Discovered today that the School Clinicians at a local FCPS ES have no means to get vital signs for a student undergoing physical distress. Would be a good idea to get them the equipment and training to check heart rate and blood pressure, might save a life one day.

What do you say, FFX County?

I don't know how a clinician couldn't know how to do that. I'm a certified EMT-Basic, which is basically the lowest you can get in health care, and vital signs are the first thing you learn. Pulse, blood pressure cuff, eye activity, respirations... that's all. Equipment required... $30 blood pressure cuff, a $5 pen light, and a clock with seconds.

What exactly do school clinicians do? Are they certified nurses? Are they certified in anything?

This is what we are told to do in an emergency.

The rest is just BS.

Some of the clinic workers are just volunteer parents with very little school provided training.

Clinic aides in all schools are health department employees, not school employees, and are not registered nurses.
Clinic Aides are trained basic first aid and CPR and guidlines to handle all other health emergencies.
Kids with health needs have health care plans that we follow for their care, such as diabeties or seizures.
The only RN's in the schools are called Public Health Nurses and they manage about 5 schools each. They create the health care plans and train the clinic aides on special procedures.
Basically if a bandaid or ice can't fix it, you call the parent to pick up or 911.

I don't know what a FCPS "clinician" is- you mean the nurse, clinic aide, or parent volunteer? they are at best paraprofessionals

They do not hire real nurses anymore. Now Gatehouse has marble floors and a fancy gym. Go figure.

FCPS is cheap Wrote:
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> They do not hire real nurses anymore. Now
> Gatehouse has marble floors and a fancy gym. Go
> figure.

They'd rather spend their money on useless shit like mandated in service training that the Teachers don't want for things like interpretative dance. Up until a few years ago, EVERY classroom had a video laser disc player (as useful as a Betmax VCR) Old family friend, now deceased was a High School RN. Over the years she saved the lives of a couple of Football players who went into cardiac arrest from shots to the chest and did an emergency trachaeotomy (ALA an old M.A.S.H episode) because a kid was having an anaphylactic reaction to a food allergy and their throat closed off.

Now with the advent of AEDS and the like and schools with 2500+ students it is ridiculous that the no longer emply RNs.

Just put a dirty sock from boys PE under their nose...that will wake'em up instantly. Or the cheesey tater tots from yesterday's cafeteria lunch.

These "clinicians" are trained to tell you to lie down in the clinic and to take two Tylenol tables. After that, you're on your own. R.I.P.

Berdhuis Wrote:
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> Discovered today that the School Clinicians at a
> local FCPS ES have no means to get vital signs for
> a student undergoing physical distress. Would be a
> good idea to get them the equipment and training
> to check heart rate and blood pressure, might save
> a life one day.
>
> What do you say, FFX County?


No problem concerned citizen.........JUST COUGH UP SEVERAL THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR EQUIPMENT AND TRAINING. EQUIPMENT WILL NEED TO BE UPKEPT AND CURRENT AND TRAINING IS REQUIRED EVERY YEAR HENCE THE $$$$$$ YOU WILL NEED TO GIVE US. SINCERELY, FCPS.