How long did it take for you to feel like a Good School Nurse?

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Or to know you truly liked it?

I have been a school nurse for 2 months. I expect it will take me a year to gain my confidence with the policies and procedures of the district and NYS. I'm good with the nursing part.

I like the kids. I'm in a high school 7-12, about 800 kids. 2 of which are my own sons.

I see about 20-40 kids a day, sports clearances, special ed., teachers, etc. I ran a blood drive. The pay is crap, the hours are gold.

I MISS OTHER NURSES!!! I knew I would be alone, but I just didn't think about not working with nurses anymore. Hell, I even miss the doctors.

How did you all transition from a hospital/healthcare to a school setting?

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It took a few months. Reach out to the nurses in your district and get to know them. sometimes just a phone call saying..im feeling a little overwhelmed need to vent helps the loneliness.

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Specializes in School Nursing, Telemetry.

I'm a few months into this new school nurse gig and I feel the same way--I miss being around other nurses. I'm fortunate enough to have two other nurses out there in the school district, and every Friday we have an administrative day at the district office where we can chat, vent, etc. But, it's not the same thing as having them right there with you! It gets kind of lonely.

There are days when I can see my confidence improving and feel good about what I'm doing, and there are other days when I feel stupid. I love having a flexible, daytime schedule that works with my kids' schedules, but also miss working 3 12 hour shifts and having 5 days off in a row. I am trying not to be hung up on the HUGE pay difference between the hospital and the school setting. I think I will have a better idea about how much I like it after experiencing the flow of the whole school year and getting a taste of the breaks! I can tell you that I LOVE the kids and know that whatever I choose to do in the future, kids should be part of it!

I do still work at the hospital every other Friday/Saturday, so that helps with both my discomfort with the pay scale and the interaction with other nurses. But, not going to lie--I'm so wiped out from my week that I have some general dread about those shifts...and then I go, and can appreciate why I left that world for this one.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

Go work prn at a hospital, ER, Urgent Care, etc., on the weekends or after you get out of school during the week and that'll fulfill all those cravings..... and make being an independent prracticing school nurse put a big smile on your face. I work prn at a pediatric urgent care - I worked yesterday from 12:30 pm to midnight; saw 102 patients...I'm constantly reminded why I took this job 13 years ago!!

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