Being a School Nurse in TX

[HTXTed]

Hi Everyone,

I'm seriously considering changing career tracks and getting an associate's degree related to being a registered nurse. Ideally I would like to be a school nurse, after getting my associate's degree and passing the exams. I am a man in his early 30's, so I'm not sure if being a male nurse would be a plus, or not make a difference.

My main questions relate to if being a RN would be a good career move for the long-term. I am doing this since I researched the field and enjoy assisting others. I truly believe that I would be happiest in a school setting (I used to be a teacher in the past, but got burned out on the need to be the strict figure in the classroom and to deal with all of the micromanaging that comes with it...But that's a whole 'nother post).

I understand that a local community college in Houston does the RN program and it seems fairly affordable. But, with that said, would a potential employer mind if you went to a community college for your associate's? Or does it just matter if you pass the exams, and that's about it?

I know too that schools usually have just one nurse on-staff, so the openings might be fewer, but then again, I don't want to let that stop me in and of itself. But, I also figure that there are bound to be openings for school nurses, so I shouldn't despair unnecessarily. However, I also am realistic that many nurses would rather do nursing in a school than be in a hospital...

Lastly, I have an issue with my back that will later require some physical therapy. With that said, I can still move around and walk fine, but I think that something like working in a hospital where I'd be on the move constantly might aggravate it over time. Thus, I am trying to find a RN job where preferably I don't need to be on-the-go constantly (and I'm willing to work a nursing job that pays a bit less to have that).

All in all, I see that the job growth for RNs is supposedly going to be around 16%, which is a good sign, but I'm unsure if as a new RN I would need to work in a medical facility or in a job that was consistently on-the-go (...?).

Thanks again for any helpful advice! :-)

[BrisketRN, BSN, RN]

I only had a "little bit" (3 years) of experience before becoming a school nurse. I did private duty nursing mostly with children which was a pretty "low impact" job, but it helped me develop my skills in working independently, assessing patients, and fixing issues using only what I've got on hand. I think I would have had a more difficult time if I'd done school nursing from the get-go, but everyone is different. I think it's a great idea. Maybe you could find a first job where you're working alongside someone else--like a large high school or a SPED school with multiple nurses.

[Julius Seizure]

I am a Public Health Nurse working in the foster care system training new foster parents to care for medically fragile babies. This kind of position doesn't exist everywhere, but you can find unique opportunities to teach and have a great impact on individuals and communities.

What a wonderful resource for foster families and children. I am glad your job exists.

[kidzcare]

I only had a "little bit" (3 years) of experience before becoming a school nurse. I did private duty nursing mostly with children which was a pretty "low impact" job, but it helped me develop my skills in working independently, assessing patients, and fixing issues using only what I've got on hand. I think I would have had a more difficult time if I'd done school nursing from the get-go, but everyone is different. I think it's a great idea. Maybe you could find a first job where you're working alongside someone else--like a large high school or a SPED school with multiple nurses.

I had less experience when I started as a school nurse and I can honestly say that I should have had way more. Especially considering that my training consisted of a dime tour of my new office and a quick tutorial of the computer system. I was unsure of myself and my judgement calls without anyone there to bounce ideas off of (I was calling the other district nurses constantly!). I was lucky to have very self-sufficient diabetics my first couple years. I would've done a poor job managing a newly diagnosed or unstable type 1. I just didn't have enough experience with type 1 or kids. Most of my experience was in a SNF so I worked with older adults and most of the patients with diabetes were type 2.

[HTXTed]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the additional replies! I like the suggestion of also considering teaching something related to health/nursing; That's a neat suggestion. Also, I'll heed the advice of gaining exposure before looking to be a school nurse. At first I think I was too idyllic with the school nurse job, in thinking that it would be more of the "my stomach hurts" or "I got a cut on my finger". I mean, there would be those cases, but there'd also be ones like what was suggested in the post and if I was still learning the field it might not be as easy to feel completely comfortable.

Also, to "throw it out there"; While I was studying to become a nurse and getting my BSN, would a potential job as a Medical Assistant help my resume, or build my skills? I understand that the pay is fairly low for a Med Asst, but I didn't know if it might look good on a resume...?

Thanks again!

[pedi_nurse]

It is not something that I would recommend straight out of school, since you only have yourself and your nursing knowledge to rely on in case of an emergency. I spent two years working for a pediatrician, doing telephone triage along with patient care, before transitioning to the school setting. I am so thankful for that experience, because I felt like I was trained to deal with most situations that I would encounter at school, as well as dealing with irate parents.

I was going to suggest working for a pediatrician, if you can, before moving to school nursing. My experience doing this with phone triage was very helpful to my current school nursing practice!

[Amethya]

In the Houston ISD, Clear Creek ISD, and a few other districts in the area, it's required the school nurse have a BSN.

There are nursing jobs for ADNs in Houston, lots of them. You may have trouble finding on in the Medical Center, or at hospitals that want that coveted "Magnet" status.. but there are jobs! You should shoot for BSN if you want to get your foot in the door at a school. Get your ADN, and bridge while you work. I promise as soon as you have a little experience as an RN- as soon as you get the BSN you'll be a shoe-in in HISD.. they're always looking for good nurses.

Exactly this, but also remember some public charter schools and private schools have other types of requirements. Mine do hire RNs, but also accept CMAs for Medical Aide jobs.

I would shoot for a BSN. Gets you more of a chance.

[Amethya]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the additional replies! I like the suggestion of also considering teaching something related to health/nursing; That's a neat suggestion. Also, I'll heed the advice of gaining exposure before looking to be a school nurse. At first I think I was too idyllic with the school nurse job, in thinking that it would be more of the "my stomach hurts" or "I got a cut on my finger". I mean, there would be those cases, but there'd also be ones like what was suggested in the post and if I was still learning the field it might not be as easy to feel completely comfortable.

Also, to "throw it out there"; While I was studying to become a nurse and getting my BSN, would a potential job as a Medical Assistant help my resume, or build my skills? I understand that the pay is fairly low for a Med Asst, but I didn't know if it might look good on a resume...?

Thanks again!

YES. Completely!

My job hires CMAs, and it helps that I had experience in Cardiology for a few years, as well as General and Pediatrics.

Let me tell you a story:

I was fired/quit from my cardiology job (Long story) so I went job hunting. I was young, barely out of school, so I can learn quick. When I made my resume, I only added my Internship, and my last CMA job. I went to an interview and asked me if I had other jobs before my last one. I did say yes, but it was only 7 years of retail and restaurant work. Granted I didn't get the job, but the HR manager did tell me some advice, that I should add my retail experience as well, because it shows that I have customer service experience and as well job experience.

So since then, I always add my 7 years of retail and restaurant experience and I got lots of calls. And now I'm here in my Medical Aide job for 3 years and I love it.

I work like a SN, but less money. But I love it and the kids are amazing!

FYI, if you want to know what schools I work for, PM me. We are currently hiring CMAs for schools.

[pedi_nurse]

Also, to "throw it out there"; While I was studying to become a nurse and getting my BSN, would a potential job as a Medical Assistant help my resume, or build my skills? I understand that the pay is fairly low for a Med Asst, but I didn't know if it might look good on a resume...?

There are many places that will accept the first semester of nursing school clinicals as "certification" for patient care technicians, which is similar to the MA certification. A children's hospital in the DFW area offered a program specifically for nursing students to work PRN float pool. It allowed me the opportunity to get my foot in the door as an ADN once I graduated, and not only was it great for the experience itself, but it was really excellent to have hospital experience on my resume as well. SO, I would absolutely recommend trying to do something similar, but don't feel like you necessarily need to get an MA certification. Even working as a HUC (front desk for the specific unit/floor in the hospital) is better than no experience. It shows your interest/commitment and at least you'll have some knowledge on the inner workings of a hospital.

As others have said, in Texas it's a district by district thing. I worked for a district in DFW that had multiple LVNs, but were moving in the direction of RNs only for future hires. There it didn't matter if you were ADN or BSN. In my current, larger and more affluent district, they hire RNs only, but weren't bothered by my ADN. However, I am enrolled in a BSN program, so I'm sure that shows some initiative. I also was sitting for a Certified Pediatric Nurse exam just a few weeks after the interview. (You can't sit for the National Certified School Nurse exam unless you have your BSN.)

Nursing is a rewarding profession that takes constant self-education to be proficient and safe. Your background in education would likely be of great value to you personally as you navigate a new career. It will also come in handy when it comes to knowing how the system works and how to talk with parents, students, and staff. That being said, school nursing certainly might appear to be "cush" to the outside viewer, but in reality can be very challenging and we wear a lot of hats. Similar to a classroom teacher (though they undoubtedly do far more outside of school than I do), but from a VERY different perspective. You are usually the sole medical professional on campus and with that comes a lot of unrecognized responsibility. As a nurse coming from a hospital/medical system to an educational system, it can be tricky to be not just the only nurse, but the only person with your philosophy/perspective in the whole building. And this is in addition to the bandaids, tummy aches, urine catheterizations, tube feedings, diabetes care, severe allergies, etc, all of which may turn deadly if not taken care of properly.

All that being said though, I have never loved a job more than I do now, and have so many more professional aspirations than I ever have before (not simply moving up, but more improving myself and school). And similar to teaching, there is a lot of thankless days, but oh, when you know you've made an impact - when you've saved a life administering epipen to a kid with no previous allergies, or you helped a new diabetic learn to manage their care, or you caught an infection moving quickly toward sepsis - there's nothing like it.

[pedi_nurse]

Aaaannd sorry for the novel!

[HTXTed]

Thanks again for replying! :-)

So, to confirm, would the best first step be to aim for becoming a medical assistant? And down the road go back to get my BSN and down the road aim for being a school nurse? I suppose I'm trying to find the best path from where I am at now (starting at "zero") and working towards the end goal of being a school nurse. Thanks again, everyone!

[Amethya]

Thanks again for replying! :-)

So, to confirm, would the best first step be to aim for becoming a medical assistant? And down the road go back to get my BSN and down the road aim for being a school nurse? I suppose I'm trying to find the best path from where I am at now (starting at "zero") and working towards the end goal of being a school nurse. Thanks again, everyone!

I'm sorry, I misread your question and thought that you were already a MA. I would say do BSN if you have a associates already. I don't have an associates, but I shall be getting mine this coming Summer.

ADN is nursing with associates, and BSN is a bit higher, which you can do RN exams. (If I'm wrong, please correct me.)

MA is a different horse, has it's own program, can do it in a year and work in offices and hospitals, but there's things we can and can't do without MD or NP help. MAs here in Texas, are taught the basic of basics. We are taught vitals, blood draws and injections, to name a few. We are basically the "nurses" you see in the doctor's offices, that do the vitals, take your complaint, give you what you need to do for the doctor to diagnose you (Pee in this cup, etc), do the things the doctor orders (Give the patient their shots,etc) and clean up after you leave.

For me, I have my MA certification, so I can work at any hospital or clinic if I like. If I want to do LVN, I already have a lot of the credits done, so I can go into it when I want. ADN or BSN, I just need to get my associates of science and I can apply for any program I want.

But just remember some places do hire LVNs and MAs as well, so that's also a path you can take if you like. I didn't become a CMA for this job, I didn't know I would like my job very much to the point where I'm planning to go back to school to get more letters for credentials and as well help my students more.

For me, it helps a lot that I'm a CMA with 1 year exp of cardiology, 1 year of peds/general and 3 years of being a Medical Aide at my job.

[HTXTed]

Thanks, Amethya! :-)

I see. So MAs are the ones who say "please step on the scale...please follow me into the doctor's room, let me take your blood pressure, etc."...?

Also, would MA "credits" from a certification course ever transfer over from a Medical Assistant/Aide position to an ADN/BSN degree down the road? Or would I need to start from scratch to become an ADN/BSN?

Thanks!