Do you enjoy being a school nurse?

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I am pondering becoming a school nurse. I think I would like it and it would be a good match for my personality. But I have heard about many nurses doing school nursing and finding it too monotonous and going back to a hospital job. I have subbed (for only one day), and enjoyed it, even though it was extremely busy, almost too much so. I don't think a sub really gets the same picture as the full time school nurse. It is more challenging as a sub when you don't know the school, the kids, or the routines.

In your experience, do most school nurses who came from hospitals enjoy being a school nurse and want to stay? What percentage of new school nurses stay for a year and then leave to do something else?

I just am so tired of weekends, getting home so late during the week, and working holidays. Overall I have watched my family suffer and noticed that I am not as happy anymore. Life is short and I want to be able to visit my out of town family more often and be there for my kids.

I had several school nurse interviews and I am so anxious to see if I got a job. At the same time I worry a little that if I don't like it, I may be shutting the door to where I work (the best hospital in town by far) and may not be able to come back later. I guess it is always hard to make a change, and sometimes we just have to take a chance.

Would you pick school nursing again if you had a choice?

Specializes in OB/GYN, Peds, School Nurse, DD.
I know this is an old post...however I would like to share my input.

I worked as a sub nurse for a special education program which at times was quite busy and other times quite boring. School nurse jobs in my area are hard to find so when the opportunity presented itself, I jumped at it!!

Here I am a school nurse and now I'm Bored out of my mind!! Some days I want to pull my hair out I'm so bored!! I do work at a private school with overall healthy children. An occasional nebulizer treatment is as exciting as it gets around here!

I also have an infant at home and it's really hard to leave everyday. THe pay isn't good and there are no benefits. Only get paid when you work. The perks are the schedule!! But too bad I'm picking up shifts at the hospital when school is not is session...I need to for the money since I'm not getting paid from school on those days! So much for that great schedule!

I try to tell myself this will be great when my kids are in school, and I really did take this job for the schedule...but can I handle the boredom? Not so sure especially after working as a peds nurse in a level 1 trauma children's hospital!!

Also they say this job is great for a mom...but what about when my kids are in school and I want to volunteer in their classrooms or go on field trips? Not going to happen if I have to be in school all day too! It seems it would work out better working my 2-3 12 hour shifts.

I'm thinking about returning to the hospital.

Hope my thoughts help those considering school nursing positions.

Everything has a season. When I was raising babies, school nursing would have decidedly been off the table. I needed great flexibility then and I could not have been happy with a ridig 8-3 schedule. Likewise, when my kids were school age. I worked nights and weekends in the NICU so I could be off during the week to homeschool my children. I didn't turn to school nursing until I was well and done with hospital chaos, in my 50s. At *this* stage of my life, the kids are grown, it's just me and my retired husband, and I'm only working part time. NOW, the job is a match made in heaven but it sure wouldn't have been 30 years ago!

You sound unhappy about some fundamental stuff. This gig just isn't working, you're not getting paid enough, and you miss the excitement of the PICU. It's okay to throw in the towel and get a job that you DO like. One that pays what you're worth and allows you the time you need to be with your baby. Revisit school nursing when you're older and tireder of the hospital merry-g0-round.

I'm an LPN considering employment as a school nurse. Do those of you working as an RN school nurse feel an LPN is qualified?

Specializes in Medical Surgical Telemetry.

In Massachusetts, entry level is an RN-BSN. You need to be nationally certified as a school nurse OR have your masters in nursing or education within 5 years to get your professional licensure as a school nurse (you can ask for a 5 year extension). An LPN would not qualify in Massachusetts.

I am in NY and here an RN is required as well.

Specializes in kids.

NH met be registered nurse or if an LPN work under the direct supervision of an RN

I have been a nurse since 1970, I have worked in many fields including ER, Med/Surg, Administration, Office Nurse, and Home Health. I can say without a doubt that School Nursing for the last 12 years is my favorite. I think you have to be in the school of your choice, meaning Elementary, Middle School or High School. I have done all of them, but I find High School is my favorite I think each campus needs nurses that like that age group.

Specializes in BNAT instructor, ICU, Hospice,triage.

I am in a predicament. I started at the beginning fo the year in school nursing. I do like it. I love the hours. I love the low stress. I love being able to sleep because my cortisol seems to be in much better control now!!! I do NOT love working with a bunch of XX chromosome people. I have to admit that it is very very very hard. Women gossip and they gossip a lot. They are so mean to each other and to me. If it weren't for that I would stay but I am being torn right now as to what to do. I kept my job with Hospice, I work during the weekends and summers there, mainly because I was scared to death of not having an income during the summer. 3 months is a long time without a paycheck! But in one year we will have our mortgage paid off and no debt whatsoever. So I don't know which job to cut out, the hospice or the school???? I do not want to do both. I hate doing both. It defeats the purpose of having holidays and weekends off when I am working all my weekends and holidays with hospice. I love hospice and I love the work, I hate our manager she is a total rip and complete jerk. But I love most of the other hospice team. I do not know what to do!! I am really stressed about it because I don't know which job to get rid of. My kids are both in a lot of after school activities, which is why I took the school job, so that I would not have to miss all their ball games as I did when I worked with Hospice. This has been great because I never missed one of my DS ballgames and I was home to eat supper with them every night and help with homework. With hospice I left the house before everyone woke up and I returned many times when everyone was in bed. There was never any break! If I do hospice only, this time I am going to tell them weekends only and holidays, I will only be PRN and I would have to stick to my guns about not allowing them to rule my entire life, because I only have 5 more years with my dks in the house and them my role of being an active part of their lives is done. I don't want to be the absent mom ever again!! It was not good. My dh is very supportive of either job I take. I miss being off during the week sometimes with my school job. I miss being able to schedule hair and doctor and dentist appts. What would you do???? I always said I would go back to hospice after my kids were grown because I feel that God gave me a special love for people in their final chapter of life. I love hospice nursing have done it for 2 1/2 years now.

If you work weekends at hospice are you going to miss ball games and family activities? With only a few years left with your kids in the house I'm suprised you would want to work holidays too. That's awesome you will be able to choose what you want having all your debt paid off! Are you planning on helping with college, kid's car insurance, gas, etc? Those are things to take into consideration as well. It sounds like you like the hospice job better but the hours of the school job. If your family is ok with the holiday/weekend job then take it since you like it better but if they aren't totally on board with it wait a few more years. There will always be hospice jobs available and you're kids will be gone before you know it! You may also consider subbing as a school nurse instead where you can pick which days you want to work but not get caught up in all the politics!!

I'm an LPN considering employment as a school nurse. Do those of you working as an RN school nurse feel an LPN is qualified?

I am a lvn here in the Bay Area and I work as a support nurse under what they call the credentialed nurses. The credentialed nurses are the ones that take care of the iep's, screenings, etc. I work under the credentialed nurse, which is in charge of several schools. I switch between 3 schools but I am also by myself those days. We are all nurses...some support nurses are RNs and some are lvns. But we do work under the credentialed nurse.

I LOVE MY JOB. Seriously. I knew this is what I wanted to do even before I graduated from nursing school. I was a SAHM while in school so when I had to go to work at the hospital for 13+ hours a day, 4 days a week, it was painfully obvious that I needed to look for a school position ASAP. I stayed on at the hospital for 2 years, 1 full time and 1 PRN. You really can't beat the schedule and while the kiddos, especially those frequent fliers, can sometimes ride a nerve, I'd rather have them in my office multiple times a week than dealing with a scared, upset (and rightfully so) family and patient on the floor.

Specializes in School Nurse.
I LOVE MY JOB. Seriously. I knew this is what I wanted to do even before I graduated from nursing school. I was a SAHM while in school so when I had to go to work at the hospital for 13+ hours a day, 4 days a week, it was painfully obvious that I needed to look for a school position ASAP. I stayed on at the hospital for 2 years, 1 full time and 1 PRN. You really can't beat the schedule and while the kiddos, especially those frequent fliers, can sometimes ride a nerve, I'd rather have them in my office multiple times a week than dealing with a scared, upset (and rightfully so) family and patient on the floor.

Yes, mine was a similiar situation. I was an older graduate, and I knew in nursing school that a school nurse is what I wanted to be. I fulfilled the necessary requirements to be a school nurse and applied as soon as I could. I love my job and will be here until I retire.

Specializes in kids.
NH must be registered nurse or if an LPN work under the direct supervision of an RN
Correction of wrong word.
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