Overzealous school nurse is killing my budget

[DevilDuckie]

Devil's advocate here. She's trying to protect all the other kiddies. Get a letter from your daughter's doc that lets the nurse off the hook. Then everyone will be happy. Are they prescribing anything for your daughter's eyes? My son is using Patanol with great success. Every spring it was the same thing....pollen = swollen eyes and eye goop. Good luck. Poor kid, can you imagine having sore itchy, oozing eyes all the time?

Yep. I have a kid whose allergies are so bad I needed a doctor's note to convince the sitter it wasn't pinkeye. Irritating, but I totally don't blame her for caution. I'd MUCH rather she not take chances.

 

[meandtheguys2]

Yep. I have a kid whose allergies are so bad I needed a doctor's note to convince the sitter it wasn't pinkeye. Irritating, but I totally don't blame her for caution. I'd MUCH rather she not take chances.

OTOH, she should have taken the word of the parent wha had already dealt with the situation.

 

[jeepgirl30]

I thought I'd share a its-funny-now story!

A couple years ago my now DS5 had been camping with my parents. The night he came home I was bathing him and saw bumps all over him, I freaked it was chicken pox. After calming down I said no but man way too many for bites. I took him to daycare the next morning and asked the director to come out in the hall to look. She laughed and said no couldn't be because they are all the same size.

Well right after lunch I get a call to come get him because he threw up and was itching, I couldn't return him until he was cleared by a doctor. I called immediately and the nurse kept saying it sounded really weird but bring him in. So I took a 1/2 day vaca and raced to get my poor little boy.

We just get to the doc office and he insists he never threw up. I'm a bit skeptical thinking he just doesn't want to see the doc. Doc clears him, just LOTS of bug bites.

So I asked him in the car about throwing up. He says "well Mommy, Jake (his best friend) no was there today. Ms B told Miss Danielles if I sick she must call you and I go home too so I stuck my finger in my mouth and choked" UGH!!!! At 3 he figured out how to manipulate the system. Lil devil has had us hoping since he was 15 months!

we had a big talk that night!

 

[ceecee]

And strangely enough...........I kept my DD home from school one day because I thought she had pink eye, took her to the doctor and Yes, she had it, but the doctor old me she could GO TO SCHOOL because when they get older (3rd grade) they don't touch each other anymore and there wouldn't be any risk of passing it on. It sure would be nice if everybody, meaning school nurses, doctors, etc., were on the same page! Geez!!

Tell the guy at the Orthodontist's office today!!! He said he couldn't shake the girl's hand because he had pink eye! His daughter had it last week and he caught it from her. I thought wow, I just read about this!

 

[bumbershoot]

I

...our doctor didn't think it was Whooping Cough - she was immunized for that, she can't get that.

I'm sorry...your medical doctor said that?

I wonder if he missed the days in medical school when they were taught about vaccines? And how they are in NO way 100%, and that people every day get diseases that they were vaccinated for? In fact I believe that in most "outbreaks" there are far more vaccinated people who get the illnesses (and if they have MDs like that, they are likely sicker than they need to be b/c they "can't" get that sickness and therefore won't be treated for that disease) than unvaccinated people.

Can't get that disease, said by an MD, oh boy, that's amazing.



Now as to the OP and all the stories here...one day someone's allergic child will GET pink eye, and you will be GLAD that the nurse sent your kid home. Or the nurse will notice that ANOTHER kid has pink eye, and you will be glad that s/he sent that other kid home.

I had allergies, I had streaming eyes b/c of some allergies I used to have.

And when I got pink eye, the first day or two it looked JUST LIKE my allergy eyes.

Sorry about all the co-pays, but a nurse wanting to be sure everyone doesn't get pink eye isn't doing a bad thing...

 

[graygables]

She was sick for weeks - our doctor didn't think it was Whooping Cough - she was immunized for that, she can't get that.

All parents MUST be aware that an immunization is NOT protection, but an "insurance policy". Just b/c one has received the vaccination does NOT mean that it "took" or that it was effective. I learned this the hard way with my 3rd DD when she was 5. She got a cough which we thought was a cold until I had to rush her to the ER in the middle of the night, blue and gasping for air. It was just about the scariest moment in my life. After all the testing, it was determined that she did have a confirmed case of pertussis (whooping cough). The follow up testing showed that she should now be fully immune and we were advised not to have any further vaccinations except for tetanus.

Another thing people need to be aware of is the more you use your insurance, the higher the rates will go every year AND every single visit shows up on a medical "credit report" that could damage your child's chances of qualifying for insurance at some point in the future. And, "colds" can be a pre-existing condition that precludes insurance companies from covering "anything concerning the pulmonary systems". BTDT, what it means that FUTURE illnesses (cold, cough, pneumonia, etc) would not be covered.

The school nurses that are causing unnecessary visits need to be dealt with. Not only is it $20 out of the OP's pocket, but the covered costs WILL be recovered by the insurance company (with profit) from somewhere, either the employer (resulting in less money available for wage increases or new hires) or in the employee's contribution. The doctor's time being wasted when a truly sick child may have to go to an urgent care or wait to get help is also unacceptable.

Before I withdrew my older DDs from public school, the principal and I had an understanding. The order of authority went like this: God, me, doctor, dentist, judge, school. The school has no authority over when I take my child to the doctor unless there is negligence involved. It may be time for you to file a statement with the school stating that YOU, the parent, the one whom the Supreme Court has granted the right to the "care, custody, and control" of YOUR child will be the one to decide when your child needs medical care.

 

[SILLYANDI]

I am on the otherside of this one - our school nurse does NOTHING! We had a few suspected cases last year of Whooping Cough, but they didn't want to alarm any parents ("you knew some parents get carried away") - and they were only suspected cases, not confirmed cases.

And of course the family that was the "suspected" cases were not immunized and 1 was in my daughters class. (of course)

She was sick for weeks - our doctor didn't think it was Whooping Cough - she was immunized for that, she can't get that. Until reports starting coming in, etc. from the State that it is a different strain & maybe 7th & 8th graders need a booster now. Then he believed us & tested her. But he did a blood test, not the nose swab. Now the normal levels were to be (I don't remember exactly, but you get the idea) between 40-60, her test came back around 250-300. Even though both doctors completely freaked & immediately said yes, she is positive - the Infectious Disease Control Center said that it only showed that she was immunized (which doesn't make since to me, but?????)

Anyway I pulled up a site to listen to a child that had a diagnosed case of whooping cough & my husband ran in the room & thought our daughter was having one of her coughing fits again. That is how sure that I am that she had it.

But anyway - the principal (that I demanded to meet with since we weren't notified) didn't think it was their job since it wasn't confirmed cases. I explained how much time off of work, 2 doctors we saw, tests that were run, fever for 3 weeks, etc. But since the doctor didn't know of any "suspected" cases, he sent her to school w/ a fever as long as it stayed under 101 (which it did), and infected how many others. I layed into our school for that one.

They send home notes when lice is in school, but when its an infections, highly contagious disease - lets not panic the parents.????? That was their words!

I must have the same nurse as Abbey... My DS fell 5 feet from the top of the play equipment and landed on his HEAD when he was in kinder. The teacher saw it and sent him to the office (by himself & hysterical) and the school nurse put ice on his back for 10 mins then sent him back to class. He sat in class for 3 hours with a 3 inch gash on the back of his head that was bleeding onto his white uniform shirt (DUH, anyone wonder what that is on the back of his shirt?).
When I picked him up from school (no one called to tell me, called paramedics or anything!) He was complaining that his head hurt and he felt sick. I look at his head and there's blood everywhere. I took him to the ER where they promptly diagnosed a concussion and stitched his head up then I dragged him back to the school for an interesting conversation with the nurse. She claims he never complained about his head injuy so she didn't check it. When she asked what was wrong he said "I fell" so she thought he tripped & fell (on his back??). My son has speech delays-everyone knows he is painfully shy and I'm surprised he got that much out. The paramedics should have been called-he could have had a spinal cord injury with a fall from that height. They didn't notice the blood? When I questioned her she said since he went from hysterical to instantly quiet & "kinda dazed" so she thought he was fine (UHHH-head injury-a drastic change in personality and it didn't occur to her to wonder why?) She admitted to not even looking at his head or back-but giving him an ice pack and telling him to put it on his injury (which I found out later he put it on his back because he couldn't hold it on his head whithout it hurting)
After going rounds with the nurse & the principal I made my way up the chain to the superintendant and district nurse. Policy at all schools have changed now because of our "incident" but it's too late in my opinion.

 

[mtblujeans]

I have that beat. The school surse in our elementry school has sent my middle child with mild asthma home several times (insisting I come pick him up because she's just going to keep him in the nurses office for the rest of the day). She claims that because he still has a cough his inhaler is "not working" and that he needs to stay home until it's gone. Well, he also has allergies that cause him to cough.....

I have allergies and asthma. There have been times I have had an irritating cough that would NOT go away. If I were to increase the use of my inhaler and the allergy medication, I would end up sitting like a log all day, staring into space!! Sometimes, the cough just doesn't go away....your poor son! In this case, I would suggest to the school nurse that she take a refresher course on her knowledge of allergies and asthma!

I have a question, though, for those with the Whooping Cough dilemma: In your state, if someone is suspected of having Whooping Cough, don't they have to be tested to rule it out? With my asthma, I got sick a couple of winters ago and the cough was so bad I had to be tested to rule out Whooping Cough and they sent the test sample to the State Health Department. They said the States are supposed to be keeping track of Whooping Cough outbreaks.

 

[LanaJae]

What gets to me about all this is who is qualified to say something is "pink eye?"

Unless they culture the matter coming out of an eye, no one knows if it's an allergy, a virus or a bacteria. Most doctors don't culture, they just guess based on the the appearance. The nurse could do the same, all s/he needs to do is read a medical entry that describes how each type of conjunctivitis looks - the first thing I would be tempted to say is there is no such thing as pink eye!

We don't have a real nurse at our school, but there is a nurse in the district who oversees what they call "moms at school," who is a practical person who, based on her experience as a mom, calls and talks to the parents when something is going on. Everyone with a fever gets sent home, but most decisions are based on common sense and how the child is feeling. I am feeling pretty lucky compared to some of you!

 

[flakypuff]

My DS has asthma. We have a neb at school so he can have a treatment if he needs it. The doctor wrote a note saying that.....
Now, everytime he is late for school because maybe he needs a treatment before school or is dismissed because the first treatment may not clear him I was Told that he needs a doctors note I expressed that I WAS NOT going to bring him to the doctor everytime when I know what it is and what to do.My doctor is 45 minutes away and I have a 40.00 copay.
I called my doctor and asked him for a note and gave him 6 dates that needed to be verified....when I passed in the note I got a call from the
principal questioning the note!!!!!!!!! They even called the practice saying I might have written it myself I can't stand her......she questions everything I say...she roles her eyes at me when I bring him in too

 

[mom2twinz3]

Another thing people need to be aware of is the more you use your insurance, the higher the rates will go every year AND every single visit shows up on a medical "credit report" that could damage your child's chances of qualifying for insurance at some point in the future.

This is one reason you should not give your child's SS# on the medical forms they give you to fill out. They might give you a hard time about it, but you do NOT have to give it. It is illegal for them to make you.

Mary

 

[EpcotGuy]

And strangely enough...........I kept my DD home from school one day because I thought she had pink eye, took her to the doctor and Yes, she had it, but the doctor old me she could GO TO SCHOOL because when they get older (3rd grade) they don't touch each other anymore and there wouldn't be any risk of passing it on. It sure would be nice if everybody, meaning school nurses, doctors, etc., were on the same page! Geez!!

As an ER nurse, and now an Infectious Disease nurse, I can tell you that Conjuntivitis (pink eye) is HIGHLY contagious. Hospital staff diagnosed with pink eye CANNOT return to work until at least 24 hours of antibiotic treatment has been completed, AND all drainage must be gone. There is NO WAY I believe that a 3rd grader wouldn't rub their eyes and spread it to everyone in the class. I don't know what your Doctor is thinking.
It is also very disturbing to hear all the complaints about school nurses. Please try to keep in mind that they are only trying to protect your children. Don't take it personally! Geez!!

 

[dis-happy]

Wow, let me take a moment to be thankful we homeschool.


One thing is really bothering me....2 different posters said that the school nurse called the doctor's office to verify the doctor's note???? Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't that be a HUGE infraction to the HIPPA laws? A school nurse has no right to discuss your child's medical condition with anyone else without your express approval, and the doctor's office shouldn't even admit your child is a patient, again without your signed express approval. Personally, I'd be threatening legal action.

 

[jinia]

Wow, let me take a moment to be thankful we homeschool.


One thing is really bothering me....2 different posters said that the school nurse called the doctor's office to verify the doctor's note???? Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't that be a HUGE infraction to the HIPPA laws? A school nurse has no right to discuss your child's medical condition with anyone else without your express approval, and the doctor's office shouldn't even admit your child is a patient, again without your signed express approval. Personally, I'd be threatening legal action.

I would think so too- I would not handle this well!!

 

[holly7347]

I can see why that would be annoying, but is $20 really killing your budget?

I don't think it is just the $20 one time. But again and again it quickly adds up. Plus I only have 6 sick days and DH doesn't have any. So with 2 kids it won't take long before we are having to take time off work without pay. So 1/2 a day with no pay (which for DH means no over time) and a $20 bill on top of that can screw up our budget for the whole month.

 

[Pigeon]

It is also very disturbing to hear all the complaints about school nurses. Please try to keep in mind that they are only trying to protect your children. Don't take it personally! Geez!!

When you are the parent who is frequently summoned from work over nothing, how do you not take it personally? Should you just tell your employer not to take your frequent absenses personally? I'm sure that would go over well with lots of employers. The OP had a handle on the situation. She had acted responsibly. The nurse needs to learn to listen to the parent, who is ultimately responsible for the health care of the child.

I would take it to the principal and to the superintendant if need be. Perhaps they won't admit to you that there is a problem, and perhaps they will defend the nurse to you. But if they get complaints frequently enough, someone will talk to the nurse, even if they don't let you know about it.

 

[mmouse1239]

Okay, I'm going to have to put in my 2 cents...As a middle school teacher, I'm seeing things from another angle. I have had kids over and over again with head lice whose parents didn't do what they needed to do. I had a student with merca (sp?) whose parents sent him to school because they didn't have childcare. I can name these kinds of issues over and over again. A school nurse can see probably 100 or more kids a day. They are constantly bombarded with parents who use them as free healthcare. If your child has an ongoing issue, get a note from your doctor. The nurse is just trying to keep the whole school safe. School nurse's offices aren't a clinic (like some believe the emergency room is) but a place to get relief for kids who get sick when they come to school. If more parents would do their jobs and take care of their own sick kids at home, the nurse would probably have more time to take care of the things she should really be taking care of.

 

[graygables]

Another thing people need to be aware of is the more you use your insurance, the higher the rates will go every year AND every single visit shows up on a medical "credit report" that could damage your child's chances of qualifying for insurance at some point in the future.

This is one reason you should not give your child's SS# on the medical forms they give you to fill out. They might give you a hard time about it, but you do NOT have to give it. It is illegal for them to make you.

Mary

I NEVER put our SSN on forms, but you have to be honest when writing down past medical history or the insurance can be voided and you can be hung with all of the charges they did pay if you lied. They have medical databases that they check without the SSN and it can come back to bite you.

 

[graygables]

Okay, I'm going to have to put in my 2 cents...As a middle school teacher, I'm seeing things from another angle. I have had kids over and over again with head lice whose parents didn't do what they needed to do. I had a student with merca (sp?) whose parents sent him to school because they didn't have childcare. I can name these kinds of issues over and over again. A school nurse can see probably 100 or more kids a day. They are constantly bombarded with parents who use them as free healthcare. If your child has an ongoing issue, get a note from your doctor. The nurse is just trying to keep the whole school safe. School nurse's offices aren't a clinic (like some believe the emergency room is) but a place to get relief for kids who get sick when they come to school. If more parents would do their jobs and take care of their own sick kids at home, the nurse would probably have more time to take care of the things she should really be taking care of.

What about those pesky attendance policies? What about parents who have to work? Look at the number of cold medicine ads that show someone who is obviously hacking up a lung, takes the miracle elixir and suddenly can go to work or school (even though they are clearly shedding the virus or sharing the bacteria with those around them?) There is tremendous pressure on parents to keep their children IN SCHOOL (for a reason, but we won't get into social programming here... ), can't miss tests, can't miss whatever is so doggone important on any given day. Why is it that teachers don't mind make-up work out the wazoo for the sniffles, but have a conniption fit if the kid goes on a trip somewhere?

 

[Boston Tea Party]

Wow. My son's school nurse is fantastic. I feel sorry for those of you who cannot work in partnership with the medical professionals in your life.