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...
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."
It's frustrating having people second guess you, especially when they have no medical education.
The one thing I can think of that might help is to check up on some of these students.... just like we would in any other setting after administering pain meds. The student would then have an RN reassessing her to see if her pain was better, and if not you could go from there. The teachers would see you following up and it might head them off at the pass.
This really might not have anything to do with you. Maybe they really liked the old nurse, maybe they have a hard time with change... maybe they didn't trust the retired nurses judgement and they are just carrying it forward. Just be as proactive as you can, make sure you start building relationships. Hopefully as you get to know your co-workers better they will learn to trust your judgement.
Specializes in med-surg, IMC, school nursing, NICU.
This thread is almost exactly a year old! Happy anniversary to me!
I just needed to share this one.
I sent a 4th grader home on Friday for a fever and headache. Came back on Monday feeling tired but much better. Teacher, a real germaphobe, called me twice asking if he is ok to be in school. I insisted he is.
She sent him to me just now. No note. I asked "Why are you here?" His response? "My teacher told me to come because I was walking slowly."
This thread is almost exactly a year old! Happy anniversary to me!
I just needed to share this one.
I sent a 4th grader home on Friday for a fever and headache. Came back on Monday feeling tired but much better. Teacher, a real germaphobe, called me twice asking if he is ok to be in school. I insisted he is.
She sent him to me just now. No note. I asked "Why are you here?" His response? "My teacher told me to come because I was walking slowly."
Don't you remember all of those extremely contagious diseases that we learned about in nursing school? The number 1 symptom for all of them is walking slowly! I don't understand teachers...
Specializes in School Nurse. Having conversations with littles..
Don't you remember all of those extremely contagious diseases that we learned about in nursing school? The number 1 symptom for all of them is walking slowly! I don't understand teachers...
And the number 1 dietary cure for everything was/is "green leafy vegetables".
Specializes in School Nurse. Having conversations with littles..
Well Duh MrNurse- Saltines are the cure for all things ill in school nursing. But, back in nursing school, all I knew about Saltines were that they made my mama's chili soup even better. :)
HeySis, BSN, RN
435 Posts
It's frustrating having people second guess you, especially when they have no medical education.
The one thing I can think of that might help is to check up on some of these students.... just like we would in any other setting after administering pain meds. The student would then have an RN reassessing her to see if her pain was better, and if not you could go from there. The teachers would see you following up and it might head them off at the pass.
This really might not have anything to do with you. Maybe they really liked the old nurse, maybe they have a hard time with change... maybe they didn't trust the retired nurses judgement and they are just carrying it forward. Just be as proactive as you can, make sure you start building relationships. Hopefully as you get to know your co-workers better they will learn to trust your judgement.