Replies

Well there are many things going on here that impact the delivery of health care to the population at large. First it’s called the State Board of Nursing. Yes, another government organization built out of good intention but run amok due to our legal system. Unfortunately The state board of Nursing is not there to promote advocacy of nursing but rather to “protect” the general public from unsafe nursing practices. A nurse may not prescribe medications or administer medications without a physicians order and consent of the patient. The fact that the boy had an inhaler in his locker with his name on it is only part of the equation. The other part is consent. The parents must consent in this instance because the child is a minor. Yes, the legal system has caused this. One would not want a school nurse giving out medications that the parent does not consent to. (But wait we can give minors abortions without parental consent) The fact that there is a prescription is only part of the equation. If this nurse gave the inhaler to this child her licence would be immediately pulled and she would be out of work. It unfortunately does not matter that common sense indicates use of the inhaler immediately. Should the nurse administer an epinepherine injection to a patient who is having a reaction to a bee sting? (Same thing, patient has an epi pen with prescription but is a minor) Unfortunately this too is outside the practice guidelines of a registered nurse, which I assume she is even though the article does not say this.
As bad as this may seem it protects the public from overzealous nursing practice. There is no common sense clause in this law at all. Do I agree with it? No. Should 911 have been called? Absolutely! But don’t start a lynch mob on the school nurse when she/he has had his/her hands bound by the law with repercussion of licence forfiture. This is a health care delivery problem that has unfortunately been placed on the law books by good intentions run amok. Parents need to ensure that all medical records are up to date at their childs school and that the emergency number actually works for parental notification. If this had happened the nurse could have recieved telephonic consent to administer the inhaler to the child immediately.
Another case of big government run amok I say.

"As bad as this may seem it protects the public from overzealous nursing practice. There is no common sense clause in this law at all. Do I agree with it? No. Should 911 have been called? Absolutely! But don’t start a lynch mob on the school nurse when she/he has had his/her hands bound by the law with repercussion of licence forfiture. This is a health care delivery problem that has unfortunately been placed on the law books by good intentions run amok. Parents need to ensure that all medical records are up to date at their childs school and that the emergency number actually works for parental notification. If this had happened the nurse could have recieved telephonic consent to administer the inhaler to the child immediately. Another case of big government run amok I say."

Well, if the article is accurate, and I do say IF, the nurse not only didn't give him the inhaler, she also did not call 911, locked him in the office as he had the asthma attack and watched him through a window in the locked door. This is depraved indifference and she should be accordingly charged.