Family Health

Don't Panic When the Nurse Calls

by Liza N. Burby

Nothing sends shock waves through a parent's system like a call from theschool nurse. But should you panic every time the nurse calls?

While every school handles things a bit differently, the standardprocedures are fairly routine, and in most cases, don't require that yoube notified. Even if you are, however, not every call means anemergency, points out Catherine Regan, school nurse at Stratford RoadElementary School in Plainview, NY.

"Sometimes it is just something I want to advise a parent on. Forinstance, if a child has a small cut, I'll treat it and won't usuallycall them. But I will call a parent if there is a scratch or a bruise onthe child's face," she explains.

If a child has a severe injury, Regan calls 911 or the firedepartment before contacting a parent. For a broken arm or an injuryrequiring stitches, she does first aid and then notifies a parent. "Ifwe're not able to reach someone within about a 20-minute period and thechild is stable, we will call an emergency service and have the childtransported to a hospital." This is a good case for updating theemergency numbers the school has for you or perhaps getting a beeper.

Of course, some calls are to let you know your child is sick andneeds to be picked up.

"What makes being a nurse in an elementary school unique," she says,"is that it sometimes takes a while to determine what's wrong becausekids take a long time to describe what they're going through. A lot oftimes, kids this age get upset about something minor, like a splinter."

Most of the approximately 25 kids Regan sees a day don't needmedical attention but want a little TLC or complain of a bellyachebecause they haven't had a bowel movement.

"Sometimes a child has a problem at home or a peer problem and theyneed to talk and then they just go back to class," she says. "I'll callthe parent if the visits become habitual. I may advise the parent toseek medical attention."

Arlene Longo, school nurse at Locust Valley High School, finds thatmost often, there's no need to call home. She contacts a parent for"anything that gets hurt above the shoulders" or if a student isvomiting or has a fever.

"One of the jobs of a school nurse is to be a mom. There's a lot ofmothering in this job. They need just as much attention as elementaryschool kids sometimes and parents are not always available," she says."The kids like to come and talk to the nurse."

The nearly 50 kids she sees a day often have teen issues. They mayfeel dizzy because they didn't have breakfast. Or they may come to herbecause of problems related to drugs, alcohol or eating disorders.

"Sometimes they want to talk about a serious matter they want keptconfidential. I tell them I can't promise something like that and I domy best to help them," she says.

"These problems with teens affect every school district. It's a partof society. But it takes a lot of dialogue to get to the root of theproblems with them. With this age group calling the parents cansometimes fall in that gray area because they are old enough to telltheir parents what's going on themselves."

Liza N. Burby is an award-winning author and an accomplished public speaker. She is the mother of two daughters, Danielle, age 7 and Laura, age 4, and is married to Stephen, a high school teacher. They live in Huntington Station, NY. She is a frequent contributor to Working Moms' Internet Refuge.

This article first appeared in Newsday.

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