First day back after mat leave

SandIsMyGlitterRN, BSN, RN · Jan 27, 2020

Good for you!!! No way I would want to deal with that on first day back and how rude it was of your sub to schedule her. You would not have been able to give her the attention and guidance needed. Plus, she would have not really gotten a true picture of school nursing at all. Welcome back and hug that sweet baby when you get home!

jnemartin, BSN, RN · Jan 27, 2020

I hope I didn't come off as too rude to the student. I wasn't totally awful, but I wasn't exactly a peach about it lol. I was annoyed. Oh well, she'll be back next week. I'll be extra nice.

tining, BSN, RN · Jan 27, 2020

52 minutes ago, jnemartin said:
I hope I didn't come off as too rude to the student. I wasn't totally awful, but I wasn't exactly a peach about it lol. I was annoyed. Oh well, she'll be back next week. I'll be extra nice.

Bring treats!

134340nk · Jan 27, 2020

Hi! I am thinking about going into school nursing and was wondering if you got paid maternity leave. Also any tips for a new grad who wants to enter this specialty? Thank you :)

jnemartin, BSN, RN · Jan 27, 2020

22 minutes ago, 134340nk said:
Hi! I am thinking about going into school nursing and was wondering if you got paid maternity leave. Also any tips for a new grad who wants to enter this specialty? Thank you ?

it totally depends on your school policies. My school does not have paid mat leave, but i was able to use my "short term disability" benefit (free through my employer), and they paid 60% of 5 weeks. So not much. I took the full 12 weeks of FMLA, though.

If you want to get in the school nurse loop, ask to shadow a school nurse as nursing student. Tell them you'd like to sub once you have your license. If you can't get a FT job right away, subbing is an excellent way to meet all the right people and make sure you like the work, too.

134340nk · Jan 27, 2020

Thank you for taking the time to respond! ?

JenTheSchoolRN, BSN, RN · Jan 28, 2020

14 hours ago, 134340nk said:
Hi! I am thinking about going into school nursing and was wondering if you got paid maternity leave. Also any tips for a new grad who wants to enter this specialty? Thank you ?

Every school is different. My school's maternity leave is also part of short term disability (which the school pays), 66% of salary (but tax free) up to 6 weeks for lady partsl delivery, 8 for c-section. School will pay out 2 weeks paid leave on top of that and you can (and they encourage) take 12 weeks allowed by FMLA.

(We also have a staff daycare on site that takes babies as young as 8 weeks, but it isn't a free benefit and can be $$, much like many good daycare systems.)

@jnemartin welcome back! And good on you sending that student away? What kind of sub does that??

SaltineQueen · Jan 28, 2020

14 hours ago, 134340nk said:
Also any tips for a new grad who wants to enter this specialty? Thank you ?

Get some other nursing experience first. You don't know what you don't know until you need to know it. Being the only medical professional in the building is daunting for an experienced nurse, let alone one who is just starting out. Just my two cents...

MrNurse(x2), ADN · Jan 28, 2020

1 hour ago, SaltineQueen said:
Get some other nursing experience first. You don't know what you don't know until you need to know it. Being the only medical professional in the building is daunting for an experienced nurse, let alone one who is just starting out. Just my two cents...

To quantify that statement, a new nurse is still new a year into their career, and finally comfortable at the three year mark, give or take. You must refine your critical thinking skills, which need education and experience. This will make your transition to an independent position like school nurse daunting, something new nurses don't understand because they don't know any better.

18 hours ago, jnemartin said:
I'm back in the office after my 12 weeks off snuggling my baby and changing a million diapers! Surprisingly, it's not that bad! I've been busy but not annoyingly so. Even found some time to pump.
One little thing so far... As I walked in this morning, the front desk lady says, "there's a student nurse waiting for you outside your office." Apparently my long-term sub scheduled me a student nurse for the day I return. Nope. I rescheduled with her for another day and sent her home lol.

Hope your transition back is uneventful and fun. Enjoy that beautiful baby.

ruby_jane, BSN, RN · Jan 28, 2020

Welcome back!!!

ihavealltheice · Jan 28, 2020

17 hours ago, 134340nk said:
Hi! I am thinking about going into school nursing and was wondering if you got paid maternity leave. Also any tips for a new grad who wants to enter this specialty? Thank you ?

I'm not going to say this in a mean way, but don't do it. It is overwhelming for the first few years as a seasoned nurse, let alone a new grad. You need to get some peds or med surg experience and get a good grasp of assessment and critical thinking skills. Trust me, this job ain't just boo boos and baindaids as the general public thinks. Often times, you're just thrown in your office with zero orientation and zero guidance.

19 hours ago, jnemartin said:
I'm back in the office after my 12 weeks off snuggling my baby and changing a million diapers! Surprisingly, it's not that bad! I've been busy but not annoyingly so. Even found some time to pump.
One little thing so far... As I walked in this morning, the front desk lady says, "there's a student nurse waiting for you outside your office." Apparently my long-term sub scheduled me a student nurse for the day I return. Nope. I rescheduled with her for another day and sent her home lol.

Welcome back!