Help! New Job as School Nurse!

Cyn2school · Oct 3, 2009

Please keep us informed on your progress. Ive taught mild 2 moderate SPED as a teacher and want to staff a moderate 2 severe/medically fragile SPED elementary school here in soCal as an RN. Do you have your BA and school endorsement? Does the district pay mileage or do they provide a vehicle? How will you divide your time between the schools? Sorry so many questions but do keep posting....Best of luck to you.

What I've seen from a teaching perspective is trach suctioning,oral care, peri care diaper changes, ng/stomach tube feedings, glucose monitoring, mid day meds, seizure observation and recovery, Foley cath/bag emptying .

SunnyPupRN · Oct 3, 2009

please keep us informed on your progress. ive taught mild 2 moderate sped as a teacher and want to staff a moderate 2 severe/medically fragile sped elementary school here in socal as an rn. do you have your ba and school endorsement? does the district pay mileage or do they provide a vehicle? how will you divide your time between the schools? sorry so many questions but do keep posting....best of luck to you.
what i've seen from a teaching perspective is trach suctioning,oral care, peri care diaper changes, ng/stomach tube feedings, glucose monitoring, mid day meds, seizure observation and recovery, foley cath/bag emptying .

thank you. they have not yet gone into great detail, so the only ques i can answer is that they do not provide a vehicle and do not pay mileage. in fact, the pay is dismal, but after 7 months of unemployment i cannot complain. i do not have a ba. i will have a school health tech assistant. i don't really understand how the float thing works. i mean, if it is full time, who is there on the days i'm not? why would we rotate schools? i could see if it were prn...

for these procedures, does the nurse go get the child or does someone bring the child to the nurse? or does the nurse stay with the child during the day? i have so much to learn!

thanks!

bergren · Oct 4, 2009

" they do not provide a vehicle and do not pay mileage." That is very unusual. I have either been reimbursed milage or provided a vehicle in every school nurse job I have had. You generally do not get milage if stationed at one site all day, but any driving between sites is reimbursed, along with home visits etc. I would double check that once on the job. It could be the person interviewing did not know. If they don't reimburse you, keep a log of it and deduct it on your income tax.

3 week orientation is great. I have had 2 exclusively special ed positions, very different from each other and very different from the typical school nurse role. So don't feel like you should know it going in. Relax and let them orient you.

"I do not have a BA." Don't apologize for this or think that it is a reason why you don't know something. This subspecialty is very specific and if it was addressed in a BSN program at all, it was likely for 5 minutes. There are programs you can enroll in if you decide you like this job, but for now, just focus on getting oriented. For programs when you are ready: http://www.nasn.org/Default.aspx?tabid=610 Next summer, check to see if your state association has a orientation. Right now many of the state associations are having their fall meetings. Check out their website - you might find some great mentors there and local resources. http://www.nasn.org/Default.aspx?tabid=60

"I will have a School Health Tech Assistant. I don't really understand how the float thing works. I mean, if it is full time, who is there on the days I'm not? Why would we rotate schools? I could see if it were PRN..."

They will fill you in on this. Make sure you know the delegation laws in your state - what you can delegate and what only an RN can do. The school may very well not know this. In fact they may not even know there are such restrictions and /or may tell you there aren't any and there actually are. Check your state's Board of Nursing https://www.ncsbn.org/boards.htm , state's school nurse organization, http://www.nasn.org/Default.aspx?tabid=60 , and have your state consultant's contact information handy http://www.nassnc.org/?q=node/26

There is a school nurse textbook that might make you feel more comfortable and a set of standards for special needs.. They might have these for you already:

Bookstore: https://nasn.networkats.com/members_online/members/createorder.asp?
Textbook: https://nasn.networkats.com/members_online/members/viewitem.asp?item=S004&catalog=MAN&pn=1&af=NASN
Care of Students with SPecial Needs: https://nasn.networkats.com/members_online/members/viewitem.asp?item=S029&catalog=MAN&pn=2&af=NASN

Good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SunnyPupRN · Oct 4, 2009

Thanks! Another queston...

Where do you all get your doc orders? I mean, I'm guessing established medical needs come with doc orders, but as injuries come up, how do you care for a student without a doctor's orders? I don' think you can even apply neosporin without it, can you?

Thank you!!:loveya:

bergren · Oct 4, 2009

If you expect a student to have an emergency, you get the prn orders and have an emergency care plan.

Right, no neosporin, no tylenol without an order in most states.

lissa7383 · Jun 29, 2010

sunnypuprn

how have you liked the job? i just recently was hired on as a school nurse. i will start this fall. i'm scared to death. i'm a little rusty in some clinical areas as i have been doing more case mgmt. i hope i didn't make a mistake in taking the job.

girliegirlRN · Jul 3, 2010

Hello all! I have an interview next week for a school nursing position and am VERY nervous! Can you all give me some ideas regarding what type of interview questions/scenarios were asked during the interview?????

bergren · Jul 4, 2010

Courtney

There is tons of good advice for interviews on this forum. Go to the main school nursing page and select "search" link and "this forum". I'd type in interview for the search term and you will get much good advice.