walkingonsunshine

Thank you firefightingRN! You must have sensed my feeling a little overwhelmed. I am taking a plunge into a deep pool and hoping I will able to swim! I have a lot to learn, and I know that this will not be an easy job. With all the budget cuts, I have been told there is not money for me to attend the school nurse workshops this summer. I am probably going to bite the bullet and pay for it myself because I know very little about Medicaid billing or state laws concerning school health. Will I be billing Medicaid? I assume I will because it was one of the topics at the upcoming school nurse workshop. But, at the moment I would have no idea how to do that. On another note, my sister just told me that some schools are charging $25 a month to have personal items plugged into the school's electricity. Are you seeing crazy things like that? The budget cuts around here are so sad. I am pleased with my new salary considering the time off but the scale only shows $200 pay increases a year for the next 9 years. Is that because they adjust the scales every year or so to account for the cost of living? I know they scale did not budge from 2009/2010 to 2010/2011. I sure hope that there will be more adjustments, or I will only make $2000 more than I do now in 2020. Ouch! It seems after ten years experience the raises get significantly better. But I wonder why they are so hard on us until then. Education is a different world than business or the hospital and I have more to learn about the cultures and traditions they have. Thanks for your insights! This will be a great adventure!

I am so excited I got the job as a high school nurse with 1500 students, but I have so much to figure out! I want to start the year out right. I got several books on school nursing but they are all so dry and academic. I just want the basics of how to deal with the job in the real world. Something that explains questions such as what I need to have on file to meet state laws and what date to have it by. What kind of teacher education I should plan for the beginning of the year? How can I make a good first impression? How to plan the day? What kind of documentation should I have--how detailed? What kind of special programs school nurses have done? Tricky legalities and how to "CYA." I just have a lot of questions that I can't find in my books. Can you share any tips with me to get me started? I won't have much in terms of an orientation, so I am trying to figure stuff out on my own. Thanks!

To those that recommend elementary- is it because it is less students or less paperwork? Or that the kids are easier to deal with? I am really excited and happy. I am also scared-but I think that goes with all new jobs to some degree. It is a big responsibilty to be the lone health care person with that many students. And, I don't totally know all that I am in for. I think my biggest concern is handling all the paperwork and records for that many students. Forgive me if this is a dumb question, but will I have to track all their vaccinations? I know in elementary you do, but I am not sure about high school. And I don't know if I do vision and hearing checks. Does every high school do that? Thank you for your replies. I have a lot to learn now in a short amount of time so I will probably be on this board a lot. I plan to take the high school job tomorrow. To those high school nurses out there, do you run any neat programs or support groups at your school? Also, what kind of education do you provide for the school staff?

I have never been a school nurse. But, I have two years experience in a peds hospital. I interviewed for a school nurse in a high school and in a Title I elementary school. I am torn which offer to take! At first, I thought I wanted high school. Then, I really liked the elementary school. The elementary school has the bonus that I don't have to be there until 7:50AM while I have to be at high school at 7:15 AM. But, the high school has the bonus of getting out early, which is also nice. I have kids of my own so I have to factor all that in. I think I would be good with both age groups. I have experience with both age groups and I enjoy both. The high school has 1500 students and only one nurse. The elementary school has 550 students, a high percentage of those that speak Spanish as their first language (which I don't know). The high school is in an extremely wealthy area of town. So, the schools are totally different. I liked both principals and they are equally distant to my home. Which would be easier for a first year school nurse? Would the high school nurse have more or less paperwork?

Thank you all for sharing. I am starting to worry since I have not got a call after my interviews. I thought they went well, but I am sure my competition was good too. The longer I wait the more I see how much I really want to do this. It seems like it is not easy to break into school nursing. My interviews were tough- moreso than any other interviews I've had. I really hope I am able to find a new home as a school nurse. Saying my prayers tonight for sure!

I am pondering becoming a school nurse. I think I would like it and it would be a good match for my personality. But I have heard about many nurses doing school nursing and finding it too monotonous and going back to a hospital job. I have subbed (for only one day), and enjoyed it, even though it was extremely busy, almost too much so. I don't think a sub really gets the same picture as the full time school nurse. It is more challenging as a sub when you don't know the school, the kids, or the routines. In your experience, do most school nurses who came from hospitals enjoy being a school nurse and want to stay? What percentage of new school nurses stay for a year and then leave to do something else? I just am so tired of weekends, getting home so late during the week, and working holidays. Overall I have watched my family suffer and noticed that I am not as happy anymore. Life is short and I want to be able to visit my out of town family more often and be there for my kids. I had several school nurse interviews and I am so anxious to see if I got a job. At the same time I worry a little that if I don't like it, I may be shutting the door to where I work (the best hospital in town by far) and may not be able to come back later. I guess it is always hard to make a change, and sometimes we just have to take a chance. Would you pick school nursing again if you had a choice?

Yes, you are right that I leaned towards ICU. It is what I thought I wanted. But, I talked to a couple people who did ICU. One gal told me how she felt she barely scraped by her first year there. And, she is very, very smart. But, I think this lady is like me; a perfectionist. So, she would probably struggle no matter where she goes, as we have too high of expectations for ourselves. I wish I could turn off that switch, but it is really hard to do that. I also loved all the mother baby stuff, but it is more difficult to find a job there it seems. And I am not sure that fits in as well with my long range plan to get my nurse practitioner degree down the line or my dream of working for the VA. I find myself in new territory because I have usually been in the top "performance" (for lack of a better word) tier in my other work experiences. In nursing, I have to ask for so much help. For some reason my confidence is not as high as it should be now. I am too keenly aware of how a mistake could ruin not only my own career but someone's entire life. This itself is overwhelming. Are there any nursing jobs that are more repetitive where I could quickly learn the ropes? Is anyone up from GI lab or dialysis who can tell me how they feel there? Thanks to all who have responded so far. Your responses have all been very helpful to me.

I really need your help! I graduate in about 7 weeks, and I don't know what I want to do. It's driving me crazy! I've waited to even apply anywhere, because if I got the job, I don't know if I want to say "yes." Our instructors recommend Med-Surg. But, I find it very intimidating to imagine dealing with four (at the better hospitals) to eight (at the hospital where I did my clinicals) patients' disease processes, doctors, and families. I enjoyed my time in ICU (but it was a really short time and I had an excellent nurse to work with-so it is hard to compare.) But, for the most part I did not enjoy my last rotation in Med Surg. I did not hate the tasks; what I struggled with was the frustration of feeling rushed to get so many things done. I was also challenged to stay on top of the seemingly constant mountains of meds to give in Med Surg. I am a perfectionist with very high expectations and standards for myself. This makes it really hard for me to feel successful and get everything done like I want to. Thus, choosing an area where I am more likely to get on the other side of the learning curve would be a good move for me. One thing I try to keep in mind is that where I did my last Med Surg rotation had a much higher pt load and higher acuity than where I did my first rotation. So, do I not like Med Surg? Or, do I not like the floor I was on? I don't know. Anyhow, I would like to pick an area that looks good on my resume where I will learn and build confidence! I've heard that I should just expect to be miserable for 6 months to a year, and I don't want that. I want to enjoy life. Life is too short! Is that really what I have ahead of me? Please share your thoughts on where I could go to learn and gain confidence! I am very compassionate and really want to do a good job. Here is my all over the board list of things I'm thinking about: (not in order) ICU Neuro-ICU Dialysis GI lab ER Cardiac Cath Lab Mother-baby, L and D, Nursery, NICU HospiceAny advice you will invest in me will be MUCH appreciated!!!

i didn't say this in my last post, but wanted to share this with you. i had ms symptoms and was tested for lyme. my first lyme test was sent to a standard lab, and came back negative. over two years of hell later when i finally got in to see a lyme literate infectious disease specialist, he sent my lyme lab test to igenex labs in california. he said it was one of two labs in the country he felt gave dependable results. my 2nd test was very highly positive. i would recommend igenex and central florida research lab. my local lyme support group just sent out info on a new lyme lab test which is being done only at the lab in florida. that new test is supposed to have very accurate results, better than all our previous ones i think. their contact info is: central florida research, inc. 245 n seminole avenue lake alfred, florida 33850 phone: (863) 956-3538 fax: (863) 956-0839 [color=#003399]www.centralfloridar do get tested at one of these two labs-it is worth an out of network or out of pocket. i had to pay 100% out of pocket for it, and i think that was $195. best money i ever spent! i could hardly get out of bed and had difficulty remember basic things. i had contant fasiculations, peripheral neurapathy, numbness on my legs, pins and needles, burning sensations on my face sometimes, etc, etc. now that i have been treated i unfortunately still have some tingling and muscle twitches and muscular pain, but i am now getting straight a's as i have gone back to school to become a nurse, which is an absolute miracle in so many ways. i am able to walk my kids to school and feel mostly normal now. i also have the fibromyalgia diagnosis, but that is also much improved since antibiotic therapy, which i am still undergoing. i understand how difficult it is and how expensive this is. stay strong, and do your best to get the best available medical care. i had to do my own research and be my own advocate, because i faced some of the same things you are. i had many opinons and saw three neuros, three rheumies, and 2 infectious disease docs. you will get through this! i was so sick for more than two years with no diagnosis. it was awful, but many good things have come from it, especially an appreciation for life and compassion for people. feel free to pm me if i could help with anything!!

MS is hard to diagnose sometimes. Did you have an MRI and a spinal tap? How about an Visual Evoked Potentials test? If you haven't done those, I would think about doing them. I went through all of that and was told that if my symptoms continued we would want to retest everything in 6 months or so. If you ever do get diagnosed with MS, please read about low-dose naltrexone. It is wonderful!!! It is also used for other auto-immune diseases. I have fibromyalgia and low dose naltrexone has saved my quality of life!! LDN has made people with MS who did not respond to the traditional meds go into remission with no or very few exacerbations and MRI proven reduced lesions.

Hi SA2BDOCTOR, Tim's info has helped me so much as well. FYI: I will be in patho with you at Rockhurst this summer. Looking forward to it!

I am so inspired by what you said. I agree wholeheartedly. It is the same as any other illness. I can understand why some people don't want to tell however too. There are too many ignorant people who do discriminate. There should be no shame in acknowledging an illness. My best friend had this illness. She committed suicide. I so wish she could have got more help and my heart is broken that she felt uncomfortable telling people about it. It was so unfair. I am afraid her daughter might have it too. She seems to have some highs and some lows. (But, it is hard to say what is normal when she is going through hell grieving and in a bad situation with her dad.) What symptoms would point to that in a 6 year old? I hope one day researchers find a cure for Bipolar. I would love to work with a research dr. in that field.

Could you share some pros and cons about nuclear medicine technologist vs. nursing? My heart is in nursing I think, but I am worried about the physical aspects of it. I know I cannot work the overnight shift, which I am afraid I will have to do being the lowest on the totem pole as I fulfill my commitment to work to repay my tuition from the hospital. Also, it sounds like the program for the NMT is less time intensive. I am not a wimp, I have been dealing with some health issues that make things more difficult. Do nuclear med techs make as much as nurses? My long term plan was to be a NP. How would the physical aspects of the positions of RN vs NP vs NMT compare. How would earnings opportunities for each position compare? Thank you for any thoughts or advice.

Tim, Thank you again for your help and encouragement. I am going to work really hard this year so that hopefully I will have a bit of a head start and next year won't be as bad. Please do reply in October and let me know what you think!! Best wishes and many thanks!

Thank you so much for all the information. That is very helpful to me!!! I am somewhat concerned about how it will be for me to do a 15 hrs in that final summer, along with 19 hrs in the fall and 21 hrs in the spring. Do you know about how many assignments and tests would fall in one average week? How many hrs per week total do you think you will put in? (I know that is a hard question because everyone is so different!!) I think I can suck anything down for just one year, When you say 15-20 hrs for pathophys, do you mean per week? What are the ages of your kids and how does it work being a mom and a more than full time student? What do you plan to do when your kids are sick? I Do you have any idea how many hrs per week I should expect for my daughter to be there? Oh-here's another big question, do you know if they have much available I could take to meet the 15 hrs that would be online classes? I thought Leslie said that Pathophys would be online, are there anymore? I think online class would be great, especially since I do not live near campus. I was hoping I could find more online classes, but did not see any on the website. I am willing to sacrifice, but I am just trying to understand the level of sacrifice I would be signing up for. Again, thank you for all your helpful info. I think it will be better for me to go into it prepared mentally for what this will entail.