What type of advanced degree did you pursue that complimented/applied to your current title as a School Nurse? MSN, MEd, FNP(if so what specialty), CNL (if so what specialty)?
Did it result in higher pay? Are School Nurses on Teacher's salary? What are your benefits like.
I am asking because I am very interested in becoming a School Nurse in Illinois. I graduated in December, and am applying for graduate school in the fall along with taking a School Nurse Certificate Program online (3 classes and a clinical). My plans were to work as a School Nurse while attending graduate school and post-graduate school.
are we talking about public schools here? if so my public schools are staffed with lvn's.
i recently talked with a school nurse in burleson and she told me that they usually look for nurses with a bachelor's degree but i could be mistaken. each school district is different. i was inquiring about a school nurse position. they are very hard to come by these days in dfw.
There are a few southern states whose nurse practice act allows LPNs to be school nurses.
The standard according to NASN is the BSN with course work in community or public health nursing. In many states the BSN is required. You cannot sit for the national certification exam without a bachelors degree.
California requires the masters. Massachusetts has a masters or ? it can be replaced with ?? national certification? Pennsylvania requires so many masters level courses it might as well require the masters degree. Illinois requires 4 classes in addition to the bachelors. I don't have all the states requirements memorized.
There are about 30 nurse with their doctorates who are school nurses, many of them teach. I know two who are school nurse supervisors: Jan Hootman, PhD, RN in Portland Oregon and Nancy Rini, PhD RN in Columbus OH. In my last school nurse position I was ABD.
Yes, in IL it is 4 courses-which can be done 100% online in a semester-and also an internship. As I mentioned before, I'm applying to UIC School Nurse Certificate program. I'm just feeling discouraged because of all the negative feedback I read about feeling considered "below," teachers as a school nurse. What are your thoughts on this?
"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent" Eleanor Roosevelt
I have never felt anything other than a peer to teachers and have never been treated anything other than a peer. (well..... OK ...... there was that one school psychologist......)
bergren
1,112 Posts
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