You can't fix stupid!

Specialties School

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However, as nurses I think we want to!

It was one of those days I wanted to pull my hair out.

1. Student came in wheezing. Health history states, "no known health issues." Took 2 hours to track down dad who is a pediatric neurosurgeon! Oh yes, she has asthma. I guess I should call in RX for new inhaler. You think?

2. I stayed late to do some CPR check-offs. Came back to get my purse to leave. Student sitting there, said she had been there 20 minutes. Was sent 15 minutes after my quitting time from drama rehearsal. Clinic was dark with door closed. Hello!!!!

3. Parent came rushing up, pulled her precious out of class because he texted saying his wound (he got stitches 2 days ago) was severely infected. Mom practically pushed another student out of the way to show me his nicely healing area. Ughhhh, ever heard of the phone???? Or getting out of your big denial and admitting your kid will text you anything to get out of class???

4. No, your kid sitting in the clinic giggling and playing with my scale is not a sign of distress and that is why I sent her back to class. Please have coffee with the mom from number 3 and stop hovering over your middle schooler.

5. Throw in a couple of " my mom told me to come to school and if I wasn't better, blah, blah.." And " a piece of paper hit my arm 2 days ago, my teacher says I need ice."

When is Thanksgiving Break?????

Specializes in ortho, hospice volunteer, psych,.

The middle school nurse at the school a boy my husband volunteers with had a legitimate virus and threw up for about three days. His nutty mother sent him to school anyway, He spent those days in the nurse's office lying down, eating saltines and sipping tea and ginger ale.

He recovered but discovered that he loved tea. Many trips to the nurse with "upset stomachs" and tea and more tea. Finally, the nurse asked him if he waned to talk about anything. VERY dysfunctional family! For once, this eleven year old con kid was utterly totally and completely truthful. He loved the tea.

I had a teacher last year that would send her students to the nurse for ANYTHING. Since I was the assistant, I had to walk these kids to the nurses office. This particular teacher wanted me to take this student (who was usually clowning and faking) to the nurses office because his hands hurt. He was juggling books as she spoke. I told her in front of her students that this was ridiculous and I was not going to take him to the nurse.

Specializes in pediatrics.
Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

At least you dont have to get surveys from the parents

I used to be deathly afraid of nurses because I thought they lived to give injections. Maybe it would be helpful to display a few syringes!

This is off topic and I know you meant this post to be taken in a totally different way. . .but all I could think when I read it was, "Wow. . .that school is so lucky to still have a school nurse". Where I live, it's so underfunded that there is not even a full time nurse in the schools. She is there once very few weeks to do the administrative work for kids on meds and some type of health office assistant there the rest of the time. The teachers go to first aid and CPR training. To be honest, I am not sure how it is legal to have a school with 800+ kids in it and no nurse. Anyway, those kids and parents are lucky to have you even if they are too dumb to know it.

The ones that get me are the kids that HAVE to be seen for minor mundane complaints in the last 20 minutes of the day... i am pretty sure that chapped lips can wait the last 5 minutes of the day or that minor headache that the child has walked around with all day does not need to be assessed at 14:50 on a Friday afternoon. Or the teacher that calls for a temp check at the same time - 14:50 on a friday afternoon... WHY???

YES. Or "I got a headache an hour ago but I didn't come see you until now because I had recess." If you can run around on the playground with your headache, you can sit quietly at your desk with the headache!

LOL I get this all the time! What do teachers have against sneezing?!

And more importantly, what do they expect us to do about it????!!!!!!

And more importantly, what do they expect us to do about it????!!!!!!

Exactly!!!

:D Yep, I feel your pain! I love the kids that say things like "I woke up with a dry throat and I think I have a fever" take temp... no fever. You slept with your mouth open and the heat is on now and it's dry out. And they want me to call mom to go home. I work in a high school too, these aren't little kids!
And more importantly, what do they expect us to do about it????!!!!!!

lol i think this often! I do not have a magic wand to make you stop sneezing, make your cold go away, etc. Nor do I have an Xray machine, MRI machine, access to lab cultures, etc etc. And.. nurses cannot diagnose. I have so many kids, AND parents who want me to tell them if the kid has strep, has a sprain or a fracture, you name it. Umm I don't know, go to the doctor for a diagnosis!! I can assess you, do basic first aid, and refer out... but I have no advanced equipment here, it's a school nurses office!

I had one come in the morning because of a broken coat zipper...really a broken zipper!?!? Pulled the coat over the head to get it off and sent the student back to class. And the teacher is the one who sent the student to me. I think the teacher could have handled that one, but why bother if there is a nurse in the building, we can fix anything!

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