SNOW DAY!

So for those of you I don't talk to all the time, and for those of you I do talk to but rarely listen, I have officially been a school nurse for 4 months. Some days I hate it. Some days I love it. Today, as I sit staring at the 1 to 2 inch-an-hour snow accumulating on the driveway, having just slipped back into my jammies, I'm thinking maybe its not so bad....

This is actually the second day in a row school has been closed this week, and this after being back only two days since Christmas break. I know, your thinking: tough life- right? And then, I get paid to be mommy at school- right?

Wrong! School nursing is probably the toughest job I have ever had. Not challenging in the technical skill department so much, I mean there are a lot of bandaids, ice-packs and pats on the back just as you might suspect. But there's also head lice, lots of head lice. And about once a week, I'll get a true emergency; think blood gushing or fingers missing or can't breath emergencies. Add to that routine fever, conjunctivitis, stomach bugs, strep throat, ear infections; all of which the parents want to hear nothing about or believe that I am somehow responsible for causing (that is if I can reach a parent). I also am responsible for hearing and vision screening and referrals on all 540 kids, scheduling yearly physicals for half of those kids, as well as verifying immunization records, scoliosis screening, dispensing medications, and state reporting. And don't forget the occasional scraping dog crap off the bottom of a kids shoe or calling home to inform a parent that the teacher thinks the child smells bad- yeah that's a fun one!

The interesting thing is, and of course I can say this sitting in my PJ's enjoying another paid day off, I'm beginning to like it. I enjoy the kids most of the time; they make me laugh and my assistant is awesome. And while the population I am caring for is not old, or dying, or in the least way appreciative, well, I have snow days to make up for whats lost there!