Where to wait

[odyssey321]

School nurses in preschools- where do your kids wait when going home sick?  I'm talking about 3 and 4 year olds. I'm having a hard time keeping them in the health room due to not being able to watch them with other kids coming in, procedures needing to be done, meds to be given, and being called out of the health room often. Sometimes I have them wait in the classroom because they have their cot and blanket there and the rooms are big enough for them to be separated with enough distance. Of course with issues that need nurse attention I always keep them with me.  Does anyone else with very young students sometimes let them wait for parents in the classroom when going home sick?

[arlingtonnurse]

I also have most of the 3- and 4-year-olds wait in classroom.   They usually have a quiet corner or cots.  Not only is it hard to watch a lively preschooler, if they aren't feeling well, they will scream if they are going to be left here. 

[k1p1ssk, BSN, RN]

If they do not have a fever and have not vomited and are just "off", or if they have a 1:1, they wait in the classroom. If they have vomited or are febrile, I keep them with me, unless it is going to be a super long wait. If It is a particularly busy day, I will insist that I need a pre-k staff member to stay with the child in my office to keep them occupied. I spend a fair amount of time in the pre-k classrooms and do a lot of assessments in them so the kids know me and are generally happy to be with me in my office - I have a lot of sensory toys available that are easily disinfected, so the kids typically spend 3-5 minutes with each toy until their ride comes. So far, I've only had one kiddo have to wait a super long time, and her fever came right around rest time, so after I got tylenol in her, I gave her a blanket and put on lullabies and she slept the whole 90 minutes until her dad was able to get here! 

 

[odyssey321]

k1p1ssk said:

If they do not have a fever and have not vomited and are just "off", or if they have a 1:1, they wait in the classroom. If they have vomited or are febrile, I keep them with me, unless it is going to be a super long wait. If It is a particularly busy day, I will insist that I need a pre-k staff member to stay with the child in my office to keep them occupied. I spend a fair amount of time in the pre-k classrooms and do a lot of assessments in them so the kids know me and are generally happy to be with me in my office - I have a lot of sensory toys available that are easily disinfected, so the kids typically spend 3-5 minutes with each toy until their ride comes. So far, I've only had one kiddo have to wait a super long time, and her fever came right around rest time, so after I got tylenol in her, I gave her a blanket and put on lullabies and she slept the whole 90 minutes until her dad was able to get here! 

 

I guess my dilemma is that during that 90 minutes that she slept what would you do if you were called away for any one of the million things we're called away for - for example kid having seizure in the classroom and needs his Diastat.  We're not allowed to leave a 3-4 year old alone.  It just makes me nervous.  I'm thinking - does an RN need to watch a child with a fever sleep for 90 min. til dad arrives.  When we had covid sick rooms we had para's watch the kids waiting in there not the nurse. If I had older kids it wouldn't be a problem since I guess they could be left alone. Thanks for the response! Good things for me to think about.

[k1p1ssk, BSN, RN]

odyssey321 said:

I guess my dilemma is that during that 90 minutes that she slept what would you do if you were called away for any one of the million things we're called away for - for example kid having seizure in the classroom and needs his Diastat.  We're not allowed to leave a 3-4 year old alone.  It just makes me nervous.  I'm thinking - does an RN need to watch a child with a fever sleep for 90 min. til dad arrives.  When we had covid sick rooms we had para's watch the kids waiting in there not the nurse. If I had older kids it wouldn't be a problem since I guess they could be left alone. Thanks for the response! Good things for me to think about.

Good question! I have the luxury that my office is attached to the main office, so if that scenario were to arise, I would likely ask the admin assistant to step in to my office, or at the very least do frequent check ins. The cots in my office have a door between them that also opens right into the principal's office, so I might just ask that the door remain open so the principal can keep eyes on them. I might also let pre-k staff know if it is going to be that long of a wait and see if there is space in the classroom for them - I always try to ask parents how long they expect they will be.