Experience Required to be a School Nurse?

[bluesky94]

Hi School Nurses!

I was wondering what type of experience is required to become a school nurse. Where did you work before you became a school nurse? Did you need any special qualifications? Do you find your work rewarding? Thanks!

[SchoolNurseMel]

Job experience and qualifications are going to depend on the school district where you apply. Every district/county/state is different. Look up your state school nurses association and see what you can figure out. Also, look for job postings on your local school district website, that should give you a bit of information as well.

When I worked in Delaware, it was harder to get your foot in the door and there were more requirements than there in Washington State where I now live (or at least here in Seattle). In Delaware, the requirements were the same for the entire state, but that isn't so in Washington, each district is different. It just varies...

You can always start with substitute nursing. Get on the sub list to fill in for absent school nurses. This is a great way to network, meet school nurses, get a foot in the door, and get a feel for what school nursing is about.

Another thing you can do is volunteer in the nurses office. Our school nurse asks for volunteers to help with vision and hearing screens in the fall, for example. You could also join the National Association of School Nurses.

Some states have a school nurse certification, usually not required before hire but typically required to be completed within a certain amount of time after hire. If you are serious, you could look into this and begin to process before you are hired.

This is what I did (I needed a 3 credit elective for my RN to BSN anyway so it worked perfectly) and I was the only non school nurse in the bunch. I am sure it looked good on my resume to have the majority of this certification completed already.

Again if you are serious, I recommend getting the text book, "School Nursing: A Comprehensive Text". I had the honor of meeting the author during the certification course as she was an instructor and again after I began my school nurse career. The book is very thorough!

When I was finishing up my BSN, we had to do 40 hours at a facility of our choice, so I found a school nurse to observe for 2 weeks. She was a wealth of information and even became a reference for me as I began my school nurse career search. This combined with sub nursing is how I found a position that I loved.

So really, there is a lot of ways to beef up your resume, even if you don't have any school nurse experience. It will at least show motivation!