How do you even get a job as a school nurse? I've been looking for jobs and they all require certification. I looked into being certified and you can't get certified until you have work experience!
I don't care about being "bored". I'm sick of hospitals and acute care. I like the idea of working with kids and being able to possibly have an influence on kids and educating them about healthy lifestyle.
I want to be in a more positive environment than a hospital and have more of myself left over in my personal life.
I second School Spring and if you're in California EdJoin (it has a few other states but it's primarily CA). Just keep checking for any openings on district websites, School Spring and with private schools. Don't be afraid to sub. My state does a preliminary credential that's good for five (four?) years, no experience needed just BSN and PHN certificate, you may want to see if that's an option where you are. You could call the school district and ask. I didn't know about the preliminary credential until my employer told me about it.
Personally, I applied to a non-credentialed nurse position with the school twice before I was hired. The job was open to LVN's or RN's but not may RN's are willing to take the job due to pay. Since it's non-credentialed I took a huge pay cut going from per diem ICU to LVN wages. I was willing to take the cut, I wasn't making any money at my per diem job since I was so burnt out I refused to sign up for shifts. Now I'm just waiting for a school nurse position to open up, once one does I'll get my preliminary credential and apply
School nurse subs are in high demand. That's how I got my foot in the door. I subbed for a while and when a position opened up I was at the top of the interview list because they already knew me and I knew the districts policies and procedures already.
I have 6 months of nursing experience, applied on a wim and got hired! I start 02/13. I never expected them to even call me back, much less hire me! BUT...they said they loved me!
You can also sign up with your local State Nurse's Board - if you sign up with NASN, you will probably automatically get membership into your state Association of School Nursing and they may post school nursing jobs... mine does for Illinois Association of School Nurse's (IASN)...
Here in NY there seems to be quite a few positions for school nurses (RN's) and LPN's as substitutes. I know personally of LPN's who are employed as school nurses in NY counties. I'm not sure about the specific certifications besides have a nursing license & BLS? Contact the school districts to inquire regarding their individual requirements. You may be pleasantly surprised! You sound more than qualified to be a school nurse if your experience is in hospitals and med surge. It may also help to take on a case with a pediatric home care agency and get a bit of experience with peds even if its part time or Per Diem.
Specializes in Cardiology, School Nursing, General.
Depends on the school.
Mine is a Public Charter School, so they don't even hire RNs, just CMAs and LVNs. I just got hired out of either pure luck or they were extremely desperate for someone. I got the job after an hour of my interview, so I would guess it's the last option. But I gotten the hang of it and I actually like this job and found my calling.
The one thing I can suggest is do what I did and do search on google for top 10 questions asked in interviews, then find good answers on google and tweak them to your liking. Just practice them and memorize the answers so if they ask you something totally out of the regular questions, you can at least focus on that and not the common questions.
Running Cat Lady
47 Posts
I second School Spring and if you're in California EdJoin (it has a few other states but it's primarily CA). Just keep checking for any openings on district websites, School Spring and with private schools. Don't be afraid to sub. My state does a preliminary credential that's good for five (four?) years, no experience needed just BSN and PHN certificate, you may want to see if that's an option where you are. You could call the school district and ask. I didn't know about the preliminary credential until my employer told me about it.
Personally, I applied to a non-credentialed nurse position with the school twice before I was hired. The job was open to LVN's or RN's but not may RN's are willing to take the job due to pay. Since it's non-credentialed I took a huge pay cut going from per diem ICU to LVN wages. I was willing to take the cut, I wasn't making any money at my per diem job since I was so burnt out I refused to sign up for shifts. Now I'm just waiting for a school nurse position to open up, once one does I'll get my preliminary credential and apply