Why so long

[NurseHeatherBSNRN, ASN, BSN]

How long do you normally have to wait for parents to pick up a sick child? I have several parents who take over an hour to get here every single time I call. I have waited almost 2 hours, and then sent the child home on the bus because we couldn't get mom to answer the phone anymore. Of course, my administration says "just keep calling" ? Any ideas on how I should handle this?

[DaisyRN2]

I actually had this happen this week. Had a student with a 103 degree fever. I am sure it was strep throat. I called and left messages for 2 hours. Could not reach any of the other contacts listed. So I contacted the resource officer and he stopped by. Turned out mom had her phone turned off....awesome!

[Flare, ASN, BSN]

i had a parent last week who i contacted before noon about a child with an earache. Her response was inintially that someone would be there in 10 minutes, but she called right back to say that no one could come and let her rest in my office until dismissal. Uh no... she can rest during recess and PE but not in my office for 4 hrs. Then the very next day the younger sibling came to my office on just this side of a fever. I called mom - again, she can't come. I pumped him full of fluids, but no use, he spiked to 102. I called mom back to discuss how she needs to come up with an emergency plan for future visits. When i reminded her that he'd need to be out the next day, she balked at that, saying it would cause a hardship. Too bad - figure something out. Kid stayed out the next day.

[MrNurse(x2), ADN]

4 minutes ago, Flare said:

i had a parent last week who i contacted before noon about a child with an earache. Her response was inintially that someone would be there in 10 minutes, but she called right back to say that no one could come and let her rest in my office until dismissal. Uh no... she can rest during recess and PE but not in my office for 4 hrs. Then the very next day the younger sibling came to my office on just this side of a fever. I called mom - again, she can't come. I pumped him full of fluids, but no use, he spiked to 102. I called mom back to discuss how she needs to come up with an emergency plan for future visits. When i reminded her that he'd need to be out the next day, she balked at that, saying it would cause a hardship. Too bad - figure something out. Kid stayed out the next day.

... and the kicker? Had she been timely in picking her up, you wouldn't have seen that fever and she could have been back the next day.

[Flare, ASN, BSN]

exactly!!

[nursetlm, ADN]

We've had to send our LO out to homes a few times a year- usually the parent is home- playing video games, etc....

I had one mom tell me - "I was having me time."

It can be frustrating.

[tining, BSN, RN]

Big event in November around here is Nutcracker Market (supports the ballet) shopping extravaganza.

Had student with 102 fever, called mom, she said - "But I'm at Nutcracker . . . "

Dad picked student up.

[NurseBeans, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

This frustrates me...because as much as I understand having to work and not wanting/being able to leave work or take time off work, isn't it one of those things you have to consider before having children? Like, you may have to pick them up at some point...so you may have to make arrangements or hell, even switch jobs to accommodate the kids. I know I have switched jobs, dialed back hours, switched shifts, even changed my nursing specialty because the school is not a daycare.

I really think that's the issue at hand, they think the school owes it to them to handle their kids for 6.5 hours.

[ihavealltheice]

1 hour ago, nursetlm said:

I had one mom tell me - "I was having me time."

What is this "me time" you speak of? Sounds fancy! ?

[MrNurse(x2), ADN]

35 minutes ago, ihavealltheice said:

What is this "me time" you speak of? Sounds fancy! ?

Need to graft this into the increase in student's behaving badly thread.?

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

17 minutes ago, MrNurse(x2) said:

Need to graft this into the increase in student's behaving badly thread.?

So true, and maybe in another way. I mean, destroying a classroom because you're in a bad mood could be considered...me time.

[Mavnurse17, BSN, RN]

3 hours ago, Flare said:

When i reminded her that he'd need to be out the next day, she balked at that, saying it would cause a hardship. Too bad - figure something out.

Maybe I'm just extremely jaded, but this is how I feel about a lot of parents with "hardships." I know that some parents are trying to do the best they can with very little resources, but at the same time when a parent tells me they won't leave work to come pick up their student who is seconds away from having a full blown seizure (with no diastat in office)?? Makes me want to tell them "Sorry, you need to figure it out" and hang up.