First Aid for a NYC School Nurse

School nurses in any NYC school have guidelines for follow. The forms are standardized and the supplies are the same.  I know one nursing supervisor who makes sure all the nursing offices are set up exactly the same.  She does this, so if there is a substitute nurse she can tell them where to find everything.  There are certain general first aide steps that always need to be taken.

Registered Nurses are allowed to preform assessments.  RNs cannot diagnose, but we can assess.  Every patient we see, we begin with an assessment.  Assessments are both subjective and objective. How do they look, what happened, what are the vital signs? Nurses need to not only preform the tasks, but they need to document what they saw, what they did, and who they told.  Nurses must contact a parent whenever they see a child.  Other general first aide guidelines refer to tasks.  In NYC school, cuts and scrapes are to be cleaned with soap and water only. Nurses cannot apply any topical creams or Vaseline to the wound.  This also goes for medication or medicated ointments.  Any medication, including over the counter medications can only be given if there is a current doctor’s order, and the parent has also signed permission to give the medication. It goes without saying, that gloves should always be worn and universal precautions should always be maintained.  One last bit of first aide advice, nurses cannot remove any splinters or foreign bodies from any student.  The nurse can call the parent to come and remove the splinter, or it can be covered with a clean dressing or band aide until the student can go home. If it is an emergency, the nurse should call 911, and let the main office know.  All in all, general first aide in the school nursing office is triage.  We make sure our little patients are stable, and if you are like me, we send them back to class!

Disclaimer: This article should not be a substitute for medical advice.