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...
Oh, my! Is he on his way to the ER? Had he already taken his AM meds?
ETA- This is kind of what happened to my dad. He was a teacher and it was the day of the Junior High graduation. He was supposed to give a speech so he was still around after school. He wasn't feeling good- thought he ate too much spicy food (he worked in a heavily hispanic district and they all brought in food on the last day- it was 1996) and also thought he had been swinging the golf club too hard. Anyway, he took aspirin and tums and decided he would have to skip graduation. As he went to tell his principal, he changed his mind and decided he should go to the hospital. Double by-pass surgery that night. Cardiac arrest a few minutes after arriving to ER, had to be defibrillated. If he had driven home, he would have been on the expressway when he went into cardiac arrest. He lived another 19 years- just passed away in June. We assume it was another heart attack. I miss him.
I'm so sorry for the loss of your dad.
The teacher: I got my mom voice on with him, and although he's oldern me, he will obey. I told him he must be seen today. I hate the words "I just don't feel right..."
The teacher: I got my mom voice on with him, and although he's oldern me, he will obey. I told him he must be seen today. I hate the words "I just don't feel right..."
Thank you. I had a hard morning with it today. Cried in the car when a song came on that he used to sing- The Temptations Just my Imagination.
Keep us updated on that teacher! Glad he did not brush it off thinking "This'll pass"
A lot of teachers want me to "diagnose" them before they go to the doctor! I say legally I can't but I can give you my opinion and opinion only...what it possibly could be!
Just go to the dang doctor will you? I'm not a clinic (silently thinking)!
Shaking chills teacher with hx of an immunosuppressive yadda yadda... temp, sudden body aches. I send her home and as she's shaking out the door I ask her, BTW, did you get your flu shot this year?
I wonder if I decide that I don't believe in cancer, I won't get it? More directly, can her students say they don't believe in the subject she teaches, so the grade doesn't matter. Wow, they live among us.
Yeah, well I became a "believer" the year the flu kicked my a$$!
Will never go without the vax again.
I always get my flu shot, but last year my husband did not despite my urging. He got a terrible case of the flu that lasted 2 weeks. I was a terrible wife because I was not very sympathetic...
Saw a student - he has a bad cold, dragging his feet. But no temp and if I sent home every snot-filled kid I saw, the school would be empty. We talked about washing his hands, water, etc. Teacher calls 30 minutes later: "I know you saw this student, but I think he needs to go home."
I had a moment where I took a deep breath and told the teacher that I had no medical reason to send the student home, but if the student is not productive in class, I will call home and state that is the reason said student should be picked up. Teacher did apologize, but sure enough, I called the parent who grumbled "oh, great."
Shaking chills teacher with hx of an immunosuppressive yadda yadda... temp, sudden body aches. I send her home and as she's shaking out the door I ask her, BTW, did you get your flu shot this year?
Her answer? No. I don't believe in them.
Oooookay.
Oh yeah, amazing how many educated folks are like that.
I always get my flu shot, but last year my husband did not despite my urging. He got a terrible case of the flu that lasted 2 weeks. I was a terrible wife because I was not very sympathetic...
So, after sticking up for them...... Our music teacher, a transplant from a traditional school, sent my son to me because his shoes were muddy. I knew this, I had him in the bathroom cleaning him off the best I could. I thought he was sent because he was mine, but then in comes his friend (they were both pushed into a mud pile at recess). Behind him came the third dirty shoe kid. The teacher I share an office with said, yeah, like that is a nurses job. Thankfully it was a slow day and with only 125 students, I can't complain. I took care of it, I had them take off their shoes.
Oh yeah, amazing how many educated folks are like that. 
Farawyn
12,646 Posts
I'm so sorry for the loss of your dad.
The teacher: I got my mom voice on with him, and although he's oldern me, he will obey. I told him he must be seen today. I hate the words "I just don't feel right..."