Please tell me the point of having a school nurse credential?

[Jcat117]

Good afternoon,

I hope I'm posting in the correct location (I'm using my phone for this). I also didn't see any previous posts on the subject. I'm an ADN student, and I'm already looking at my next options. One of those options is school nurse. I know some say wait a year, etc. My question is actually about the school nurse credential that California has; I don't know if this is offered in other states or how many other states have it. From what I see and from what I know, being an experienced nurse will help you get a position as a school nurse. Can someone please tell me the point of having a school nurse credential? Thank you in advance!

[RN4STUDENTS]

In NJ you don't need to be certified to be a school nurse. I thought you had to be but was hired when I was sub nursing. I have a 3 year contract as a school nurse in a public school. WithIn those. 3 years I will get my certification.

[coughdrop.2.go, BSN, RN]

Thank you, Kenderella89! This is extremely helpful information for a California nurse interested in school nursing. I wonder if there are conferences to sit in for nursing students just to check things out and see if it's of interest?

Thanks again, and I'm really glad to hear that you're enjoying school nursing so much!

Jesse

As a student you can join the California School Nurse Organization with a reduced rate! Contact your local chapter and they'll be glad to let you sit in on a meeting!

[Jcat117]

As a student you can join the California School Nurse Organization with a reduced rate! Contact your local chapter and they'll be glad to let you sit in on a meeting!

Very nice! I didn't know this was an option. I bet it would also show that I'm really interested in this specialization.

Thank you so much!

Jesse

[Paula Lowe, RN]

Each State has different requirements. In Delaware you need to have 3 years (non-school) nursing experience and your BSN to be hired as a school nurse. To sub as a school nurse, you need to be an RN. Also, you have 3 years to become certified as Delaware School nurse, which involves university courses as well as a lot of requirements through DOE. National certification is optional.

I would call the CA DOE to ask what they require for school nurses.

[Massmagic]

I am a school nurse in Mass. The credentials here depend on the Department of Education. School nurses have to have a BSN, 2 years experience, pass the Teacher Exam and also attend mandatory training. My school district gave me a waiver as I had not finished my BSN. I just finished it this Monday - it took me 3 years! I went to Indiana Wesleyan University and finished the online nursing courses last April, but I had 5 electives to complete before the degree was complete. Whew - what a long and hard journey. I have no idea why they make it so difficult here in MASS. I know that every state is different. Good luck. I know you can do whatever you set your heart and mind to.