Para providing health care.....what do YOU think?
This is my first time on this site.
I had no idea such support was out there.
Thank you to all!! I love this.
I have a situation that I would love to hear your thoughts on.......
I am a 1st grade para in Indiana, have been for 4 years. I work with 2 teachers,
each have 16 students. I also serve as a
lunch room aide, have 1 hour & 10 min worth of recess a day and am required to fill in for an absent sub, teach class if the teacher is testing, if another para is absent, do their durties & mine, the list goes on. (4 para's in the building)
It makes for a full day!
I had something extra land in my lap this year, a diabetic child.
I am required to test her blood sugar several times a day, calculate her carb intake at lunch, adjust her insulin pump,
and provide emergency care when her blood sugar drops. We only have a nurse in our building 1 full day and one afternoon a week. The only training I have received is through the child's mother. I have requested further training, but it has not been provided. I am the only person in our building that is trained to care for this child. All others have refused.
Questions have been asked about "what if I am absent", but there is no plan except to have the mother come in.
My question for the rest of you....
is there requirements or laws about Para's providing health care?
Does anyone have a simular situation and could provide some advice?
Thanks for listening!
Looking forward to your thought! McC
Very good, I enjoy Math and
Very good, I enjoy Math and problem solving and work in a School that is problem solving, with Special Educational students. But, I would not trade it...
joe
Para providing health care
"I am required to test her blood sugar several times a day, calculate her carb intake at lunch, adjust her insulin pump, and provide emergency care when her blood sugar drops."
Wow, that is SUCH a big no-no for non-medical personel to do medical procedures. I realize it's not your choice, but your school district is setting you and themselves up for a huge lawsuit. If I were you, I would immediately consult an attorney about your personal liability in this situation. Have him/her find out how/if you are covered by the school district. Don't rely on the district's word. This is why everyone else has declined to take care of this child. Please protect yourself.
Grammy
ParaPro
Grammy,
Please relax and don't stress! I did and we HAD to take the ParaPro. It was required by our school district to keep our jobs. Talk about stress! I will let you know that there has not been anyone in our district to fail and truthfully that surprised me a bit! I am not sure if it is possible to fail.I am not sure how it is scored. I think that the practice test was harder than the real test. The most difficult part for me was that we had to use laptop computers and they kept jumping ahead by a few questions. We had to make sure at the end that every question had an answer. The math part really was not hard at all. Just remember, order of operations, parenthesis, exponents, multiplication, division, addition and subtraction. They will try to get you on that. also for fraction, just remember when adding and subtracting, you must have a common denominator. There wasn't much for percentage if I remeber correctly. It really was pretty basic. Just take your time, believe in yourself and relax! I know that you can do it! Good luck. You can do it!
Providing Health Care
I am also in a similar position. I am a Kindergarten Tutor with 3 classes to assist. (We will soon be hiring another part-time assistant). One of the students has such severe asthma that he cannot drink liquids. My responsibilities include mixing his special drinks in the morning for his day, monitoring his breathing, and and giving his medication/treatments as needed. I share some of these duties with another aide and his mother who is a teacher at the school. I feel comfortable with these assignments since Mom is right there if I have any questions. I was advised to join the Educator's union in our state, which I did. It costs me about $26 a month, but since I am also responsible for 60+ kids on a crowded playground, I feel it is worth it. (Besides I got a raise this year...40 cents an hour ;)
Providing Health Care
I am a special education paraeducator for disabled students and have been trained in numerous health care procedures over the years for different students. We have nurses who oversee all medical procedures and medications that are administered to any of our students. The nurses train any paraeducators or teachers who have students in their classrooms who require any specialized health care. Procedures are reviewed monthly with staff by our nurses and any changes must be authorized by them. Someone should provide you official training and oversee any medical procedures for students for your safety and theirs.
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