Is 1:1 school nursing worth the pay cut?

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Want to get the opinions of those who have been in a similar situation...

I have the opportunity to pursue a 1:1 school nurse position but want to know if it's worth it. I currently work in a hospital on a med surg/tele unit on 12 hr night shifts (7pm to 7am) and i absoulty HATE it. I never get any sleep due to my schedule, I hardly ever see my family and friends, or even get the time to spend with my boyfriend, I'm stressed out, on the verge of depression, constantly feel sick d/t lack of sleep and have had mental break downs due to all these things. I have even called out of work before because of all this and now my boss is threatening to terminate me cause I've done it so many times.

The school nursing position would be M-F, 7:30-2:30pm, and no weekends or holidays. The only downside is that I would be taking about a $18 pay cut... but at this point I'm so miserable, I think it would be worth it in the end for my mental and physical health.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

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Honestly, your mental health is SO worth the pay cut. It sounds like you have already checked out of your job, calling out, etc. Don't stay there long enough to be terminated, you will not recover from that and it is very hard to find a job once you have been terminated. 1:1 school nursing will be a huge change for you and comes with its own kind of stress, but the positive lifestyle change is great. Do you know anything about the student you would be working with? Are you comfortable with the medical needs of the student? For example, if he is trached, do you know how to deal with all that goes along with that? I would look into the student's situation a little more and see what type of support you will have. Regardless, I would look for another job to get out of your current situation.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

If you can still keep the electricity on and pay your bills take it. Worst case scenario is it would provide clarity and a pathway to seek new opportunities. Just be cautious and make sure your are running toward something versus running away from something. Good luck!

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All I know so far about the students is that in general, I would be working with trachs, feeding tubes, diabetic management/insulin, ect. All things I'm comfortable with since I do that now at my current job and also at a sub acute facility where I used to work. Thank you fo4 your feedback!

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Specializes in NCSN.
Just be cautious and make sure your are running toward something versus running away from something. Good luck!

School nursing isn't for everyone, and I don't even know if I could handle going from the floor to a 1:1 position. It's a big shift.

But as everyone said above, if you are miserable, get out. Even if this doesn't work, maybe the better schedule will give you time to work on yourself more and really figure out what area of nursing is best for you.

It's taboo to say it outside of here, but it is OK to HATE the acute side of nursing. You couldn't pay me to go back to the floor.

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What area of nursing do you work in now?

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Specializes in NCSN.
What area of nursing do you work in now?

I'm an elementary school nurse now and I love it.

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The pay cut is substantial, but possibly doable. What about summers, breaks, staff development days etc? Are these factored in to the 18hr pay cut? If note, Yikes!

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Specializes in Peds, School Nurse, clinical instructor.

If you can afford the pay difference I would go for it. I took a 1/2 cut in pay and never regretted it. Being able to be on the same schedule as my child was well worth it. Also the health insurance and time off really made it worth it. I am a nurse for a school though, I have never done the 1/1 kiddo's. Good luck :)

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Specializes in nurseline,med surg, PD.

Doit. You deserve a break. Nursing is hard, we all know that, and a break like this can be just what you need. You don't have to do it forever.

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Specializes in School nursing.
School nursing isn't for everyone, and I don't even know if I could handle going from the floor to a 1:1 position. It's a big shift.

But as everyone said above, if you are miserable, get out. Even if this doesn't work, maybe the better schedule will give you time to work on yourself more and really figure out what area of nursing is best for you.

It's taboo to say it outside of here, but it is OK to HATE the acute side of nursing. You couldn't pay me to go back to the floor.

You couldn't pay me to START in acute care. I went straight into school nursing, but knew early on in nursing school that I wanted to work in community and preventive health care settings. My final preceptorship was on a super acute med-surg floor and I loathed it, despite having an awesome preceptor and learning a ton of interesting things (didn't help she had a 3 weeks day / 3 week nights constant rotating schedule - I never knew had she did it!). So there I said it, but within the safety of my nurse's station :).

Of course community health nursing pays the least, go figure. But I also worked in education prior to becoming a nurse, so I knew what I was getting into. But the hours are awesome, I love the kids. And I teach health (sex education mainly) and adore that part of my job.

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I know exactly how you feel. I did bedside nursing for 10 years and was so burned out that I HAD to make a change. There is a pay difference but for my sanity it was definitely worth it.

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