Is this a bad idea?

Thanks nursel56 for this article!

Hi there! This board becomes virtually inactive during the holiday breaks! Those of us on here regularly generally are here when we're at work and consider this our "break room".

I think you'd be a great candidate, especially if you brush up on your skills and have some time to do some subbing/shadowing. 

I'd highly recommend the AHA PEARS course (https://CPR.heart.org/en/courses/pears-course-options). I took it when I worked inpatient Peds and I rely on the assessment aspect of it almost daily in my work as a school nurse.

I'd definitely check in with your kiddo's school nurse and see if there are opportunities to sub or be a resource/float nurse in that school/district. This will give you an idea of if you like the work or if you'll find it boring or overwhelming! 

Thanks! I was curious about PEARS. Also considering first aid since it has been a while. 

Lavachicken said:

Thanks! I was curious about PEARS. Also considering first aid since it has been a while. 

You can check with your state's school nursing organization for more information on your state's specific guidelines for becoming a school nurse. Some are pretty rigorous (not to turn you off of the idea!) but just so you know what you're getting into. NASN.org has lots of info on general school nursing frameworks/standards, but has links to the state-specific affiliates as well!

I love school nursing because my children are still in my district and I can cater my schedule to theirs for the most part.  No weekends, holidays or nights.  I would brush up all on the skills because we really are an island on our own most times and need to be confident and competent in our work.  There are a lot of requirements for my state to become a school nurse so check those out in your state.  Also, check to see if they have sub nurse spots available.... might be a good way to dip your toe in without doing the whole jump at the moment.  

Thanks for this advice ! I'm planning to do BLS, First aid, and PEARS through AHA. I also emailed my state school nurses association for other ways to brush up. 

what resources do you turn to when you come across something on the job and you aren't sure what to do? Perhaps when you first started out in school nursing, or you encounter and issue you don't see often?

Most school districts require you to have a BSN to become a permanent school nurse so if you don't have that you may want to look into that further. I agree subbing is the best way to get your foot in the door as well as gaining experience for that job and to see if you like it. Usually you'll have another nurse in the district you can call anytime you aren't sure of something along with guidelines for things you'll encounter. Your strongest skill needs to be assessments. Is this child's stomach pain related to eating too fast, constipation, a gas bubble, getting a stomach bug, appendicitis, or are they just faking to get out of class? That and knowing what to do for an emergency which is easy to learn. Plus learning to walk a fine line between teachers and parents. You need to have a tough skin. Every day there's probably at least one or more people mad at you or don't agree with you whether it's a teacher, parent, student, etc. Not trying to discourage you, just make you aware! The schedule is wonderful! 

Thank you RatherBHiking for this info! 

I have my BSN and an MPH. Not sure if I should dive into  a school nurse certification course too or if that's something people do after they start school nursing. In my last job (infection control), we only became certified after working 1 year. 

I'll be happy if my district has guidelines for everyone to follow. That's how I was able to do my previous job. I frequently encountered people who were unhappy with my decisions . " Why does my TB patient still have to be on isolation?" "Why did you you assign my unit with a CLABSI?" " Why should I have to be the one to wipe down that machine?". If it got hairy, I had the hospital policy and procedure manual plus the DOH guidelines to back me up. Most people didn't have the energy to study those documents and guidelines, and would usually back off with further explanation!

The would love to strengthen my assessment skills more. I noticed the NASN has several documents on their website I can read if I create an account. I find the best way to learn new things is to study people who are smarter and more experienced than me! Hopefully there's someone in my district who will let me shadow.  

I am part time school nurse. Many places waive the BS requirement b/c of the shortage of RNs willing to work for 30% less than hospital pay. 

I work in a large urban district with online  P&P manual, resource staff,  and leadership available by phone during the school day.  Yes, try subbing, or try to get a gig with more than one nurse, so you have peer support. You already have the pedi assessment skills, particularly the BS screen. It is incredibly fun, and occasionally heartbreaking. 

I'm not a school nurse, so I'll leave the role-specific details to those who are — but I just want to say how beautifully and thoughtfully you're approaching this.

That mix of excited and terrified is very common when people are considering a meaningful career transition, and it often shows up when you're stepping into a new professional season, not because you're making a reckless choice, but because you're moving toward something that matters to you.

Hope this helps!

-Heather

Lavachicken said:

Thank you RatherBHiking for this info! 

I have my BSN and an MPH. Not sure if I should dive into  a school nurse certification course too or if that's something people do after they start school nursing. In my last job (infection control), we only became certified after working 1 year. 

I

You need to have school nurse experience prior to taking the NBCSN exam, just so you know.