Private School Nurse

lifelearningrn, BSN, RN · May 20, 2024

I think it depends on the state but in Texas private schools can pretty much do whatever they want. If the child needs an ARD/504 they will send to home public school for the testing and IEPs but there is no way to know if they're providing services or not. The parent needs to advocate. As a nurse, follow the BON and don't let them try and get you to work beyond your scope of practice.

sergel02, BSN · Jan 3

I know it's a bit old of a thread but I am curious too what differences are.

Never worked private school but I know we had to do IEPs for private school students including screenings if they lived in the area. Legally, the private school didn't have to provide those services but the public school does. Also some near me don't take kids with larger disabilities or health needs, partly due to the IEP services. They still have to do vaccinations though.

Student body size can be different. Having 200 students can be very different than 2000 over two schools.

k1p1ssk, BSN, RN · Jan 3

I've worked part-time at a private boarding high school for around 13 years. It's a rather elite college prep school, so kids on IEPs would likely not be accepted or even apply. The academic standards that need to be met for acceptance are very high. We do have students with 504s, but typically, they are for things like ADHD or Anxiety, and I believe the academic deans likely help create those with input from our medical director or DON. The staff nurses don't have anything to do with them other than helping implement an accommodation.

Our health center is run more like a clinic - we have a full time MD and a full time NP on staff. When kids come in, the nurses triage and will either manage the situation on their own via our standing orders, have them seen ASAP (urgent care style), or make an appointment. Our MD is on call 24/7 during the school year.

We have a 14 bed infirmary as well, for when the kids are too sick or injured to be in their dorm rooms alone. We also get a lot of mental health respite admissions. These are also managed/monitored by a nurse 24/7.

So, in a lot of ways, it's like my public school nursing job with the added benefit of RESOURCES and ability to make clinical decisions based on set criteria.

sergel02, BSN · Jan 4

Wow boarding school sounds so unique. Where I live I'm not sure there are any within 100 miles but it's an area that is younger than other parts of the country.

It reminds me of a book, "Confessions of a School Nurse" where he talks about being a school nurse in a wealthy boarding school in Europe. I keep imagining Hogwart's Infirmary with less magic and Dementors LOL

Having an MD and staff available 24/7 sounds helpful, though I did get into school nursing to get away from the 24/7 stuff. Seems rough for the night nurse if they're alone.

Resources and being able to do more clinically can be nice. My state doesn't even allow stock Tylenol.

k1p1ssk, BSN, RN · Jan 6

It is unique - It's like a mini-city populated by teenagers!

We get a lot of the autonomy of public school nursing, but the support of providers if we need it. Since I'm alone in my regular school job all the time, and typically only work at the private school when the providers are on-call, I'm much more resourceful than some of the other nurses who work full time and rarely have to call the providers.

I agree, the night nurse role is daunting... I've done a few overnight shifts and it can be downright scary... Thankfully, if there were a true crisis, our security officers would be over to help out in a heartbeat, and our MD lives on campus. Most of our security are former EMS and are all CPR BLS certified at minimum.