Over It (already?!)

Farawyn · Mar 20, 2015

Welcome. I see this is your first post. This group of nurses right here are great. They have saved my sanity and helped me with problems, venting or just laughs.

I am new to school nursing too. I thought it was exactly what I wanted. I love it lots, BUT I do miss hospital nursing. I plan on doing maybe some non school nursing/non peds per diem this summer- or maybe summer school, lol.

Give it the year. Then decide.

SnowyJ, RN · Mar 20, 2015

I know for me, the first year was tough because it was SO different from the hospital!! i missed the acute care setting and the friendship with other nurses and staff. The first year was also hard because I felt sort of like I was being "tested." I hadn't earned the trust of the staff, students or parents yet.

This is my third year, and I am glad to have stayed the course. It's much better now. I feel like I am in the right situation, finally.And as Farawyn mentioned, this forum is a huge support.

Bottom line, you have to do what feels right for you. But give yourself a bit more time before you decide what to do.

rbytsdy · Mar 21, 2015

The first year was also hard because I felt sort of like I was being "tested." I hadn't earned the trust of the staff, students or parents yet.

There is a lot of truth to that! I started a little over a year ago. Early in this school year, the principal called me into his office because someone had complained that my emails were not nice. I actually printed my emails out for review so that I could be critiqued. The principal had nothing to critique - nothing i said was out of line. But I did "lay down the law" so to speak. I was getting 50+ kids in my office each day. It was mostly stomachaches, bellyaches and bumped fingers. It finally took a scary asthma attack and scary moment of hypoglycemia in my diabetic student when I had explain to the staff that I cannot effectively deal with emergencies when I have kids whining about belly aches. I don't think the staff loved that email because it's easier on them to have me babysit bellyaches.

However, it's tough working in a place where you are the only medical person. Nobody really understood the seriousness of a blood sugar of 30. There is a lot of nonsense that goes on. We have a student with a peanut allergy whose mother sends her in with snacks that were "processed in facilities where peanut products are made" but then got mad that she wasn't promptly made aware of the fact that another student ate a peanut bar in her classroom.

I had a parent chew me out for 15 minutes because her daughter vomited in aftercare an hour after dismissal. I was on my lunch when the child first came to me (30 minutes before dismissal). However an aide brought her back at dismissal time for a temp check before aftercare. Temp was fine and the aide called the mom to give her a heads up that the child wasn't feeling well. But mom was still upset that I didn't predict vomit.

I went through the certification process which actually helped a lot. I started understanding my role and the value I add to education. It's a very different type of nursing but variety is the beauty of the nursing profession.

But yeah - it's easy to get jaded in this profession. While hospitals have frequent fliers, we are part of these kids lives for years before they move on to another school. I dread when certain kids show up in my office because I know it will be a fight with parents, the kids themselves, etc. Give yourself a break there. It's called compassion fatigue and I think you'd be hard pressed to find anyone here that will judge you for that. ;-)

allnurses Guide · Mar 21, 2015

This is a good place to come and vent or ask questions. I've received a lot of help here.

I'm finishing up my 5th year and I'm leaving in November. You are given 5 years to get your School Nurse Credential and at first, I liked the job. So I thought I would return to school to get my credential. But the bureaucracy, paperwork, and some administrators have me jaded. As someone else pointed out, most likely the school nurse is the only medical person in a sea of educational folks. It is hard to keep pushing against that and I'm tired. Also, I'm 57 and I don't want to go into further debt for the credential. It is about $12,000.

I love the kids; especially the elementary aged kids.

I work hospice too - and will continue with that.

Flare, ASN, BSN · Mar 23, 2015

The first year - not just as a new school nurse - but in any school is the toughest. I've come in as a seasoned school nurse with over three years experience in one school and over ten years experience in another and both times it was a tremendous amount of growing pains. Especially when i came in to the school when i had 10 years experience. I was replacing a nurse that had been there for about 30 years and was set in her ways. Believe me. The staff and parents didn't want to hear about MY ways of doing things.

You may find that this isn't for you - it's not for everyone. No one said that every specialty is for everyone. (don't even get me started on my foray into home care about a decade ago!!) Or you may stick it out for a while, may lean on us - your virtual colleagues nationwide for support-and may decide that this was a great move after all. There is no wrong answer.

NanaPoo · Mar 23, 2015

Thank you for asking this...I've felt the same way the past couple of months and this is my first year, too. There have been some great answers here.

My first year has been tough because I've picked up every bug that has come through the clinic regardless of how much I clean and wash hands. I have serious compassion fatigue. In 16 years as a nurse I've NEVER felt that and have dealt with a lot of guilt for having lost my compassion for kids now! I am in a private school but I'm sure public schools get just as many "fakers" and it's just wading through the kids that are attempting to skip class and get a free pass home that frustrate me to no end every single day. And the hypochondriacs. And the teachers that send kids to me when they just want a kid out of their hair for a few minutes. And it never fails I have a handful of fakers here when something serious is going down with one child and I need those class-skippers OUT of my clinic!!

And the loneliness...omigosh! BUT, 2 more weeks until Spring Break. Then we'll deal with asthma and allergy season in it's fullest and finest for 6 weeks then SUMMER! I pray that summer will be a wonderful refresher and I won't be full of regret come August. I cannot have another year of constant illness like I had this past year! I need my school nurse super immune system to activate!

I agree with the others. Let's give it some more time. As much as I want to tell my principal right now that I won't be back next year, I do think I need to give it one full year and then some. I really, really plan to give it next year, too, and see if things improve. See if I can get these kids whipped into shape and really make this clinic "mine."

AdobeRN · Mar 23, 2015

I think we have all been there at some point in our school nurse career - it comes and goes for me but I wouldn't trade this job for another. For me the job perks (mainly the time off/no weekends/no holidays) far out weigh the crazy parents/kids. I will admit that I miss hospital bedside nursing - I miss the excitement, the coming to work and getting to work with different patients, I miss the challenges of hard IV starts etc - sometimes school nursing can be so montenous - see the same kids, for the same reasons - stomach aches, headaches etc.

I would consider returning to the hospital environment if I was just allowed to work - I have no desire to return to school to get a higher degree, no desire to go up the nursing ladder etc - I just want to work and make money and it seems like that is harder to do these days in the hospital setting - all the hospitals in my area want to be seen as the best & want their staff to be top notch and I feel I can be/am a great nurse without having that BSN or climbing the career ladder.

scrubsrn24 · Mar 23, 2015

This is my second year as a school nurse. Last year I absolutely felt like I was being tested, seeing 50-60 kids a day, having my judgement questioned on occasion, not knowing the kids and teachers yet, etc. It was hard. There were some days I definitely questioned if I was going to make it for the long haul. This year has been SO much better. I feel so much more comfortable in the role and in the school setting. And let me say, summer vacation works wonders to make you really appreciate the perks of the job! Good luck!

OldDude · Mar 23, 2015

I'll give you a few tips to make your life easier....You work with a lot of people that have never existed outside of an educational institution; they attended school, went to college, and are back in school so don't expect them to interact in a manner of awareness of how it is to live in the world outside of the "institutional walls." Also, if you don't see it with your own eyes or hear it with your own ears don't assume it's true. Last thing....understand that you will be held to a level of absolute professional perfection while the staff and parents have little or no accountability and keep that in mind when you start to expect something of someone else - remember these guys aren't nurses and don't think like you or understand what it takes to be you. If you can integrate these realities into your day to day routine I think you'll be able to shed some baggage you're carrying for everyone else and make your job more enjoyable.

CAdreamerRN · Mar 23, 2015

Wow thanks everyone for your advice and words of wisdom. You all make great points, and it's good to know that at least I'm not alone over here! I like reading everyone's perspective and experiences.

I know I should give it at least another yearâ€¦this time next year I'll have to really decide because that's when I'll need to start applying to credential programs â€“ state requirement to complete it within the first five years of employment, tooâ€¦

Maybe I'm missing the pace of the OR, there's a lot of down timeâ€ here where I have to get creative finding things to do, so I wonder if I'm forgetting something!

P.S. just saw a 3^rd grader who has an invisible bruise on her forehead from a dog whistle that swung into her face yesterdayâ€¦ I dunno, we'll see â€“ thanks for your support!

abc123RN · Mar 23, 2015

"You work with a lot of people that have never existed outside of an educational institution; they attended school, went to college, and are back in school so don't expect them to interact in a manner of awareness of how it is to live in the world outside of the "institutional walls.""

This is what I have to remind myself of daily! Teachers and admins have no concept ( a few exceptions out there) of what the "real" world is like. They have no idea of what we nurses have seen, done or our knowledge base.