High school nurse fears losing skills

Dear Nurse Beth Advice Column - The following letter submitted anonymously in search for answers. Join the conversation!

Published  

I have ADN. I did my first 2 years of nursing in med surg- ortho/neuro. I have been out of the clinical setting for 4 years now. I am currently a school nurse for a high school and love the schedule, however I am scared that I will lose my skills and also would like to make some additional income without the commitment to a hospital. I'm really interested in the kills portion of nursing. I thought about aesthetics nursing or wound care so that I could schedule shifts in the Summer but I'm a bit lost on which way to go first or even at all. Please advise if you can. 

Share this post

+ Add A Comment

2 Answers

Specializes in Tele, ICU, Staff Development.

Your situation is challenging because you feel your skills and qualifications as an acute care nurse are fading after four years outside of acute care.

While you understandably love certain aspects of your current job, such as the unbeatable hours, school nursing pivoted you 180 degrees away from acute care nursing.

It's normal to mourn acute care practice, and it's impractical to fully embrace both realms.

You wish to maintain your acute care nursing skills without being in that setting, but that's not feasible.

Wound Care

Unless you already possess a solid foundation as a wound care nurse or have obtained your Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse (WOCN) certification, approaching wound care part-time may be challenging. Despite the high demand for wound care nurses, it is not best learned on the fly and practiced only during the Summer months. 

Aesthetic nursing

Aesthetics encompasses various procedures, and similar to wound care, aesthetics is a specialized field that requires extensive training, dedication, and practice to become proficient.

Options

School nurses frequently take on Summer roles at camps, clinics, or in occupational health settings.

Summary

In conclusion, I believe you acknowledge the genuine loss of acute care skills and are perhaps beginning to accept it.

Think about pursuing your BSN. It can clarify various opportunities, and as you plan for the future, the credibility and qualifications that a BSN offers will be advantageous for you.

If you enjoy school nursing, you should also think about pursuing the NCSN Credential. This could add new energy to your career. Additionally, take a look at the school nurses forum, which is dynamic and engaging.

Best wishes,

Nurse Beth

Picking up per diem may help. Especially anything IV related like infusion nursing, since school RNs don't deal with IVs. I would also ask if there are other schools in your area you can work on, especially if they have medically fragile students. I feel like there are still many physical skills like tube feedings, straight caths, trach care, etc. 

 

Skills are also something that is very easy to relearn. Nurses are generally wanted for their expertise and critical thinking and not necessarily for the physical skills they can do. 

+ Add a Comment