Am I still a nurse?

Flare, ASN, BSN · Jun 6, 2013

Do your self a favor and go back and re read your own first paragraph. Are you a lesser nurse because you are not working bedside for 12 hours? Does that mean that bedside nurses that work 8 hrs are lesser than the 12 hour shifters? Is the nurse working in ICU some how more of a nurse than the nurse working on a lower acuity floor? Is a nurse that takes calls for telephone triage for an insurance company somehow lesser than one that is making house calls for hospice?

You are working - you are caring you are making a difference every day in the lives of hundreds of children. You are responsible for their wellbeing, you are responsible for their in school emergencies. If you're anything like the rest of us, you have a laundry list in your head that you could rattle off - which meds are due when, which children need epi pens, which children are medically fragile, which children have difficult parents ( a particularly important list), which children are your malingerers and which children you almost never so this visit MUST be important. If that's not real nursing, then someone please fill me in.

RN&mom · Jun 6, 2013

Please don't feel like you are less of a Nurse. I have a special needs son who has an extremely rare and complicated condition and the school nurse has been absolutely amazing over the years! I know my son is safe and well cared for even though she has hundreds of other students. She knows all his health conditions, all his medications (he doesn't take anything regularly at school), and emails calls or texts me with any issues no matter how minor. I have so much respect for school nurses, many of us complain about our pt load but school nurses literally have hundreds of kids and all their parents to deal with... I couldn't do it! You are as much a nurse as everyone else is, just with many, many more patients. Hold your head high!

Muttlover · Jun 6, 2013

I have done a considerable amount of substituting in schools this past year. School nursing IS nursing. When there is an emergency to handle, can you call a resident, respiratory or your manager? Nope....it's you and you alone. Only a NURSE could handle that! Like the above posters mentioned, you have 100's of children in your care. I love, love, love school nursing. Thing about it is, we don't get report as to what is coming thru the door -- it's being ready for anything at a moment's notice and somehow, - we are ready:) Enjoy your family and your career:)

100kids, BSN, RN · Jun 7, 2013

I hate to admit it but I never knew how important the School Nurse was until I became one. I care for all of the children in my school. I make it possible for children with diabetes and asthma and epilepsy and other health issues to attend and thrive in school. Their parents are able to go to work and KNOW I will handle whatever comes up during the day. I spot issues that may change and effect a child's life and I help parents and students learn about and learn to live with new health issues. I am a counselor (to staff, students and parents) and I am the caregiver of everyone in the building. Being a School Nurse is DEFINITELY being a Nurse.

NutmeggeRN, BSN · Jun 7, 2013

I agree with all the above posters.....I really find that I have found my niche. I have made split second decsions that have saved lives...albeit not frequently, but none the less, they were the right call.

+ Managing the blood sugar that is in the "hi" range may prevent an admission to ICU for an insulin drip.

+ Administering Diastat to a seizing student could save their life.

+ Catching a child who is blind in one eye on a vision screen, will get them visual aids they need sooner than later.

+ Catching an abnormal curve in the spine early may prevent scoliosis surgery down the line.

I (we) make a difference for so many children/parents/staff and the anyone else who is in the building, for so many reasons. My (our) roles allows me to be an advocate for change.

You , me and all of us are ABSOLUTLY nurses in every sense of the word!!

JenTheSchoolRN, BSN, RN · Jun 7, 2013

School nursing is a critical part of preventive care, I think. The majority of the students in the school I work in have limited financial resources with parents that work all the time. There is often no time for eye exams, dental visits (we have a dentist and hygienist come each year to the school), and physicals and often little money for treatment that can be expensive if not caught early.

nrsang97, BSN, RN · Jun 8, 2013

Go back and re read your first paragraph as a previous poster suggested. That says it all. You deal with the same stuff a hospital nurse does.

krwrnbsn · Jun 8, 2013

I have just finished up my first year of school nursing in an elementary school. I have absolutely loved it! I have had concussions, broken bones, BG's in the 600's, nose bleeds, and booboos and that is besides all the screenings and physicals. But do I still count myself among those amazing men and women working 12 hrs, saving lives? Am I still just as important?
I worked in the NICU and then a very busy High Risk L&D floor before taking this position. I am a young mom with a toddler, and this job fits our lifestyle great! I have no regrets taking this job -yes, sometimes I still miss the intensity and miracle of helping bring a life into the world- but this has been great for our family.
But I have been struggling the most with wondering if what I do is important enough to command the respect that I did working in a hospital?

You certainly are just as important as those working 12 hours! I have a great respect for what you do and greatly appreciate you & every school nurse who takes care of our children! Thank-you.