Advice on becoming school nurse

[MomRN2018]

Hello everyone!

I'm a new grad RN who just graduated in May with my ADN. I recently accepted a position in a pediatrician's office PT. I'm also a substitute school nurse in a nearby school district. I'm planning on starting an RN to MSN program in January (I have a Bachelors in English) with a focus in public health. My goal is to one day be be a full-time school nurse.

I'm looking for advice on if I'm taking the right steps to gain the experience I need. I don't want to work in a hospital, so I'm trying to gain experience elsewhere. Any help is greatly appreciated!!

[ruby_jane, BSN, RN]

Welcome! Most of us left the hospital for various reasons (some brave souls still work PRN) so I get it.

However, without working in acute care, you will never have a chance to see what's not normal, or treat what's really, really wrong. Mr. Ruby Jane used to be an ER nurse and he ALWAYS comes up with something that I hadn't thought of....because his expertise is seeing what's really, really wrong.

If you work only in ambulatory care you are closing yourself off to substantial opportunity. Public health may provide you some good experience but it's still ambulatory care. I'm sure other people will weigh in. My first district required a BSN and two years of experience (unspecified). The current district does not specifically require a BSN but it's encouraged.

One of the things you could consider as you job hunt is working summer camp if that's available to you. Summer camp usually comes with a doctor, doctors' orders, and just the right amount of peril to keep things interesting.