Were you a frequent flyer in you’re own school days

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I have some interest in school nursing as a career but I’m an Aussie and it’s really not very common to have a school nurse, though in my first year of nursing school I remember getting an email about second year or higher students acting as an assistant nurse for a program trying to introduce health professionals to some primary schools

but I want to know if any of the amazing and very funny peeps here were frequent flyers to either their school nurse or the front office of the school? And how do your schools help keep kids at school or at least up to date with school work?

I was 300% the frequent flyer sort, except I’d just call mum on my mobile phone from the bathroom and rock up to the office when she arrived to pick me up, much to the office ladies annoyance, I did have legit medical issues that were sending me home and I was the most anxious kid, my school really went above and beyond to help me stay at school by allowing me to leave class and go to the library to do work or for my teachers to post home work for me instead etc... I had a multitude of hidey holes on campus that I could escape to

I remembered that in primary school kids obviously couldn’t get their own meds, so if I was sick and mum sent in cough syrup or panadol liquid etc the office ladies would measure it and give it to me, and my mum always packed a lolly for after the medicine

and cough lollies were sold in the canteen at primary school, if you had no money but a bad cough the canteen ladies would start a tab for your parent to pay later

in high school I have no idea if we were allowed to have meds, but most of us girls had ibuprofen and panadol in our backpacks ... I’m 99% sure I carried a fair few other meds like my prn nausea pills and in a tiny baggie taped inside my pencil case a half a 1mg Valium in case of major panic attack

the nurses that I remember from my childhood are the nurses at my gp practice, most of them have been there for like 25+ years, all the pathology nurses know me on sight as miss disappearing veins and all the clinic nurses think I’m adorable (even now at 26 I get given a lollipop after my flu shot) .... additionally the nurse who looked after my brother when he had pneumonia, she was a tough lady and when my 3 year old bro refused liquid panadol for his fever she showed him the other way to take it (I think you see where this is going) and he never kicked up a fuss over liquid medicine again ... and the nurses that put up with teenage me when I had a week long telemetry, I cried so much and was rude as heck ... it was the nurses when I was 23 and in hospital for a month that made me want to be a nurse ... I bumped into a nurse from a recent hospital stay at a club they were covered in glitter and I was close to nude and it was hilarious when we acknowledged each other with a brief nod then pretended it never happened

i imagine it might be hard to be tough on frequent flyers, I struggle to be firm or tough with patients when I need to cause I’m so nice and all butterflies and sunshine

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Specializes in Primary Care, LTC, Private Duty.

Yes, but only because my home life was falling apart and my abusive father was making my parents' already-contentious divorce even more nightmarish (like, leaving bullets from weapons he owned outside on our window sills and reminding us that restraining orders "only serve to piss off the person you're trying to hide from"). So I was always sleep deprived and overly stressed with a weak immune system. At school, I was bored by the coursework as a straight-A student and teacher's pet, so I wasn't getting much out of being in class to begin with. Then, on top of everything else, the "mean girls" picked up on my depression, anxiety, and angst and made being in school a miserable experience.

I'm sure I was a pain in the butt to my school nurses and they didn't really know what to do with me, but I was there for a reason, even if it was just to escape the bullies for a while. I was miserable. My classmates were actually encouraging me to kill myself, both in school and when they'd find me online. And my father...don't even get me started. It left me with a lot of mental scar tissue that I'm still working through to this day. Thankfully, once my parents' divorce was over, my mom had time to homeschool me (through virtual school). I ended up graduating a year early from virtual school with high honors and got away from everything and everyone (except my mom).

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Specializes in IMC, school nursing.

I got a nail in my foot walking in from the remote building. That was my one and only visit. Never for a bandaid, cough drop or ice pack.

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Nope. I wasn’t. My mom was an old-school nurse so nothing got by her and unless I was outright contagious or dead I never missed school. I don’t even remember if we had a school nurse although I’m sure we did. Once I told her I was so sick I was dying (I didn’t want to go to school). She came in and checked me out and said you can stay home and showed me this notebook she flipped with all this writing in it saying that was the chore list I’d need to complete before dinner if I stayed home. She left the room and went to make breakfast. When it was ready I was already showered and dressed for school with my bed made. I ate fast and left for the bus stop. She said, “I never saw a dying person make their bed and eat so fast.” I just stared at her for a moment and left quick.

???

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I went to a Catholic school from K-8th grade. My friends and I were frequent flyers in middle school during recess. We didn't feel like standing and playing in a parking lot that was our "playground" so we would go to her and she would have candies for us ? I got diabetes in 4th grade and while I don't remember needing to go to her much for those issues, we did go during recess almost every day and during Spanish class hehe. She loved us and we loved her and it was a super small school so not many other kids coming in.

I remember one time when I was younger I went down because my throat hurt. My brother was there for the same reason. Neither had a fever, I think we were both actually below 98.6 but the nurse called my mom since we were both there and it turned out we had strep. woomp woomp. my poor mom!

High school I think I went once?? I remember cots in the back and I got to lay down for whatever was wrong with me but that was it. FF ended when I finished 8th grade. Though if there was a nurse's office at the corporate job I have now, I would definitely be a FF needing to lay down for a bit ?

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Specializes in kids.
On 2/12/2019 at 9:31 PM, River&MountainRN said:

Yes, but only because my home life was falling apart and my abusive father was making my parents' already-contentious divorce even more nightmarish (like, leaving bullets from weapons he owned outside on our window sills and reminding us that restraining orders "only serve to piss off the person you're trying to hide from"). So I was always sleep deprived and overly stressed with a weak immune system. At school, I was bored by the coursework as a straight-A student and teacher's pet, so I wasn't getting much out of being in class to begin with. Then, on top of everything else, the "mean girls" picked up on my depression, anxiety, and angst and made being in school a miserable experience.

I'm sure I was a pain in the butt to my school nurses and they didn't really know what to do with me, but I was there for a reason, even if it was just to escape the bullies for a while. I was miserable. My classmates were actually encouraging me to kill myself, both in school and when they'd find me online. And my father...don't even get me started. It left me with a lot of mental scar tissue that I'm still working through to this day. Thankfully, once my parents' divorce was over, my mom had time to homeschool me (through virtual school). I ended up graduating a year early from virtual school with high honors and got away from everything and everyone (except my mom).

I'm glad one of "us" was there for you. Been doing this a long time and learned many years ago just how important that "check in" is to some kiddos.

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Specializes in School Nursing, Pediatrics.

I was never a FF. But I do recall in 3rd grade going to the nurse and being sent home with Chicken Pox!! LOL. I think I went to the nurse a few times in HS because I wanted out of gym!

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Specializes in LTC, home health, critical care, pulmonary nursing.

I went to the nurse’s office every. single. day. in third grade with stomach “issues.” My dad took me to the pediatrician several times, they took me to a psychologist, and it turned out I just had a really mean teacher. I wasn’t the only kid in that class with “stomach issues.” I’m 35 now, and she’s still teaching elementary school. I do hope she’s mellowed. Bless that nurse for being kind to me even though I came in day after day after day!

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Specializes in Peds, MS, DIDD, Corrections, HH, LTC, School Nurse.

Back in my day ( I went to school with Moses) we didn't have school nurses and I had better be near death if I went to the office and they had to call my mom or dad to be picked up!

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I don't even know if we had a school nurse. I did get migraines a lot triggered by hormones, so I just remember talking to the secretary and she'd call my mom. But I never faked it. I'm the type of person that is busted the second I even think about lying ?

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