Welcome to the Puckett's Mill Elementary School Clinic! The clinic worker is present in your child's school to act as a liaison between home and school regarding health concerns and to serve as a health resource for you and your child. Please feel free to contact the clinic with any concerns or questions.
Clinic Worker Contact:
Michele Hallberg RN
michele_hallberg@gwinnett.k12.ga.us
office phone: 678-765-5114
fax: 678-765-5240
"Nurses know that healthy students make better learners. Optimal education and optimal health can be achieved simultaneously. Your school nurse is an important team member who links health with learning so that your child can be successful at school."
--National Association of School Nurses, Inc.
NO medication can be brought to school in a student's backpack etc... the parent must bring the medication into the clinic and fill out the proper forms. The only exeption of this is inhalers.
A child can carry & administer their inhaler if they have a doctors statement.
Important Note: Gwinnett County regulations indicate that we must have permission in writing to administer medication to your child. This can be handled via email or fax for your convenience.
If your child needs to be medicated while at school, please bring to the clinic and fill out necessary paperwork(medication admin form is on clinic site and downloadable).
CLINIC INFORMATION
A school clinic is a service provided for our children. The clinic worker may not be a registered nurse nor is she required to be. The school clinic worker provides first aid to children who suffer injuries or become ill at school. Parents will be called and students sent home if they are too sick to remain at school.
A child having a temperature of 100.4 degrees or more will need to be picked up from school. Children with lice must be picked up and may not return to school until proof of treatment is brought in. Should your child need to take medication during the school day, a note from home to the classroom teacher is a MUST so that your child will be permitted to go to the clinic to take his/her medication. The staff at Puckett's Mill Elementary does not have the training needed to prescribe medication. Therefore, due to the risk of possible side effects, NO medication of any type (including over-the-counter medications such as aspirin or Pepto Bismol, etc.) will be given unless the following conditions are met:
1. Medication needed for a short period of time (less than 2 weeks): Parents should check with their physician regarding the real need for any medication to be taken during school hours. If the doctor recommends such administration, a note from the parent should be sent along with the medicine, giving the name of the medication, the reason needed, and instructions including dosage and time. The note, along with the medication will be kept in the clinic. The medication must be in its original, labeled container. No loose pills in baggies will be accepted.
2. Medication needed over a long period of time (more than 2 weeks): Administration of medication over a long period of time requires the completion of a form by the parent and the physician. This form is available upon request from the office. Prescription drugs must be brought to school in their original container.
3. Injections needed for bee stings or similar allergies: These are considered serious and a formal document, “Hypodermic Injection Permit,” must be completed and on file in order for the school to accept the medication. This form is available upon request from the office.
4. Children may not carry medication home on the bus, except inhalers.
The clinic keeps no medication, including aspirin, on hand to give to students. We will clean cuts and scrapes and apply bandages as needed. Anything requiring further care will be referred to the parent.
Each child will be given a Clinic Information Card to be completed by the parent and/or guardian and then returned to the school. This will be kept on file in the clinic. It is very important that you return this card as soon as possible with at least one name and number of someone who can be contacted in case of any emergency. It is the parent’s responsibility to notify the clinic if any of the telephone numbers change during the course of the school year. The school will not be responsible in cases where a parent cannot be reached because of incorrect or invalid telephone numbers provided by parents.
Should an emergency situation arise in which your child needs immediate medical attention, and we are unable to contact anyone, we will call “911” and your child will be taken to the emergency room.
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Fever is rare with a cold. |
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A hacking, productive (mucus- producing) cough is often present with a cold. |
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Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold. |
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Stuffy nose is commonly present with a cold and typically resolves spontaneously within a week. |
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Chills are uncommon with a cold. |
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Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold. |
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Sneezing is commonly present with a cold. |
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Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days. |
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A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold. |
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Sore throat is commonly present with a cold. |
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Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold. |
Reasons to keep your child home from school:
Fever of 100 degrees with symptoms
Nausea, reoccurring(more than once) vomiting, diarrhea or severe abdominal pain
Persistent Cough
Red inflamed or discharging eyes
Any open sore oozing fluid or pus
Any undiagnosed rash
Suspected impetigo, lice or scabies that is not being treated
Earache
Any other unusual signs or symptoms
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Clinic Information
For Kindergarten Roundup
· The role of the clinic is to ensure the health, well being & safety of the PMES students.
· Once students are present at school, per GCPS protocol, we are to keep the kids in school unless they are found to be contagious or ill. The specific exclusions are on the PMES clinic website.
· If your child is ill or suspect that they might be ill…please keep them at home as this helps prevents spreading illnesses in the school setting. If your child is not feeling well in the morning and you are encouraging them to come to school…great… we recommend, in this case, that instead of telling the student to come to the clinic if symptoms persist, that you send the teacher an email (copy clinic) and advise of the situation.
· We have a specific procedure for medication administration in the school setting.
· Medications are to be administered only if necessary during school hours.
· Medications can NOT be brought in via the student in backpack. This is NOT allowed.
· All medication must be brought to the clinic by the parent and proper GCPS documents must be filled out. There are no exceptions. This includes any over the counter meds like Tylenol etc. A good day to do this would be on August 4, 2011 for Open House from 8-11 a.m.
· If your child had severe medical concerns/diagnosis (seizure disorder, diabetes, asthma, allergies) please come by the clinic today and give us a heads up! This will help us start to prepare in advance as we plan for next year.
· In your child’s back pack please have a “season appropriate” change of clothing. Kids spill food, drinks, get dirty on the playground or might even have an “accident”.
· If your contact information changes it is important to alert the school. We have situations where we are trying to get a hold of parents and the phone information is not correct. We spend a lot of unnecessary time trying to locate parents.