NYC school nurse

[FutureRN_Dreamsxx, ADN]

Hi,

I am a new grad and was looking into school nursing in NYC. I was wondering if anybody knows the exact base pay for associate school nurses in NYC? Also does anybody know how orientation is set up and did you feel ready after orientation? when does the first pay come and how often? Also do you get to choose to get paid 10 months or 12? Thank you so much for your time! Any advice is appreciated

[SaltineQueen]

I won't be able to answer anything specific to NYC but here's my two cents...

I would not have wanted this job right out of school. It's very intimidating, even with several years of experience under your belt, to be the ONLY medical person in the building. Even if you have a good team you can bounce questions off of. I haven't done a tube feed in years but because I did them so often in the hospital, I know I would have no problem picking it right back up. Same with ostomies, same with wound care, etc., etc., etc. You need to really learn to hone your skills listening to breath and heart sounds. You need to develop your critical thinking skills. Don't poo-poo working med-surg for a while because it's not your long term goal. There's a lot of great experiences to be had there. Maybe sub while you're working in a hospital?

[kidzcare]

5 minutes ago, SaltineQueen said:

I won't be able to answer anything specific to NYC but here's my two cents...

I would not have wanted this job right out of school. It's very intimidating, even with several years of experience under your belt, to be the ONLY medical person in the building. Even if you have a good team you can bounce questions off of. I haven't done a tube feed in years but because I did them so often in the hospital, I know I would have no problem picking it right back up. Same with ostomies, same with wound care, etc., etc., etc. You need to really learn to hone your skills listening to breath and heart sounds. You need to develop your critical thinking skills. Don't poo-poo working med-surg for a while because it's not your long term goal. There's a lot of great experiences to be had there. Maybe sub while you're working in a hospital?

I will second this! Get some experience to hone your assessment skills and build confidence. This is something that can only be done with experience in an acute or subacute facility.

[NurseHeatherBSNRN, ASN, BSN]

Adding on to previous comments, I'm not sure about NY, but many states require at least 2 years nursing experience before school nursing for this exact reason. You truly are on your own as a school nurse; there is no one else to guide you and help you learn. Most of my days are very simple: band-aids for paper cuts and skinned knees, basic medication administration, and oh the ice packs! But, my nursing experience and clinical judgment has come into great use when students have their first ever seizure at school, severe asthma attack not responding to albuterol inhaler, kids falling at recess and being knocked unconscious, diabetics with CBG in the 20s, etc.

[MrNurse(x2), ADN]

Must agree with all the previous comments, school nursing is not for a novice. Nursing is a career, you are not experienced until you have about 6,000 hours under your belt. This is why positions that are independent practice like home health require experienced nurses only. Critical thinking takes practice and can not be rushed. You have years to get to that point, enjoy the ride and when you look back it will seem like a blip in time. Think of the students that will be trusted to you.