I will NOT be a school nurse!

I have to say that the school nurses that I have come in contact with at my girls schools are irritating! I sometimes wonder if they are school nurses because they can't cut it in a hospital. My experience with them has not been a good one. Let me explain.

I can not tell you how many times I have gotten a call from the nurse from either school asking me to come and get one of the girls because they have a temperature of 99.1, now I know I don't have the initial of R.N. after my name but even I know that isn't really considered a fever. But whatever I will go and pick them up, but what really burns me up is when you call me to pick up my child because they are sick but when I get there, 10 min. later, you have already sent them back to class. Now to me they can't be that sick if you are sending them back to class so they can infect all the other kids. Are you feelin' what I'm sayin' here????

Now this same nurse that sent my child back to class, stayed on the phone for 10 min talking to another mother about different churches that they have been to. Now I don't care that she is talking about church, but what I do care about is that it is pouring down rain outside and I have parked where the basses pick the kids up and I am afraid that they will be there before I can get out. After she concludes here personal phone call she proceeds to tell me, if front of two other students that the teachers have voiced some concern over my daughter's hygiene. Now I am just furious! My kid comes to the nurses office and we leave.

About a month later I have a meeting with some of her teachers to talk about how we can best help my child and they bring this same conversation up. I thanked them for reminding me and I told them of the exchange between the nurse and myself. They agreed that she should not have said something in front of other students.

A couple of weeks later I get a call from the school nurse telling me that my daughter has come to school in clothes that are too small for her and she asked if I could bring her a change of clothing. I told her that I could not do that right then and that it would take me a while and asked if there was anything there that she could wear in the mean time. She said yes, but continued to go on and on about the small clothing that she had on. Now mind you, I was embarrassed to begin with. I had caught my daughter a couple of times wearing small clothing and I hadn't yet gone through her drawers. But I was in the middle of my work day and we were seeing a ton of patients and the doctor that I work for is walking around me and I am sure he is going to start yelling at me about being on the phone. So I cut her off and asked her once again if there was something there that she could wear and she said yes. That was on a Thursday. On Friday I pull up in front of the house looking forward to having the next week off and there was a van parked in front of my house. Two women get out of the van and I knew right then where these women were from, DYFUS (Division of Youth and Family Services).

They asked to come in and told me that "someone" had called them with some concerns about the girls. They went on to say that there was some concern as to how they were dressed. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who it was. I had to sign a release for them to contact the girls doctors and dentist. I soooo wanted to give that school nurse a piece of my mind.

Then today I get a call from the nurse saying Faith has a rash with pustules. Now I know for a fact that Faith doesn't have a rash, she was out in the woods by a lake and what she has are insect bites. The nurse makes me come and pick her up. After I pick Faith up I call the school nurse and tell her that Faith doesn't have a rash and I go on to explain to her how I am somewhat annoyed that I get called for things that turn out to be nothing. I have gotten called for what the nurse tells me is ringworm and when I go to the doctor it is eczema. Not only does it take time from work, but it is 20 bucks a shot every time, not to mention taking the time of the doctor for something that is nothing. But I make an appointment at 4:30 pm. In the mean time the school is trying to call me to tell me to come pick up her bike. They don't want it left there over night, but I don't want to talk to them. Anyway I take her to the doctor and guess what she has????

That's right, insect bites!

I made sure that I got a note, but I so badly want to put "I told you so" on the note and then attach a bill for $20! That is when I decided I would never be a school nurse!