Worse Situation

luvschoolnursing, LPN · May 20, 2007

I've been doing thisfor 5 years. True emergencies seem few and far between. I've had seizures, a broken shoulder, Allergic food reaction, (swollen lips, itchy neck, eyes swollen shut), a girl with severe abd. pain-we thought maybe tubal pregnancy or PID. Stuff that doesn't seem that major in the hospital can be major in a school setting where there is only 1 nurse for 1600 kids with no one else with medical training. We're "real" nurses, too

Keepstanding, ASN, RN · May 21, 2007

Arms, wrists, leg, ankle fractures. Sprained ankles. The usual kid stuff....then there has also been the diabetic who's b/s went to 22, grand mal seizures, anaphylactic reaction to peanuts...had to use Epi-pen,

child hit by car in front of school, heat exhaustion...oh and of course the dreaded HEAD LICE !! Most days are normal...and then there are days when I feel I work in an inner city ER. :lol2:

abbaking · May 28, 2007

I, myself am not a school nurse, but my sister is a middle and high school nurse. She recently told me about a situation where several students were involved in a campus fight and some of the kids had pretty nasty wounds (scrapes, bruises, swollen eye, even bite marks - YIKES!). She also says that her office is a constant triage center during all school hours for everything from ADD/ADHD med dispensing to ice packs to fevers to headaches. God bless all you school nurses. You have the strength to really care for an entire school by yourselves? But I do have a morbid but valid question. What are the general procedures for a Columbine-type disaster? Anyway, its late where I am and I need to get some rest. Happy Memorial Day. God Bless.....

luvschoolnursing, LPN · May 28, 2007

All schools have a written disaster plan in place. Of course, the school nurse would only be one part of the plan. Local EMS and authorities work closely with the schools writing the plan. When the police show up, they would take command of the situation and the nurse would follow their direction for triage, etc. depending on the situation. Local hospitals would be notified of an influx of wounded if necessary. I'm not sure you're ever ready for a situation like Columbine. Praying I never have to find out how the disaster plan would work.

allantiques4me · May 28, 2007

I work in a residential center for kids 5 thru 16,Similar to school nurse.Just like other posters said,seizures,fractures,asthma,.minor wounds.Thank God we havent had a lot of serious emergencies.They scare the H""ll out of me.!

Jeanine · May 31, 2007

my worst was cardiac arrest, cpr, revived, ambulance to the hospital, discharged with a dx of hypoglycemia (b/s of 112?). i insisted on a follow-up with peds. cardio., & he was placed on an event monitor. next week, cardiac arrest again, hit monitor, rescue breathing, ambulance to hospital. monitor showed v-tach, v-fib, toursades, and echo showed hypertropic cardiomyopathy. the student was taken to nyc, had a defibrillator/pacemaker implanted, and is now a healthy college junior.

Keepstanding, ASN, RN · May 31, 2007

Oh my goodness.....you are a dedicated school nurse for sure.

God Bless You !

Praiser

MarrieloRN · Jun 2, 2007

I had a kid present with a snake bite yesterday. It was a garden snake but still!! He actually was bit twice. It was not my worse situation but it was definitely my most unusual so far. I see a lot of crazy things in the school these days.

momofsix · Jul 23, 2007

I am not a school nurse, but just so you know bad things can happen at school,last year my 13 year old suffered a mjor stroke while running track. She was hospitalized for 6 weeks and never returned full time to school. Thank God the nurse had an ICU background or things could have been worse.

Keepstanding, ASN, RN · Jul 23, 2007

I am not a school nurse, but just so you know bad things can happen at school,last year my 13 year old suffered a mjor stroke while running track. She was hospitalized for 6 weeks and never returned full time to school. Thank God the nurse had an ICU background or things could have been worse.

WOW...so sorry about your child. That's is unbelievable.

If you don't mind me asking..how did the school nurse intervene with this sad situation?

Hope everything is getting better for you and your daughter.

Thanks,

_____________

Praiser

michigooseBSN · Sep 7, 2007

Outside of anaphylaxis and fractures (bilateral elbow fx) I think the worst was dealing with the 9/11 day. The nurse and the councelor were expected to be a resource for all the upset staff and not able to take care of ourselves that day. It was awful!