I got the School Nurse Job!

Editorial Team / Admin · Aug 13, 2005

:Melody: Hello Everyone!
I got the school nurse job after I interviewed for 3 jobs! I interviewed for 2 junior highs and 1 elementary. I got the Elementary Job with a population of 892 and the hours are 7:45 to 2:45 with weekends, holidays and summers off! I wonder how many kids will come in daily though? But I am so glad to get away from the stressful clinic I was working 8:30 to close (6 ish) (Ob high risk, colpos, biopsies, paps,asssisting with numerous breast exams, many doctors pulling at you for help, surgery procedures, blood draws, injections for preg girls, cleaning instruments,the list never stops). I have 2 boys 10 and 12 and my husband is a school teacher as well. So now I will be on their schedule, hooooray! But the pay was disappointing, they gave me one year credit for a school nurse job in 1999 but not for the other 19 years of experience. I am going from $53G to $38G. I need to get certified as well. So tell me some tips on doing that with ease. Is it easy? I need to give the clinic my 2 weeks notice Monday, I know they will be shocked, I think. Could I use part of my sick time or will it look bad for references later? Tell me your thoughts. I know I am rambling, but I am so excited. I waited so long since this other district wouldn't rehire me because they now pay for years of experience. So I am sure I will have do some extra things on some weekends and part of my summmer until the finances look better. But I feel my peace of mind is worth it. I will be going from a 9-10 hour work day to a 7 hour work day. Please wish me well! Also tell me the best way to learn immunizations as I am rusty in that. Any tips appreciated. Also tell me some nurse things I can put on my desk for ages K-5. Thanks!

:balloons: CONGRATULATIONS :balloons:

Do not use your sick time during your 2 week notice. That would most definitely look unprofessional. Just suck it up and play it out.

bergren · Aug 13, 2005

Congratulations!!!!

What type of certification are you required to get? State or national? What state?

Agree - give your 2 weeks notice.

Immunizations are state driven, so check your state's website. But I am sure they plan on orienting you. By the 10th chart you review, you will have them memorized.

Some states are offering orientations. Check the NASN affiliate website and see if your state is sponsoring a state wide orientation session: http://www.nasn.org/community/affiliates.htm

A populations of almost 900, it would not be unusual to have a rate of 90 students per day ~10%. But a lot of the job will be health promotion and illness and injury prevention, special education and medically fragile child case management and education recommendations.

:balloons: CONGRATULATIONS :balloons:
Do not use your sick time during your 2 week notice. That would most definitely look unprofessional. Just suck it up and play it out.

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · Aug 14, 2005

That is such great news. Congrats! :)

guest83140 · Aug 14, 2005

That is such great news. Congrats! :)

Hello, it's me. Thanks for the congrats and all. Well, the population is pretty large and I wonder if it is normal for a clinic to have one person in there with that many. I don't know yet what certification is required but I would guess national. I am in Texas. I will try not to call in and use sick time but I really did need a day at least to switch over jobs and also I thought it would probably start to get uncomfortable in my workplace with me leaving. I don't know how she plans to orient me with school in session by the time I start. So with a possible rate of 90 kids coming in the clinic a day, would it be about 15 per hour? Do you think it would get very hectic? Little nervous. Maybe that is why they jumped and offered me the position during my interview, while the junior high said he would get back with me this Thursday. There's no turning back. Would they bring special ed kids in also on top of the clinic traffic? Oh, I'm excited and nervous, should I be? :chuckle

bergren · Aug 14, 2005

It wont be 90 every day. In fact, it should be slow at the start. Your special ed kids and your medically fragile kids will need to be reviewed immediately and you will need to rank prioritize who needs care plan revisions and emergency plans first. The special ed director will tell you whose initial evals and re-assessments are coming up. They will not necessarily be coming into to see you. You will need to find them, their parents and teachers.

Texas has a GREAT school nurse organization: http://www.texasschoolnurses.org/

Their fall conference is in Dallas this year in November.

Hello, it's me. Thanks for the congrats and all. Well, the population is pretty large and I wonder if it is normal for a clinic to have one person in there with that many. I don't know yet what certification is required but I would guess national. I am in Texas. I will try not to call in and use sick time but I really did need a day at least to switch over jobs and also I thought it would probably start to get uncomfortable in my workplace with me leaving. I don't know how she plans to orient me with school in session by the time I start. So with a possible rate of 90 kids coming in the clinic a day, would it be about 15 per hour? Do you think it would get very hectic? Little nervous. Maybe that is why they jumped and offered me the position during my interview, while the junior high said he would get back with me this Thursday. There's no turning back. Would they bring special ed kids in also on top of the clinic traffic? Oh, I'm excited and nervous, should I be? :chuckle

Foxfour · Aug 15, 2005

:Melody: Hello Everyone!
I got the school nurse job after I interviewed for 3 jobs! I interviewed for 2 junior highs and 1 elementary. I got the Elementary Job with a population of 892 and the hours are 7:45 to 2:45 with weekends, holidays and summers off! I wonder how many kids will come in daily though? But I am so glad to get away from the stressful clinic I was working 8:30 to close (6 ish) (Ob high risk, colpos, biopsies, paps,asssisting with numerous breast exams, many doctors pulling at you for help, surgery procedures, blood draws, injections for preg girls, cleaning instruments,the list never stops). I have 2 boys 10 and 12 and my husband is a school teacher as well. So now I will be on their schedule, hooooray! But the pay was disappointing, they gave me one year credit for a school nurse job in 1999 but not for the other 19 years of experience. I am going from $53G to $38G. I need to get certified as well. So tell me some tips on doing that with ease. Is it easy? I need to give the clinic my 2 weeks notice Monday, I know they will be shocked, I think. Could I use part of my sick time or will it look bad for references later? Tell me your thoughts. I know I am rambling, but I am so excited. I waited so long since this other district wouldn't rehire me because they now pay for years of experience. So I am sure I will have do some extra things on some weekends and part of my summmer until the finances look better. But I feel my peace of mind is worth it. I will be going from a 9-10 hour work day to a 7 hour work day. Please wish me well! Also tell me the best way to learn immunizations as I am rusty in that. Any tips appreciated. Also tell me some nurse things I can put on my desk for ages K-5. Thanks!

I can so help you with your immunization dilema. You can PM me if your interested, and I can fax you a one page paper that gives you the requirements for that particular grade level and what they need. I'm in Texas too, so the requirements would be the same. What do you mean by certification-acanthosis, vision/hearing, CPR? I know that some states require certification in school nursing, but Texas is not one of them. At least, I have never been told that. As far as the pay, yes, it's true that the pay is lower, but also the hours are a lot less, and if you figure out your hourly pay, you will see that it's not so bad after all. I love spending Christmas, Thanksgiving,etc. with my family and the summer with my daughter. This summer I took my daughter to a all-girls summer camp in Maine, and she went for free. This would have never happened if I was at the hospital. I have to admit that I miss the excitment of the hospital and some of my nursing skills are gone, but "being spoiled" as I call it (coming from the hospital to a school setting) I find it very hard to return to a hospital-setting. I love my job, and I love and miss "my kids". From reading your post, I'm sure you will love your job. Congratulations!!!

guest83140 · Aug 16, 2005

Hello,

With all this feedback and with the job in hand, (principal recommendation) and needing to know so I won't be surprised, I emailed the Director and asked a few questions about approx no. of visits, procedures, no. of meds to give, if an aide will be there, if I'll get lunch relief. By 10 a.m. the next day, she hadn't replied so I called and she smartly told me I hadn't faxed the references, she called this past Friday afternoon while at my job and said HR wouldn't accept calling people at work and wanted letters. And then said she'd respond to my email shortly. At the conclusion of her email response she said she wanted to meet with me before turning in the principals' recommendation for me. The ans to the email in brief was: population last yr 700+ (the website says 856), visits are 35+, medications 15-20 kids, procedures are 3-4(including caths,tube feeding, diabetic pumps), no you don't get an aide, no you don't get lunch relief, you are avail for emergencies. Earlier on the phone she mumbled to herself that one school wouldn't have a nurse for a few days when school start when I asked if I should give my 2 weeks' notice today while I was at work, and she goes not until something is final and after I review your references, duh. Then she asks again if I have my certification, I go no, but I can get it later. So now I am having second thoughts about this job and wondering if it will be worse than the clinic I'm in. I may shoot for the junior high. Need your thoughts on this one. Will this school be picky amist total chaosis. :stone

Foxfour · Aug 16, 2005

Hello,
With all this feedback and with the job in hand, (principal recommendation) and needing to know so I won't be surprised, I emailed the Director and asked a few questions about approx no. of visits, procedures, no. of meds to give, if an aide will be there, if I'll get lunch relief. By 10 a.m. the next day, she hadn't replied so I called and she smartly told me I hadn't faxed the references, she called this past Friday afternoon while at my job and said HR wouldn't accept calling people at work and wanted letters. And then said she'd respond to my email shortly. At the conclusion of her email response she said she wanted to meet with me before turning in the principals' recommendation for me. The ans to the email in brief was: population last yr 700+ (the website says 856), visits are 35+, medications 15-20 kids, procedures are 3-4(including caths,tube feeding, diabetic pumps), no you don't get an aide, no you don't get lunch relief, you are avail for emergencies. Earlier on the phone she mumbled to herself that one school wouldn't have a nurse for a few days when school start when I asked if I should give my 2 weeks' notice today while I was at work, and she goes not until something is final and after I review your references, duh. Then she asks again if I have my certification, I go no, but I can get it later. So now I am having second thoughts about this job and wondering if it will be worse than the clinic I'm in. I may shoot for the junior high. Need your thoughts on this one. Will this school be picky amist total chaosis. :stone

The principal doesn't sound like a good person to work for. At my campus, I have a RMA. No one has ever denied me my lunch break, but there are days when it gets so busy that I will eat at my desk between students. As far as my principal goes, he's so busy with his job he has no time to monitor mine. I get approx 50 students/day. It sounds like a lot, but some of the students require only a minute of your time. The campus you applied at sounds like mine. I have one IDDM, 3 g-tubes, 1 2X/day cath. The good news I can relay to you is in TX (I'm not sure about other states) if your an RN we can delegate tube feedings and caths to other employees. I can fax you my paperwork stating such from a recent school nurse seminar that I attended written by a lawyer who works for TX schools. Their would be no way I could finish my job without this help in place. I just like to say from my own personal experience, your first instincts are usually the correct ones. There are good principals out there to work with and being a school nurse is a wonderful job. Maybe this campus is not for you, but with perseverence you will find the right one. Good luck to you.

bergren · Aug 16, 2005

Whoa, whoa, slow down.

Do not make a decision about the job based on a paper pusher's response to your questions. Who is the she?

DO NOT give notice until you have a bonfide offer.

Don't argue with this person about the lunch break - that is between you and the principal. Wait until you get the job and negotiate it. In a school they want team players. Don't throw up red flags now.

:Melody: Hello Everyone!
I got the school nurse job after I interviewed for 3 jobs! I interviewed for 2 junior highs and 1 elementary. I got the Elementary Job with a population of 892 and the hours are 7:45 to 2:45 with weekends, holidays and summers off! I wonder how many kids will come in daily though? But I am so glad to get away from the stressful clinic I was working 8:30 to close (6 ish) (Ob high risk, colpos, biopsies, paps,asssisting with numerous breast exams, many doctors pulling at you for help, surgery procedures, blood draws, injections for preg girls, cleaning instruments,the list never stops). I have 2 boys 10 and 12 and my husband is a school teacher as well. So now I will be on their schedule, hooooray! But the pay was disappointing, they gave me one year credit for a school nurse job in 1999 but not for the other 19 years of experience. I am going from $53G to $38G. I need to get certified as well. So tell me some tips on doing that with ease. Is it easy? I need to give the clinic my 2 weeks notice Monday, I know they will be shocked, I think. Could I use part of my sick time or will it look bad for references later? Tell me your thoughts. I know I am rambling, but I am so excited. I waited so long since this other district wouldn't rehire me because they now pay for years of experience. So I am sure I will have do some extra things on some weekends and part of my summmer until the finances look better. But I feel my peace of mind is worth it. I will be going from a 9-10 hour work day to a 7 hour work day. Please wish me well! Also tell me the best way to learn immunizations as I am rusty in that. Any tips appreciated. Also tell me some nurse things I can put on my desk for ages K-5. Thanks!

Maynmom · Aug 16, 2005

Congratulations! I've always admired anybody that work with children. Give me a swan or a balloon pump any day.

guest83140 · Aug 16, 2005

I only asked these questions after wondering how it worked. I knew hosps didn't guarateed lunch breaks and knew this was in an office-like setting. I know that it is not duty free. At a school that I used to work for the secretary automatically covered. I guess I was trying to find out how cordial and how much respect they have for the nurse. I didn't know the Nurse Director of Health Services would get snippy with me. I got into the messy clinic by not asking questions. I wonder why she is acting this way. I know that the school nurse left after one year and the other junior high nurse left after 3 years and wanted to make sure it was something I could handle. I want to stay at my next job at least a few years. I thought after you interviewed with the Nurse Director and they said the principal had to recommend you that you were hired. But it seems she wants to play this out since I asked her a few questions. This other nurse earlier stated you could delegate but this Nurse Director made it seem like you had to handle it on your own. She wanted to fight over not receiving all 4 reference faxes when school is opening Monday and she called last week saying she was panicking since the principals couldn't get a hold of me. Now she's dragging this out. What's going on here? :imbar

Whoa, whoa, slow down.
Do not make a decision about the job based on a paper pusher's response to your questions. Who is the she?
DO NOT give notice until you have a bonfide offer.
Don't argue with this person about the lunch break - that is between you and the principal. Wait until you get the job and negotiate it. In a school they want team players. Don't throw up red flags now.