the chorus of "I Told You So" Theater!

The bottom line is that everyone thinks they can do our job. Everyone has an opinion on who should be sent home.

But the teachers don't consider the backlash that we face if we send home a child that really was really not sick. Teachers may believe the child that splashes a little water on their face and returns back to class saying "I threw up in the bathroom" but they may not consider that it's the 6th time they've tried that trick so far this year. They just think about themselves and think "I don't want to get sick myself"

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Specializes in med-surg, IMC, school nursing, NICU.

LifeLearningRN: I thought about that after the fact. This little girl is not whiney at all but PERSISTENT. She asks the same question over and over until she gets the reply she wants. I would probably be a little annoyed by her if I were the teacher. That's why I like this job... I get to send them back to class when they start feeling well enough to be irritating... I agree about the pain tolerance as well.

And as far as the OTC meds, we have Tylenol, antacids, Motrin and cough drops. The parents have to consent to them and it's actually pretty convenient. Most of my kids are young enough that they don't immediately think "MEDS" when they aren't feeling well. I am usually the one to bring up giving them a dose when they come to see me and I only do so for the kids who really appear to need it. It saves a lot of calls home to parents because sometimes just the act of receiving medication makes the kids feel better and back to class they go! I don't see them for the rest of the day!

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Specializes in med-surg, IMC, school nursing, NICU.

Blue_Moon- You're probably right about the foot traffic. When it's one of the secretaries "buddies" as she calls them, it's fine and dandy for them to be parading through the office but as soon as it's someone who may be unwell, it's the end of the world!

Most of the teachers are great, don't get me wrong, it's just those instances of people being out of bounds that sticks with you. I guess it's all part of the learning process!

I'll tell you, I came from a very large teaching hospital before this and getting chewed out by teachers is NOTHING compared to those big-head, hot shot, God complex attendings and the fire they can rain down!

Farawyn- Thanks for your support! I already have some allies and they are great. It's nice having little ears and eyes all over the school in the form of teachers as long as they understand that it's MY call at the end of the day!

Flare- Well if you're right off the turnip truck, then I haven't even been harvested yet! I get those passive aggressive notes back with my "Told You So" students and it drives me bananas. "Little Joey is still complaining of a sore throat. Did you take his temperature and check his throat?"

No, of course not. I did a spinal tap and a metabolic panel. WHAT DO YOU THINK I DID?!

Oy vey.

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This makes me appreciate my staff all the more. They may disagree, but it is respectfully. Relationship building will help, but those descriptions sound like RUDE people.

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Specializes in School Nurse.

Yesterday a student with concussion recovery accommodations informed me that his teacher told him he needs to go home. Why? Not because he was experiencing symptoms, but because when HER son sustained a concussion he stayed home for a week! Note that this child was a well-established frequent flier before said concussion. Sure, let's all encourage his avoidance behaviors.

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The School Nurse Forum is awesome! So much help here. Even though I'm leaving as a school nurse shortly, I will be sticking around here.

To the OP - this is one of the frustrations of the job. I am the ONLY medical authority for 11 campuses (the other school nurses are probably tired of hearing me say that). :facepalm: The truth is, there is only one principal who gives me grief and so I'm fortunate.

Almost all the campuses have their little "sick" room right off the main office so the kids have to walk into and out of that space. I've never had anyone mention anything to me about it. The office staff are the ones who handle most sick kid issues as I can't be on every campus every day. Plus I work 3 days a week.

You have to figure out a way to stand your ground without alienating folks and then most of the staff will have your back. I've forged a great relationship with the school psychologist who also gets grief from that same principal.

And don't check the staff for lice - or do all classroom head checks for lice! Take a look at the lice threads here for advice about that.

Good luck!

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Been at several schools over my 10 year school nurse career. There has been an overbearing know it all at every one of them. I posted this on another thread the other day.

Everybody else on campus is a "medical expert" until they see blood or vomit and then all of the sudden they know nothing and call for the nurse.

I like to hand out written policy and protocol as much as I possibly can to these "experts." The real problem is that they don't know what they don't know and someday it will bite them in the rear. Meanwhile, it will be my turn to say I told you so....

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

Everybody else on campus is a "medical expert" until they see blood or vomit and then all of the sudden they know nothing and call for the nurse.

I'm painting this above my office door!!

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