[BerryHappy]

Hi there, I am a soon to graduate LPN, plan on starting my ADN RN right after passing boards. I REALLY want to work for my daughter's special needs school (k-12) as their school nurse, however currently they have no school nurse (crazy huh? SPECIAL NEEDS kids!) the secretary gives the med's, takes temps, bandages, etc. So I am working on a plan to pitch to the Director to try and create a nursing position that I am willing to fill. All I ask in return is a scholarship for my daughter (been paying $16k per year for past 2 years of elementary) and any benefits package they offer their staff. This would allow me to have a teachers schedule, save the $16K, and have plenty of time to put into my RN studies. I need YALL'S input on what I will be bringing to the school, what I should ask for in lieu of payment (or in addition to a small salary), hours to request, or anything else you can think of. All input is appreciated, and espically input from experienced school nurses!

Thanks a bunch!
BerryHappy

[luvschoolnursing]

What state are you in? Who monitors the students immunizations, etc? Check out the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) for position statements, etcd about school nursing. Also, if this is a private school, does your local public school send a nurse occasionally to do screenings, etc.? Are these kids needs such that many of them have private nurses or aids?

[BerryHappy]

Thank you , thank you, thank you for responding. I am in the very preliminary stage of researching all this. We are in Florida. The nations capital of a "lawless state". The school secretary monitors immunizations. Anything much more difficult than that is handled by the teachers. A few of the children have aides, but just a few. The teacher student ratio is about 1:4. Yes, I am checking out nasn.com, and I plan on using their information. They outsource for all the hearing/vision/PT/OT/etc. screenings. I am excited at the possibility but a bit outraged about the situation. The more I learn the more I realize the importance of the school nurse!
Thanks again!

[okschoolnurse]

The link to the Nasn site is
www.nasn.org
from that site you can also link to your state association.
Every state is so different in what they require and allow your research will have to be very state specific.
good luck!!!
Lana Woods, RN