By Lily Radwan, year 12
Have you ever gone to the nurse because you were feeling sick, or maybe because you were feeling “sick”? You would not be the only one. Everyday, the LGB nurses receive multiple students with infirmary passes in hand. I have interviewed two of the nurses, Margot (Ma) and Michelle (Mi) this week to hear about their experiences and their point of view on what qualifies as being sick or “sick”.
1) How do you know when someone is faking an illness?
Ma: We look at everybody holistically. If somebody is coming to the infirmary in the first place, it’s because they want to be here. Nobody is forcing them to come to the infirmary. Even if they are pretending, we will still take care of them and ask similar questions about how they feel. We don’t judge somebody just because they come into the infirmary. We wait… patiently. If they’re faking, they’ll eventually get bored and look up at the clock. When their lesson is over, they’ll think “oh I can go now”.
Mi: If somebody doesn’t want to be in class, there’s usually a reason. If that happens often, the teachers work out that you’re not in class and try to see what the problem is. If you feel that you need to fake being sick there’s usually a reason such as you’re not happy in that class or you don’t like that subject.
2) Have you ever asked somebody to leave ?
Ma: It might happen, yes. If the person is being annoying, or giggling and not very ill….
3) Would you say that being sick is subjective ?
Mi: It is. Two different people can have the same disease and one person might feel very ill as if they can’t possibly go on. Yet the other person may feel fine and feel like carrying on. It’s all about how you as an individual react to it.
4) Can you give tips on how to effectively fake a sickness ?
Ma: No tips. This is a controlled environment, you have to have a pass to come here. If you want to talk about something confidential, you can make something up to get the pass. You might say I’ve got an ingrown toenail and I’ve got to see the nurse.
Mi: We would rather people weren’t faking it because they should enjoy school. But if you’re not happy in class, then you need to think about that and talk to the teachers. You don’t have to come to the infirmary because of a fever or a serious illness. You should also come here if you feel very tired. Everything in here is confidential.
5) Do teachers ever fake illnesses ?
Ma: They’re too busy teaching classes. I’m not able to say if they ever fake it.
Wise Words: When you enter the IB, you start to forget about your health. So remember to sleep, to be happy, to be healthy, to stay safe, and to have a peace of mind.
