Has the school nursing job market changed?

geocachingRN · Dec 30, 2010

Just the opposite, in fact. At least where I am no one wants this job because it doesn't pay anything like what a new grad can get anywhere else and experienced nurses are getting jobs.

safarirn · Dec 30, 2010

In my area I am seeing the same as geocachingRN.

Lots of school nurses that used to depend on their husband's income are leaving their low-paying jobs & working back at the hospital due to husband's job-loss/ unemployment.

OTconsideringBSN · Dec 31, 2010

Do you mind me asking, are you in the east coast/west coast or central US? I guess it's happening more in the states that do not pay school nurses on the teachers scale? It makes sense now that you explained it, never thought of it that way. Sorry to hear that for any school nurses who have had to leave to go back to the hospital positions. Seems like school nursing is a wonderful setting to be in!

geocachingRN · Dec 31, 2010

School nurses require a BSN with a PHN and an additional credential (similar to a teacher) in CA. We are paid on the same scale as a teacher and that's still low for the amount of education required for any specialty. Starting wage in my district is $28/hr for 2 years of any experience, whereas a New grad in LTC can start at 32-35/hr and in a hospital $50/hr and that's with an ADN degree. CA is different, I think we are the only state that wants a credential and not the national certification test. I'm hoping we will move in that direction, but I don't think we will, too many of the old guard still making decisions.

luvschoolnursing, LPN · Jan 1, 2011

In Pennsylvania, we need a BSN and then certification from the department of education. We work on the teachers' pay scale. It is less than we could make in the hospital but the hours and benefits are very good. It is difficult to get a school nurse job in Pennsylvania because few of us leave until we retire and there just aren't that many jobs as compared to how many hospital positions there are.

OTconsideringBSN · Jan 2, 2011

There doesn't seem to be many jobs in the education field in PA at all, have friends who are teachers who have a very hard time finding work in PA. And I guess there would be pretty strong competition for the few openings that come up for school nurses? And to geocaching, you said starting at $28/hour with 2 years of any experience? I am guessing that you mean two years in any nursing setting whether it be hospital, ltc, etc? I know in NJ (and I'm sure many other states), the education field has been getting hit very hard and many are getting laid off, so I thought that more nurses would be competing for the jobs in the schools, even though they pay much less than hospitals do.

Neveranurseagain, RN · Jan 7, 2011

I worked in California and schools will hire ASN RN's, but instead of being called school nurses, they are called school district nurses. I was classified as an RN-School District. You can be a nurse working for the school district, and don't need to be a School Nurse. Many schools now hire LPN/LVN's and ASN RN's as they are cheaper than a School Nurse. Schools that use this model have one certified school nurse for paperwork, but the hands on care with students is performed by LPN/LVN's and ASN RN's.