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Who administers the Insulin injections to elementary age students in your school?
Have you seen a recent spike in the number of diabetic children?
Thanks,
Anecdotally, there does seem to be an increase in kids with diabetes. The kids themselves administer the insulin shots, usually in a private area of the front office or a set aside health room, with the assistance of the school nurse or a trained health aide if still very young. Some older kids just do it quickly, with varying degrees of discreetness, in the classroom or lunchroom. Many are on pumps now, nicely avoiding the whole issue. Who does not do it is the teacher, nor should they.
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We've had 2 insulin dependent kids, both of whom has insulin pumps implanted. If it needed to be injected, our school nurse would handle it, unless we were off campus on a field trip.
Thank you all. I was asking regarding a situation my wife's co-workers are facing.
The District has four Elementary Schools, all on a large connected campus. The District employs a School Nurse and a handful of medical assistants. The Nurse has an office in one of the Elementary Buildings. the Medical Aides are located in the High School which is within 100 yards or so of the Middle School.
The district currently has 9 insulin dependent elementary age students. All but one are on pumps or use Epi-Pen style (foolproof) injectors. One student requires injections with a syringe.
The School Nurse is refusing to administer the insulin injections as the student is not assigned to the building where her office is located. The District is telling a Special Education Para-Pro, who is not assigned to the student's classroom, has no medical training, and is terrified of all injections in general; that she must calculate the carbs at meal time, measure the insulin, and perform the injection.
All Special Ed staff in the District are paid from Federal and County funds which have strict limitations on how much time is allocated daily to non-special education students. This child is a General Education Student.
No one is really sure how the School Nurse occupies her day. I am shocked the District is assuming the liability of assigning a non-trained employee to administer the injections.
Thank you all. I was asking regarding a situation my wife's co-workers are facing.
The District has four Elementary Schools, all on a large connected campus. The District employs a School Nurse and a handful of medical assistants. The Nurse has an office in one of the Elementary Buildings. the Medical Aides are located in the High School which is within 100 yards or so of the Middle School.
The district currently has 9 insulin dependent elementary age students. All but one are on pumps or use Epi-Pen style (foolproof) injectors. One student requires injections with a syringe.
The School Nurse is refusing to administer the insulin injections as the student is not assigned to the building where her office is located. The District is telling a Special Education Para-Pro, who is not assigned to the student's classroom, has no medical training, and is terrified of all injections in general; that she must calculate the carbs at meal time, measure the insulin, and perform the injection.
All Special Ed staff in the District are paid from Federal and County funds which have strict limitations on how much time is allocated daily to non-special education students. This child is a General Education Student.
No one is really sure how the School Nurse occupies her day. I am shocked the District is assuming the liability of assigning a non-trained employee to administer the injections.
No. Just no. That is wrong on multiple levels, starting with lack of training.
However, don't surprised if the solution is for the child to be transferred to the school where the nurse is located. By the way, children who have health impairments are funding wise an appropriate use of special education aides. Those rules are designed to prevent aides paid with special education funds from doing things like running everyone's copies and doing general playground duty, not to prevent them from assisting a child with a bonafide medical issue.
__________________
When I post in bold red that is moderator action and, per the TOS, can only be discussed through Direct Message.
The School Nurse is refusing to administer the insulin injections as the student is not assigned to the building where her office is located. The District is telling a Special Education Para-Pro, who is not assigned to the student's classroom, has no medical training, and is terrified of all injections in general; that she must calculate the carbs at meal time, measure the insulin, and perform the injection.
Based on your comments I was able to find information specific to Michigan that will assist in providing the student in question with knowledgeable care by an individual comfortable with giving insulin injections.
My Layman findings include:
Only the School Nurse can delegate the providing of medical treatments by others. A School Administrator cannot simply point at someone and say "You're It!"
Three levels of training are to be provided. All paid staff in the building are to receive Level 1 Training. The student's assigned Classroom Teacher, all Support Staff in that classroom, and all Specials Teachers (Music, Art, Phys Ed, etc.) are to receive Level 2 Training. The individual performing the injections is to receive Level 3 Training.
All training is to be provided by the School Nurse or other licensed Medical Professional.
The School Nurse must be available for consultation; either by physical presence, telephone, radio, or other means, while medical treatments are being administered.
The delagatee is to be periodically observed, coached, and evaluated by the School Nurse after training is completed for the duration of the student's need for assistance.
The Local District is Waaaay out of compliance with these requirements, but they also would only have 1 or fewer insulin dependent elementary students in the past. Now they have 9 students!
Perfect opportunity to get in compliance and establish a procedure.
The School Nurse is refusing to administer the insulin injections as the student is not assigned to the building where her office is located.
I'm not sure why this nurse feels that he/she can refuse duties that clearly fall within their area of responsibility. Teachers cannot, why is the nurse allowed to?
I'm not sure why this nurse feels that he/she can refuse duties that clearly fall within their area of responsibility. Teachers cannot, why is the nurse allowed to?
All the other school employees have had the same question for years, but no one has provided an answer.
On the other hand, nine students assigned to four different buildings (even on the same campus), all requiring monitoring or assistance at lunch time (the insulin pumps need to be programmed to match the child's meal) is too much for any one person.
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