Would you call an ambulance?

Specialties School

Published

  1. Would you call an ambulance?

    • 2
      Yes
    • 68
      No

70 members have participated

Scenario:

First grader lower function ASD student found during snack time by his one on one with two over the counter pain meds in his snack bag. No acute distress. Would you call an ambulance immediately?

yes or no

Specializes in IMC, school nursing.

Wow! That Principal is over the top nuts. Why have a nurse in the building if you aren't going to respect their professional judgement? That poor family has now been cast into a hell of his making.

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

I would be mad as a hatter if my child (especially my child was autistic) was sent to the ER for pills in their lunch box without any s/s of distress or taking them or call to me or call to poison control. Autistic kids get into things. Heck -all kids get into things. I've had kids not on the ASD slip pills into their lunch bags because they thought they'd need it. Granted, the parent perhaps needs tighter control on their medications, but these kids can also move like greased lightning.

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In these instances, I encourage the administrator with hair on fire to call 911. They get what they want and I am not the idiot school nurse when EMS and parents arrive.

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In these instances, I encourage the administrator with hair on fire to call 911. They get what they want and I am not the idiot school nurse when EMS and parents arrive.

yeah but I'm the idiot nurse who has to report to personal and rebut my formal write up for "poor medical judgement", they will get that and a lot more. Including the results of this poll.

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Specializes in Med-surg, school nursing..

I cannot believe you were written up. This whole things is absurd. Unless the child was in distress or acting much different than their baseline (with asd kids who can be non-verbal, look drowsy anyway) or found with a medication that would alter respiratory/CNS status I would not have called an ambulance. On what grounds was this ambulance called per the administrator? Like others have said, many kiddos bring random pills to school. I've even had older kiddos bring in their little siblings ADHD meds to give (nope).

Does the principal have it out for this kids family for some other reason? I am surprised EMS transported as they will sometimes put up a fuss over things that they really do need to transfer for. And to call CPS!? This poor family.

I'm sorry you work for a ding-dong. And I hope your write-up ends up in the proper place, the garbage.

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Specializes in school/military/OR/home health.
yeah but I'm the idiot nurse who has to report to personal and rebut my formal write up for "poor medical judgement", they will get that and a lot more. Including the results of this poll.
But...how can a person with no medical or nursing background declare "poor medical judgement"? You are the only one with medical judgement in the building, that's the whole point of you. No one can really speak to your medical judgement except other school nurses. I just can't...it does not compute.
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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
yeah but I'm the idiot nurse who has to report to personal and rebut my formal write up for "poor medical judgement", they will get that and a lot more. Including the results of this poll.

oops, this ups the ante...if you have professional insurance, it's time to call the cavalry. If you don't, you need to hire an attorney out of your own pocket. To have someone who doesn't have the authority to make such a determination regarding "poor medical judgement" make a statement like that is slander and a defamation of your professional integrity. For that same person to write that statement down is libel and a defamation of your professional integrity; both of which are a civil wrongdoing.

This is way out of line.

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No way would I have called an ambulance. Totally agree with Old Dude re the slander thing. I think that I would look for a new job too, rather than work for that idiot.

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I would be mad as a hatter if my child (especially my child was autistic) was sent to the ER for pills in their lunch box without any s/s of distress or taking them or call to me or call to poison control. Autistic kids get into things. Heck -all kids get into things. I've had kids not on the ASD slip pills into their lunch bags because they thought they'd need it. Granted, the parent perhaps needs tighter control on their medications, but these kids can also move like greased lightning.

I agree with this!!! There could be a perfectly reasonable explanation for the pills being there. At least give the parents a chance to explain. Even if they put it there themselves, well that is a stupid decision but not CPS level in my opinion. Heck, another kid in class could have put them there for all we know and they are totally calling out the wrong parent.........................

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Well, this thread is just another thing to add to the long list of "reasons I am a super neurotic autism mom." First of all, bless you, I would not have wanted 911 called either, you were right and the principal overreacted. Second, those poor parents, having CPS called on them....oh my goodness I can only imagine. That ranks right in the top 10 of special need parent nightmares right there. Third, this is also why I always have my phone with me (yep, even at work) and even when my phone is on silent, the school number will ring through as well as all of my son's teachers and aides. Sorry, can't take any chances. This right here is a primary example of why.

I hope the kiddo is okay and I think your principal acted like a real tool. :(

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Specializes in School nurse.
yeah but I'm the idiot nurse who has to report to personal and rebut my formal write up for "poor medical judgement", they will get that and a lot more. Including the results of this poll.

So do these people who say you have poor medical judgement have medical licenses?

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But...how can a person with no medical or nursing background declare "poor medical judgement"? You are the only one with medical judgement in the building, that's the whole point of you. No one can really speak to your medical judgement except other school nurses. I just can't...it does not compute.

oh believe that fact is in my written rebuttal to the administrator's statement

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