Originally posted by disneysnowflake
I volunteer in our school's nurse's office. It's a very hectic place.
There is one nurse for 1200 students.
There is never a time when there aren't at least 5 kids in the nurse's office waiting to be seen (in addition to the ones that are already there). The paperwork involved in the nurse's office is ridiculous. If one child comes to the nurse for anything it must be logged twice on computer and once on paper. If there is an accident like at gym class there is even more paperwork. If one student comes to the nurse looking for a cough drop she still has to make a log and all the paperwork just for that one student.
Our nurse is required to dispense daily medication (like ritalin and such). From 11am to 1pm there is a constant line of kids waiting for their meds. Plus she has to give kids their inhalers. No one but the nurse is allowed to touch any medication.
Our nurse is required to change the catheters of 3 students in the special needs classes daily.
She's required to do heights and weights on each child each year. That takes an entire week just to get all 1200 students weighed and measured in between treating sick kids and all that other stuff. She's also required to give eye chart exams and give eye doctor referrals each year, plus there are hearing exams for all the kids, scoliosis screenings for certain grades, and physicals. Each time she does an eye exam that has to be logged on one sheet, on the computer and again in the child's main folder. Before I started volunteering the nurse was taking the charts home each night to try to get her work done. She's also required to check each student for lice. If one child gets lice then the entire classroom has to be checked by the nurse once when the lice is found and again later.
The phone rings constantly in her office. It's either administration needing records on someone or a parent who needs to ask or know something.
There are only 5 cots in the nurse's office for sick kids. The school knows that there should be more room for the nurse, but she's at the bottom of the priority list.
Our nurse sent notes to teachers asking them to not send students to her unless they are truly sick or if they are injured. So many times you'll see kids come in who didn't get enough sleep the night before and just want to lay down.
Sometimes it's not good that teachers don't allow the kids to go to the nurse though. Last year my son was very sick. The teacher did send him to the nurse, but the nurse was too busy. She sent him back to class without even taking him temp. No one notified me. When he got off the bus he was so sick. I took his temp and it was 103 (he was feeling great when he left for school). He ended up with strept.
I volunteer one full day each week and 2 half days each week. I am always busy when I volunteer there. On the weeks where we have eye exams, heights/weights, ear exams, etc. I can volunteer all day all week. It's crazy.
I do understand why you were upset though.
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that was when he was diagnosed as diabetic) but now I feel completely comfortable knowing that his nurse is checking on eye on him. She is great!
