Some schools are staffed with full-time nurses while others don’t have anyone on staff at all. School policy and staff availability will influence how you handle medical issues, but there are things you can do in your elementary classroom to decrease unnecessary visits and make necessary trips more efficient for everyone involved. Read below to learn how to manage trips to the nurse using a school nurse pass system!
3 Tips for Managing Trips to the Nurse
Below are 3 tips for managing tips to the school nurse from my managing nurse visits resource.
1. Know Your Students’ Allergies and Major Health Issues
First and foremost, it is important to be familiar with any allergies and major health issues such as diabetes, asthma, etc. Know what to look for and how to respond. Each child with a diagnosis should have a health plan, so check in with your nurse or administrator.
2. Take it a Case-by-Case Basis
You’ll quickly get to know your students and their patterns. For the most part, without a medical degree and having never done a residency in a hospital, you will be able to look at a student and determine if something is actually medically wrong or if they are demonstrating attention seeking or avoidance behaviors.
Teachers will often send kids to the bathroom if they say their tummy hurts or will tell them to go get a drink of water if they say they have a sore throat. I found it was best to handle things on a case-by-case basis. Some kids need breaks. Find a way to give them a break, but try not to condition them to say they have an ailment to get a drink of water.
3. Send Home Notes with Students
Send home a note each and every time a student asks to go to the nurse. This will cover you in case the child does in fact have something wrong. It will also quickly communicate to the family how often he is asking to go and his reasons. Often they will discuss it at home and it will help prevent otherwise chronic askers from asking. Students are less likely to request a nurse visit that isn’t necessary if they know their parents will be notified.
What is the Nurse Pass System?
The nurse pass system is a collection of printable resources that will help you effectively manage trips to the nurse. It includes the following resources:
- Black and white school nurse passes
- Colorful school nurse passes
- Nurse visit report checklist
- Nurse visit report narrative
- Donation request sheet
- Classroom first aide kit label
- Accident report
Why Elementary Teachers Need It
The goal as an elementary teacher is to avoid sending a student to the nurse unless there is just cause. There are two reasons for this. First and foremost, the nurse’s office is a busy place and she has a lot of responsibilities (and often paperwork) to tend to. Out of respect for her time, always try to run interference. Secondly, if kids are sent to the nurse’s office each and every time they complain about an ache or pain they will be conditioned to think it is an easy option.
Elementary teachers love these printable nurse resources because of the following reasons:
- The packet makes documenting student visits to the nurse a quick and simple process.
- You will have documentation of students who are frequently requesting to leave the classroom. This is important information for parents, teachers, and school officials.
- You will save money and not need to spend your personal time shopping for bandaids and other first aid items with the quick and easy donation form.
- Having a classroom first aid kit on hand will prevent students from leaving the classroom and increase time on learning.
- It includes all of the resources you need related to managing nurse visits.
How to Implement the School Nurse Pass System
Below are suggestions for how to implement a school nurse pass system in your elementary classroom.
1. Download the Nurse Packet
This nurse packet is available in my Clutter-Free Classroom Teachers Pay Teachers store as an individual resource or as part of my classroom management bundle.
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2. Read the Tips and Ideas Included in the Packet
This managing trips to the nurse resource is packed with tips and ideas for elementary teachers. Be sure to read through these before implementing the resources.
3. Select and Print the Materials from the Packet
This resource includes several printables to choose from. Select which ones work best for you and your students and print them out.
4. Make Copies of the Materials
Next, make copies of all the materials included in the packet so you are covered for the full school year.
5. Use the Resources as Needed
Implement the resources as needed. Some resources will be used every week like the school nurse pass, while others will (hopefully) only be used once per year (or less) like the accident report. With the help of this resource, you’ll be ready for whatever situation arises.
We hope you found these tips for managing trips to the nurse using a school nurse pass system helpful! If you did, then you may also be interested in these posts:
