Would you have called?

I am upset that my BSN and 15 years of experience still gets me micromanaged by lay people.

Yes!! This is what is infuriating! It is a reality for every professional that works with the public in some capacity.

I try to explain this to SM and he does not understand. He works in IT and when he is fixing an issue, he can tell the people waiting on him "Sit back and let me do my job so then you will be able to do your job." And when they ask him "Well, what's wrong with it??" he asks "Do you really want to know what the problem is? Because I can tell you- in detail. Or do you want to know that I can fix it and that I can fix it faster without explaining it?"

I'd love to say something like that to some of my coworkers and parents ie: "Do you want a full explanation or do you want to trust my assessment skills enough to accept that this child is well enough to be in class?"

I want to teach all of them that minor discomforts are part of life and that they are strong resilient young people but I feel like their teachers also feel that each complaint is a genuine concern--which is great that they are so caring, but where will the children learn to tough through it? By the time they get to me their complaint is legitimized and it's hard to reverse the sense that they needed the visit!

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YES!YES!YES!

Snowflakes. The lot of them. Teachers and kids alike.

I got a call from an upset snowflake daddy.

He said she was getting a "fever" and reported a temp in the "low 99's".

Yup. But nothing happened at school, sir. Hang in there.

I am truly scared of where our world is taking us. Such entitlement. Can we not teach our kids to "shake it off", "rub some dirt on it", or "dry it up" like our parents used to? I know that's what I tell my own babies. (Sometimes it will come back to bite me...like a concussion, but hey, I gave my sweet boy an ice pack )

This is a soap box I could bring a blanket, a good book, and camp-out on all day.

OP, you did nothing wrong. The third grader is obviously capable of talking and letting her parents know that her ear hurts. 9 times out of 10 even if you had called they either wouldn't have answered, or told you that she would be okay and to call if she returns.

I am truly scared of where our world is taking us. Such entitlement. Can we not teach our kids to "shake it off", "rub some dirt on it", or "dry it up" like our parents used to? I know that's what I tell my own babies. (Sometimes it will come back to bite me...like a concussion, but hey, I gave my sweet boy an ice pack )

Oh Sully, I totally agree with you on this!!

Kids don't know the difference between being uncomfortable and being in pain.

Adults don't! Most under 70 have done some sort of drug and therefore are in need of bigger, better pharmacologics. Appropriate for 4/20 I guess. My OHS teaching always involved the difference between pain and discomfort, not that it helped. When I started they gave Codeine 30 for pain, the equivalent of 2 Darvocet. That wouldn't touch anyone today.

Probably not, because I trust that a third grader should be reliable enough to tell their parent that their ear is bothering them. I'm going to guess snowflake's parent was upset at you? Off to read comments!

Adults don't! Most under 70 have done some sort of drug and therefore are in need of bigger, better pharmacologics. Appropriate for 4/20 I guess. My OHS teaching always involved the difference between pain and discomfort, not that it helped. When I started they gave Codeine 30 for pain, the equivalent of 2 Darvocet. That wouldn't touch anyone today.

Most?

Really?

Hmmm.

I agree that parents need to be informed..to a point. Our previous school nurse didn't document AT ALL and didn't communicate with parents AT ALL. My daughter told me if she went to the nurse and told me if she took medication (we fill out clinic cards granting permission for specific OTC the nurse may/may not give to our child following assessment).

When I became the school nurse 3 years ago I began a strict policy of emailing parents a copy of my assessment and documentation for every visit that required medication. I do not contact parents for minor visits like scrapes and boo-boos. I call for anything major that I would want to be called about as a parent-injuries, fractures, concussions, illnesses, etc and things that are just crazy or difficult to explain thoroughly in documentation.

My parents have become accustomed to my communication method and often thank me for how I go about contacting them when their kids come to see me.

With that said, I definitely have housewives, accountants, engineers and other general laypersons who feel very comfortable calling or stopping by to tell me how to do my job. If I medicate their child, they're mad. If I don't, they're mad. If I underdose, I didn't give the child enough to treat their pain. If I appropriately dose, I should probably have underdosed first. One of my worst parents, though, is a nurse. She is busy, I get it. But she sneaks her kids in after they've been vomiting at home all morning. She argues with me when I call her to pick them up when they're sick and burning up with fever. Her argument is typically, "I don't send my kids to school sick!! I'm a NURSE!" Another mom will say, "I can't come pick up my sick daughter, I'm busy. I'm a cardiology nurse practitioner!" They are both wiser and above me in status, apparently as are all the laypeople who tell me how to do my job despite my 19 years of experience.

Guys, we are preaching to the choir. I've spent years convincing my kid that she doesn't need a pill for every feeling her body experiences..discomfort isn't pain. My reward is 300+ more kids who completely disagree with me.