Published Jan 14, 2013
CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN
3,734 Posts
Interested in getting into this field in the future and have a few questions for you all. Point me in the direction to find out info about salary. How do school nurses get paid..similar to teachers? Is it yearly or the months you work? I know that they follow the the same school schedule as the teachers.
Right now I'm looking at applying for a on call position for a school district in our area. I'm told they are paid the same rate as sub teachers..$100 a day and they are working on increasing it due to the fact that they need more nurses. No school nurse cert is needed for this prn position. I'm thinking this would be nice to get my feet wet and see what it is all about then go from there for my certification?
I know that they do need nurses..my children go to a catholic school in the district and they share the nurse with other schools..we often times go weeks without a nurse and the secretary is taking care of the health needs of the children. (yikes)
I realize that for me this would be a huge change, but I'm up for that ...my children will all be in school full time in the in two years and an on call school hour job might work out for me now. It would be an interesting transition..all of my experince is in LTC and rehab but the only peds experiences I have are with my own 5 children.
As far as pay ranges..I am in SW Pa. I guess Salary.com might be a starting board for this?
Kafergie
29 Posts
There are a few other posts that addressed this so you may want to look back on this forum. In general, most public schools pay on a teacher salary scale and don't take into account any years of nursing experience prior to being in the education system. I get paid an "annual" salary that covers the number of days I work. That is divided into 12 monthly paychecks so I still have an income in the summer.
Thanks, I will go back and look thru more of the posts on the next page.
LisaLPN7
76 Posts
I just got hired as a school nurse and will be making $11.22/hr, working part time at 25 hrs a week. I will work daily from 9 to 2. I see on here that that is pretty low, but in this part of TN, nurses don't make as much as elsewhere.
The only hospital in town only hires LPNs few and far between for the medical floor. Everything else is staffed with RNs. The LPNs they do hire are usually stuck on nights, working 7p--7a, working every other weekend, holidays, and on call. For all that garbage, they get paid $12/hr and worked to death with no lunches/breaks. Doc's offices also make around $12 max...usually around $10. In nursing homes, you can make more, but that's more 12 hr shifts, weekends, nights, etc. A friend of mine works in a state prison, making $18/hr as an LPN, but again--12 hr shifts, weekends, holidays.
To me, it's worth it to make what I will be making for what comes with the school nurse job. I will get to sleep during the night, in my own bed, beside my husband. I will be off on the weekends, when my husband is off. I won't have to work 12 hr shifts, will be with my family on holidays, won't have to find emergency babysitters when school is out for whatever reason. It's all good for me.
elprup, BSN, RN
1,005 Posts
Wow, I am at 38,000 as a district nurse and I thought mine was low? 7 hours a day 5 days a week, 10 months a year with all the vacation days.
NutmeggeRN, BSN
2 Articles; 4,677 Posts
Huge variables form town to town even.....Maybe check with State school nurse association they may have some numbers for you.
Flare, ASN, BSN
4,431 Posts
in my state we get paid on teacher's guide, but we also have to be RNs with BSN minimum and certification in school nursing. starting pay is typically around 40k here and top out can reach 95k or higher if you play your cards right
Sudsy
73 Posts
Wow, Flare--95?! Woohee! Sounds good!
I make $30/hr. I have a Master's in pediatric nursing but am not school certified. I work in a private school where I am not required to be school certified, as I would if I worked in a public school in my state (MA)
LisaLPN7: $10/hour?! I live in an urban area and babysitters make $10-15/hour. I can't imagine being paid that to have people's lives in your hands?! Man....
I am the only health professional in a school that has close to 400 people in it (students, teachers and staff). Every day I pray that I will be able to handle any situation that comes my way, know exactly what to do, and be an asset to my school and my profession. I seriously would not/could not put myself through that for $10 or $12/hour.....
To the original poster: I love working the same schedule that my kids have. I am the nurse at the private religious school they attend. It is GREAT.
SchoolRN2010
13 Posts
I'm a school nurse in Texas. I have a BSN, but no school nurse certification (not required in my state). We get paid on the same scale as the teachers. I'm currently making $50,800/yr, with 7 years experience. Not too bad, in my opinion, for all the perks that come along with the job.
Wow, Flare--95?! Woohee! Sounds good!.
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Yeah... i'm not making that much... but the potential is there someday.... sigh...
Kdrenee
401 Posts
@SchoolRN2010
Thats pretty darn good money! That makes me feel a lot better as I live in Texas too, and plan to get into school nursing! What area of Tx do you live in?
Im not super concerned of the pay right now. Weekends will be available along with summers to supplement