Did ya ever wonder ???

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Specializes in School Nursing.

If we just did everything that the administration and faculty wanted us to do....life would be so much easier on us. I mean, nursing and educators just don't seem to speak the same language. We cannot win.

Am I the only one who feels this way ?:angryfire

thanks,

Praiser

Specializes in School Nursing.

I understand where you are coming from. After 4 years of school nursing I'm still trying to find a happy balance in the schools. Just remember to keep in touch with other school nurses. We need each other!!! We have to keep advocating for how important we are. Sometimes I feel like the district thinks we are a necessary evil, but we are so important to the kids...don't get diacouraged.

Specializes in School, Camp, Hospice, Critical Care.

I'm contemplating a position as a school nurse. I've done subbing, which has been a great experience (and I've felt very valued) and I camp nurse 2-4 weeks every summer, where, again, the management seems very grateful for my presence and appreciative of my professional expertise.

Since I'm thinking of taking a school nurse job, can you tell me what kinds of disconnects to expect between my goals as a nurse and the goals of the administration? What are your biggest frustrations? I'd like to go into this with my eyes open.

Thanks

Specializes in School Nursing.

Judith,

One of the biggest problems is that the schools are all about education. They have standards they must meet. They would prefer to spend all of their money on education, not health care. One thing I think is most improtant for school nurses is to advocate for ourselves. We must convince the administration that we are invaluable to the district where we work, and that we do work to keep kids healthy and in school and that is the only way they can learn. Health care people (like us) have a totally different world view than education.

Also, sometimes it is hard to listen to their whiny-crybaby complaining about things like lice when you have spent so many years in the hospital taking care of REAL health care emergencies. They complain if they have to work too many weeks in a row without a day off, if summer break is ONLY 11 weeks this year...you get the idea. It can also be hard having a principal as a boss intead of a nurse. They just don't speak the same language.

All that being said, this is the best job I have ever had. The kids appreciate me, the parents appreciate me and much of the staff appreciates me. You work with kids and families over many years, building relationships, helping them through hard times (divorces, deaths) and seing them grow and become independant with their diabetes, food allergies, whatever. You're part nurse, part social worker, part mother, part psychologist. Of course there's tons of paperwork, screenings, mandated and other tedoius stuff, but you're used to that in the hospital.

Check out Gerry Harvey's site-can't remember the address but just google "school nurse perspectives" She gives you some great insight if you are thinking about school nursing.

Good Luck!

It takes a lot of practice, but you can give the appearance of being academically oriented while maintaining Nursing as your priority. Try to appreciate the fact that you will always be misunderstood by people whether you work in a school, hospital (HELLO!...can you say "handmaiden"), MD office, etc... It can bring you down, but only if you let it! Keep a positive attitude, smile, celebrate your successes (including the small ones), and order flowers for yourself to celebrate Nurse's Day if you didn't receive any from your PTA or administration.

I agree that we have to advocate for ourselves. Don't just sit in that little closet that they call the Nurse's Office. If that means killing yourself to plan a Health Fair or getting the school community involved in a fundraiser for defibrillators and mass CPR training, than do it! You have to show them how invaluable you are.

The teachers and staff that I work with at school have become better friends to me than the nurses that I used to work with in the ER. They know how much I do! They marvel at how many hats I wear during the school day - nurse, educator, mom, seamstress, eyeglass repairer, braces fixer, mental health resource, friend, secretary, food supplier, custodian, spy, nutrition resource, confidant, medical dictionary, time-out room, and the list goes on...

By being positive, you feel better about yourself and others feel better about you! That makes it easier to be the only medical professional in a world of educators.

It's up to us to change the old stereotype of "band-aid pusher". That may be the reputation that the nurse before you had. Old stereotypes of nurses in every field are being changed, and we need to work on that as well.

Specializes in School Nursing.

Speaking of advocating for yourself-I made a giant poster and hung it in the High School health office to celebrate school nurses day!! I used a lot of stuff I printed off of Johnson & Johnson's site http://www.discovernursing.com to promote nursing . It made not only the students but also the staff notice that is was school nurses day as well as promote the profession as a whole.

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