Are there any school nurses out there?

[IHeartTink04]

I am interested in becoming a school nurse. I have a bachelors in business and I am thinking about going to an 18 month program and then becoming a school nurse. Are there any out there? What does it take to become one? Do you have to have experience first or can you come straight out of school to be a nurse in a school? I am sure it depends on the district but I was just curious to see!

Thanks for your time!

 

[CajunDixie]

I'm not a nurse nor have I played one on television!

But I do know a person I used to provide babysitting services for that went straight from garduation into being a school nurse. She rotated between 4 elementary schools. Mon-Thurs at a different school each day and on Friday she traveled to the ones that "needed" her. She only did this for a couple of years though. The pay was low and the lice checks creeped her out. She had loooooong thick curly hair. She then moved on to being a private nurse for a young child. From there she went on to being a SAHM and now is a swim coach. I imagine she'll only stick that job as long as her daughters are in swim/school.

 

[MALE*RN*777]

Depending on how desperate they are you might, depending on your clinicals have what they are looking for and depending like you said on the district requirements. They will usually have a training period in the school your working or another to train you. In our area the school nurses are contracted and are off when the kids are off but not benefits. If you can live with that then its okay. Also working with kids you need to know the kids needs and when they are trying to get one by you. I'm a psych. nurse and have worked with kids from 12-18. Now working with adults and elderly clients. I did a rotation in a high school while going through nursing. During the summer you might want to get involved in camp nursing. Good luck and remember nursing school will teach you the basic skills and you will get better as you work and take the best from the other nurses you work with. The nice thing about nursing is that they are so many specialties out there you can switch if you get burned out or change interests. Take care...

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

Our school nurses are not hired straight out of school. And IMOP, nor should they be. A school nurse at some point may be in an emergency situation and needs some experience under her belt to deal with these type of situations.

Our school district hires subs for an as needed basis and then if an opening comes up for a regular position, will usually ask one of the subs if they are interested in a position.

Where we are a school nurse needs her BSN , plus a school nurse certification.

 

[CF'er]

Just something to think about....

there is an article in today's Atlanta Journal talking about the state budget and possible budget cuts. One of the cuts mentioned is school nurse positions. I don't think they mean eliminating them entirely just cutting back.

 

[golfgal]

The school nurses in our area have to have an RN degree because they dispense medications. The pay is comparable to what a clinic nurse would get.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

You should probably look into non-BSN bachelor to MSN programs. There are tons of them out there now and lots of people who want to go into nursing but have another degree go this route. That's the route I would go. (That degree will give you far more options than an AD, and I believe you need at least a BSN anyway.)

I also agree with rpof that you need to get some basic experience under your belt first, ideally, for lots of reasons. First, you will be dealing with a lot of complex problems as well as parents and other school personnel so you need to be confident in yourself and your abilities. Second, you need to learn how to react and act under pressure should any emergency occur - and it will. (In my job as a camp nurse and I had to deal with a child drowning. Fortunately I'd had 3 yrs of pediatric ER experience under my belt.)

Every state has requirements for their school nurses. Here is MA, for instance. You should look into what yours are. Good luck.