How long was your training for school nursing?

[RNashley86]

Just out of curiosity, how long did y’all get to follow another RN before being on your own? I got a day and half, as a brand new school nurse. Taking care of the kids is pretty simple typically, so I feel comfortable with that. But as I’ve learned there is sooo much more to being a school nurse than that. I feel lost with the rest of the job responsibilities

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

This common lack of training/orientation is just one of the reasons why it frosts my cornflakes when many nurses glibly suggest "school nursing" as an alternative to new grads who are crashing and burning in their first hospital job...

Zero training. My first school nurse job was into a brand new Charter school that had just opened. The good think is I had no shoes to fill and no one from Admin telling me how to do my job. The hard part was not knowing what I didn't know- so as the weeks went by and I was on the internet researching State laws, etc. I realized that there were a lot of things we weren't doing that we were supposed to be doing (mandated screenings, immunization survey, etc.). I discovered this forum at the end of my first year and learned even more ? I stayed in that position for four years and am now in a new position (RN Case Manager in a new district) and once again there is no real job description for an no one to tell me what I am supposed to be doing. So far I am figuring it out as I go and doing OK.

[scuba nurse, BSN, MSN, RN]

When I first started out I took over from a nurse that was retiring, she came in for a few hours to show me some things. I had already been a sub at a lot of places so I knew the job, but she showed me specifics to my building. My district is large and has several supervisors and a mentoring program, so new school nurses have that, and I have mentored a few of them now.