Phone call from school; they’re ’not medically trained’ ?!

[mommalaulau]

Dd1 (13) went to school this morning as normal. All fine.

Phone call around 11 from the first aider to say she had “spots on her left cheek and they’re itchy”. I asked if it was hives, they said no. They wanted me to go up, get her, take her to the chemist to “get her checked and give her some antihistamine” and then bring her back to school.

I got there just expecting her to have literally a spot or two and her being over dramatic, she’s a teenager! But she has a cheek of hives and it’s also behind her ears, bottom of her neck and on her forehead. I immediately said to the first aider that it was hives, and she just gave me a smug look as if to say “you’re not trained what do you know”.
I took her straight to the chemist and he said it was definitely hives, for her to take some antihistamine immediately (which he actually went out and got and dosed and gave her) and to keep and eye on her for the rest of the day as she doesn’t know what caused it. He also said it is very concerning the school first aider couldn’t recognise hives and I should question that.

I called school when we returned home to let them know she wasn’t going back in for the afternoon as I was going to be keeping an eye on her, and whoever answered the phone said “yes of course that’s completely understandable”.
I then mentioned I was concerned that I was told it wasn’t hives. I said if a child with a known allergy presented with hives as their first reaction before anaphylaxis and a first aider didn’t recognise it that’s extremely worrying. I was told that they’re “not medically trained” but they’ll pass the message on. When they told me this I said surely, for allergy reasons, they must know how hives present? And I just kept getting that they’re “not medically trained”.

Does anybody think I need to take this any further or should I just leave it at this with whoever I spoke with? My DD is luckily ok and her itching has gone down but the hives are still slightly up, we have no idea what’s caused it.

First Aid courses don't teach you to diagnose hives. They did the right thing. You're being ridiculous.

What do you think a First Aider is trained in though?

They are trained to be the first contact - so not really skin conditions

This. Also they don't look like hives.

Agree

A google search returns this. I've marked as sensitive, but its just body parts, nothing offensive

First aid is just that, definitely not medical and the liability for a school would be awful if they got it wrong. Schools are dammed if they do and dammed if they don't. Even GPs struggle with skin conditions and spots, with our GP not recognising chickenpox in an adult!!

Something like this wouldn’t have been noticed at my highschool. I would have taken a painkiller and got on with it. I think I did have hives (a whole lot worse than your daughter) and I didn’t take any antihistamines. We even had a nurse at the school but people only went there if they were seriously ill or if we were made to because of mental health concerns.

This doesn’t sound like an ignorance thing on behalf of the first aider - it sounds like your daughter is being a drama Queen.

But I understand exactly where the first aider is coming from. It could have been shingles. But that’s besides the point. Even if the first aider was able to identify it - they wouldn’t have been able to give medication and given this was the first time your daughter had this and was complaining then I am on the first aider’s side.

You need to calm down and leave the teachers and admin staff alone.

Jesus wept, this is the sort of stuff that puts people off working in school. They acted completely appropriately and could not have done anything further apart from call an ambulance which surely isn’t what you’re suggesting is appropriate here?

1. first aider is not medically trained. They’re trained to administer first aid.
2. hives are not the same as anaphylaxis. Recognising what is a mild allergy and leaping straight to anaphylaxis is a stretch.
3. you’re over reacting.
4. I wouldn’t authorise that absence if I worked at that school.

True penicillin allergy is very rare, it's called amoxicillin rash and isn't a true allergic reaction but most doctors don't want to take the risk. I say this because I agree with the posters that have said your daughter's skin doesn't look instantly recognisable as hives, so it's understandable the first aider didn't want to say that's what it was for sure. Also, most first aid courses will only teach cpr, how to deal with choking, stem bleeding, bandage up cuts/fractures and first aid for burns. Rashes/general illness won't be covered, they're not a school nurse.

They really don’t. It looks more like some eczema. I’ve had hives - where the skin was incredibly itchy, hot, bright red and the hives themselves were blotchy 2mm to 12mm across. I’ve also had eczema, shingles and I’ve had anaphylaxis. My mouth swelled up with anaphylaxis - I looked ridiculous and I couldn’t breathe. For the OP to equate this rash as on the same level anaphylaxis is quite ridiculous. Anaphylaxis is a medical emergency. The OP’s daughter’s skin rash is not.

Im not sure how you have done that as schools aren't allowed to hold stocks of pain medication and antihistamines just in case.

Hives do present very differently though, that pic does look like some I have had
Mine are never big or have the white centre, I get them in the thousands though like this

What would you want them to do differently?

I was a first aider and did a 4 day course. They never taught us about hives. It was all about CPR, injuries and burns. There’s a limit to what you can be taught in 4 days, it isn’t a 5 year degree course!

My daughter has allergies although not the type to result I hives but I know a lot of children with allergies that do and often they include photos in their children's care plans of what symptoms look like for their children to help the staff identify. Symptoms aren't always as obvious as they seem and first aid can't cover everything. Children at risk of allergic reaction will have care plans in place including detailed descriptions of what an allergic reaction would look like for them and anything the staff are unsure about they would contact the parent similar to what they did with you. First aid can't cover everything the biggest thing it can teach you is when what you are seeing is beyond your expertise and alternative medical advice in necessary and the quickest and most efficient route to get it is part of the role of the first just as happened in this situation

No state school has a ‘nurse’ available for things like this. When I worked in a state school with boarding there was a medically trained Matron. She was only employed to deal with boarders. The number of non-boarders who were sent in ill because ‘Matron can handle it, surely’ was ridiculously large.

The school response is completely inappropriate and I’m shocked at people saying otherwise. My child has allergies and carries and epi pen, his pre-school all had appropriate training before he started including signs to be aware of and how to treat them. A child with allergies has as much right to an education as anyone else and their medical needs should be treated the same as anyone else’s. My child has had a reaction twice since he started and the pre-school have given him antihistamine, called me to let me know and then observed him to ensure there are no further effects. @mommalaulau do they have your child’s medical plan, have they discussed with you how they are keeping them safe in school? I’m so sorry you have had this situation, it’s horrible enough for them dealing with these allergies without this incompetence

No where has op said that her child has a serious problem with allergies or carries an EpiPen. What op did say is that her child has an allergy to penicillin - that she came out in ' hives' , a widespread itchy rash as a baby. This isnt particularly uncommon, and people who have experienced this aren't carrying epi pens around with them all day. Theres a big difference between a life threatening allergy/ anaphylaxis, requiring the use of an epi pen and a rash.

A child with a serious allergy, epi pen and care plan is a totally different situation to a child who once got hives after having penicillin 13 years ago.
Of course if a child randomly comes up in an itchy rash they're going to call the parents to get it checked out.

There is a huge difference between a child who has allergies severe enough to require an EpiPen and a child with an unknown rash.

I think if you want a trained medic in school premises you should train as a doctor and offer your services. The first aider who called you would not be paid anymore for being a first aider, they would have done a days first aid training and did exactly what you wanted them to do and call you. If she had known it was hives what else would you like her to have done? You are being very unreasonable and actually rather unkind to the first aider concerned.

You would know if she had ingested penicillin. It is not something you could accidentally taken unless she had been mistakenly prescribed it. She had an itchy rash. They told you to get it checked. You did. I am not sure what you are so exercised about.

Of course you can’t expect first aiders at a school to diagnose something like this. The school school called you and asked you to get your daughter looked at and have acted completely appropriately.

I had an allergic reaction to penicillin as a baby and it is on my records. This is not the same as being allergic to nuts or at risk of anaphylaxis from anything randomly.

Just totally of subject are the drs looking at mcas aswell it quite common with pots and can cause hives