Does the thought of calling parents cause you anxiety?

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Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip: When in doubt always call home. Parents would rather hear all of the details from you during the school day then some of the details from their child after school hours.

Does the thought of calling parents cause you some anxiety? Try having a phone script (general outline) to get the conversation started might help. I typically start every call the same way....

"Hi, this is First Last Name, the nurse at School Name, is this parent first and last name?" If the parent sounds concerns- let them know you're not calling because of an emergency, but because of XYZ "I'm calling because I have Student Name in the office and they are complaining of XYZ' or "I'm calling because Student Name is in the the office and I wanted to let you know that during PE class XYZ. We've (insert assessment and treatment here). Just a heads up before they got home from school and you were surprised to see. I'll let you talk to Student Name and make sure you feel OK with them going back to class. I'll need to talk to you before you hang up. OK?"

The School Nurse Facebook Groups have posts with wonderful comments full of great suggestions from other school nurses just like you! Check them out...