Kids have nosebleeds all the time and they usually know what to do themselves. Still, it is good to be prepared for this as one of the tasks not listed in the job description that is nonetheless part of teaching. Rest assured that nosebleeds at school are often minor occurrences and not blood-all-over-the-place-crime-scene type occurrences.

1. If there are gloves, put them on first. Often, there are not gloves and then, if there are, I forget – however, really this should be the first step.
2. Hand the student tissues or paper towels to put under their nose. Be careful not to touch the blood on their hands as you do this – especially if you had difficulty with step #1.
3. Direct the student to walk to the sink or garbage can, if there is no sink, and to stand over it, getting as much of the blood as possible in the sink or garbage can.
4. Have the student pinch their nose just at the bridge (the bony part near the top of the nose), and direct them to leave their head level. Sometimes students put their heads back, however that can cause the blood to flow down their throats, which isn’t advisable.
5. When the nose stops bleeding, have the student put all of the bloody tissues and paper towel in the garbage.
6. Call the caretaker to come and take the garbage with the bloody tissues out of the room. Also, if there is blood on the floor or anywhere in the classroom, they will clean it up. Try to keep other children away from the blood until the caretaker comes. Otherwise you can have bloody footprints all over your room …
7. If the nosebleed does not stop after a few minutes, call the office and have them call the parents to come get the child to take them to the hospital. Often at this point, the child will go to the office to wait for their parents.
8. If the child is faint or nauseous, or if the blood loss is extreme, call the office and call 9-1-1 (this is highly unlikely – but better safe than sorry).
9. If, despite your best efforts, you get blood on you, wash it off with soap and water and then use a disinfectant wipe. If blood went into your eyes or nose or into a cut, you may want to contact your doctor for further instructions.

Good luck – I’m sure you’ll do fine!! Really, a nosebleed is usually a very small occurrence.