OTconsideringBSN

So basically, it is pretty doable? That's encouraging to hear! Thanks for the feedback!

I was wondering if any of you school nurses have worked full time as a school nurse while raising young kids (under 5). Is it harder because you are working 5 days a week? Or is it easier because you do have a school schedule and somewhat shorter days? I have been thinking/trying to go back to school with the goal of becoming a school nurse, but one thing my husband and I just starting thinking about was that we will probably be having kids in a couple years and how to manage childcare. My husband's thought is that it might be too stressful working 5 days a week while having young children. My thought is that I would have a school schedule which means more days off for holidays and summers and that once the kids are school age, it would be ideal. What are you thoughts and experiences?

They can fit it to his strengths, so if he has good head control, they could use a head wand, which he can use to tap onto a screen to select his words. There is also a mouth wand, works the same way. There is also eye gaze, which just works by focusing his eyes on parts of the screen. If he is still pretty new on the trach though, his speech still may improve. We've had many people in rehab who still have very soft voices when they are new to a trach but can get quite a bit louder after they have had it for awhile and practice speaking.

Also, environmental control units can be used to control many things in the environment (light switches, TV, radio, etc.) Not sure how much these cost but they can be set up to work with most household things. As far as speaking, has he had a speech therapist? There are many augmentative communication device, i.e. Dynavox that he could be set up with that would allow him to communicate using an automated voice. Something to consider, but a speech therapist would be the best to talk to about that.

Hi, I'm an OT in a subacute/LTC setting, and first of all am really surprised that the place he is at does not have cushions. Most places will order new cushions if they have little to no supply. In all of my jobs, we were told that if the only reason a resident is not getting out of bed every day is lack of a proper wheelchair or positioning device, we are required to find a way to make that possible. As far as the best cushions, gel cushions are a good middle ground. They are generally very comfortable for most people who have intact skin (or small sores). If incontinence or wetness are issues, go for a honeycomb, as these draw moisture away from the body. If skin breakdown is a big concern, ROHO cushions are higher end, they are inflatable and tend to be the most pressure relieving. Just to warn you, these cushions can get very pricey. If you can't find any in a medical supply store, look at a Sammons Preston or AliMed catalog, they carry a wide variety. Hope this helps!

Yay!! Congratulations!!! That's so exciting!

I applied for the OSOL program just because I need to work as much as possible during the program and didn't feel like I could work much at all with the traditional program. Good luck to you, I hope you get accepted! I don't think OSOL finds out if they are accepted until the summer, so it's a long wait.

Did you apply for the traditional program or the OSOL? Good luck!!!

I have wanted to be a school nurse for the past six years but have been unable to afford going back to school until recently. It's something I could really see myself doing, and enjoying, and being passionate about. I work in healthcare now but have never really felt like my career is a good fit. So I am considering going back to school to become a school nurse, but that is really the only setting I care to work in. I would work in a doctors office or outpatient setting for a year or two to get some experience before starting in the schools, but I have no interest in working in hospitals or LTC (I have spent the past 5 years in those settings as an OT and have no desire to stay in them any longer!) Does this sound realistic? I know most people recommend the year or more of acute care nursing, especially to become a school nurse, but if I had to work in the hospital, I just wouldn't pursue a nursing degree at all and would just find something I could settle for. Is it foolish of me to pursue a nursing degree at all if I will only work in outpatient and school settings? I keep reading about how bad the job market is, which scares me, and how tough it is to get into doctors offices and schools, so do you think it would be wise to get my BSN? I would appreciate any wisdom or opinions! Thanks!

Wow, was nursing school really that bad? Were you working too? Or was that all just spent in class/clinical and studying? Sounds intense!

There doesn't seem to be many jobs in the education field in PA at all, have friends who are teachers who have a very hard time finding work in PA. And I guess there would be pretty strong competition for the few openings that come up for school nurses? And to geocaching, you said starting at $28/hour with 2 years of any experience? I am guessing that you mean two years in any nursing setting whether it be hospital, ltc, etc? I know in NJ (and I'm sure many other states), the education field has been getting hit very hard and many are getting laid off, so I thought that more nurses would be competing for the jobs in the schools, even though they pay much less than hospitals do.

Do you mind me asking, are you in the east coast/west coast or central US? I guess it's happening more in the states that do not pay school nurses on the teachers scale? It makes sense now that you explained it, never thought of it that way. Sorry to hear that for any school nurses who have had to leave to go back to the hospital positions. Seems like school nursing is a wonderful setting to be in!

I have seen that the number of nursing jobs in most settings (such as acute care, LTC, outpatient, etc.) has changed and there seems to be very few openings these days. But I was wondering, has this affected the job market for school nurses? Have you seen that there are fewer openings, increased competition for jobs, etc. with the change in the economy? Just wondering if it is changing the schools too! Thanks!

I am an OT and would definitely advise shadowing OTs and SLPs in a variety of settings. OTs in skilled nursing/subacute centers do end up doing a good deal of lifting as we (along with PTs) are responsible to get many of the patients up and moving, and with some patients this can be quite heavy work. OTs in schools and outpatient centers typically have it easier physically. There is strong competition to work in outpatient centers and it often requires additional training as it is a specialization. To be a CHT, you need 5 years of practice as an OT, I believe 2000 hours of direct hand therapy experience, and a very difficult national exam. In skilled nursing/subacute centers we do a lot of ADLs which requires us to bathe and dress patients and we do a lot of toileting as well. With some patients, this can be easy, but with others, we extensively assist the patients (or do all the work!) So if you are ok with bathing people, wiping them, changing diapers, etc, you will do ok in this setting. We definitely do make more than RNs (sorry guys!) but OTs are required to have masters degrees now, and there is a rumor we may follow in PTs footsteps to move toward a doctoral degree. I think in many settings, PTs do tend to get more respect from the patients than OTs since they are the ones to be credited with the "walking" goals. SLPs may have to help position patients but they generally do not have to do heavy lifting. In medical settings, they do a lot with swallowing and dysphagia so if you're ok with bodily fluids then you'll do fine. In the medical settings, there often is a ton of pressure for "productivity" levels and the amount you bill for in order to make money for your company or building, sometimes can be intense if the company borders on unethical billing (and yes, some companies will try this with all patients) but you just have to stand up for your license and your patients and avoid medicare fraud. In the schools, it is very different since your goals are educational rather then medical. Hope this helps!

As an occupational therapist, I know that I have gotten as physicians orders (and physical therapists usually get more) to evaluate patients in the ER for balance, ambulation, and to determine if someone can go directly home or whether inpatient/outpatient rehabilitation is recommended. It is usually a consult only in the hospital I worked in, unless the patient was later admitted to the hospital (usually not the case).

Wow, ok. Just trying to help. And saying what settings are the "better" jobs in therapy. I know many therapists who are quite happy in their fields, just wanted to share which settings are generally considered less stressful for most therapists. And which is the best way to get through the programs. I wouldn't want anyone to take the harder road to get through the degrees since they can get expensive. But your reaction makes me think its just better not to say anything at all. Sorry if I dragged anybody down in their thoughts or mood, just wanted to help.

I am an OT and have been for 5 years and unsatisfied with it. I am looking into school nursing or another school-based career. OT and PT job satisfaction all depends on what setting you are working in. Skilled nursing rehab center require 6-7 days a week of therapy, some are now requiring longer days of coverage 7a-7p due to all the medicare changes in billing and the need to make up the "lost money." You are told how many minutes a day you MUST see a person for, regardless of whether they are tired or sick. Sometimes you do get some really rewarding moments, but most of the times, at least in this setting, patients just want to walk, and "someone else can dress me." Also, there is still the competition amongst therapists, because each rehab company requires a certain productivity level (typically 80% or higher) and raises and keeping your job depend on your productivity levels. Also, therapists are not always very respected in these settings. Outpatient centers and schools are very much different as it is not as much of a money/billing issue and is more patient focused. If you start out as an COTA and want to be a OTR, there are bridge programs that will save you time and money. If you start out as a PTA, there are only 2 bridge programs in the country to help you transition to a PT degree. If you want to be a PT, it will be much shorter to just go straight for the DPT program. Unless you live near Loma Linda or Findlay (see APTA.org).

I am an OT and just a word of advice...if you do become an OT, beware the skilled nursing settings. With Medicare law changes and companies trying to get more money, they are a difficult setting to work in. Not always the most ethical either. Good luck whichever way you go! I am trying to become a school nurse...

Thank you, that definitely helps me to make a decision! Doesn't sound like the right one for me. Good luck to you with your school!!

So I am trying to find an accelerated BSN program in NJ/Philly area that only has Monday through Friday courses/clinicals. I have heard that UMDNJ is mostly just weekdays but can have some weekend clinicals. Does anybody know about this or has been through the program?? And if you get a weekend clinical, does it last through the entire semester or is just a one time thing? Please let me know!! I am ready to be done with my old career and get into nursing quickly!

So I just got accepted into nursing school and about to start soon. My goal is to become a school nurse. In your opinion, would subbing as a school nurse several days a week for a year or two give me the clinical experience that I need to become a full-time school nurse? Or do you think that acute care experience is the only way to get the experience needed to becoming the full-time school nurse?

You guys are all so helpful!!! Thank you so much! Yeah, I think I would definitely be trying do the EMT course, maybe volunteer as an EMT (depending on time constraints with going back to school and working part-time), and I was also thinking of working as a camp nurse/aide just to gain any additional experience. I would never want to take a position where there wasn't a mentor nurse available by phone call at the very least. It is such a shame that schools don't have more nurses to meet the needs of such huge caseloads, it really hurts the kids and is much more worth it to budget nurses in than some of the extras that schools spend on. I am definitely interested on the idea of the 1 on 1 as well to start off with, is that something the school advertises? Or is that a private company?

Hey everybody, thanks for all the great advice and thoughts on this topic. Will schools or companies hire a new grad to be a 1 on 1? Or does everybody require the year hospital experience or peds experience first?

Hi! I was hoping to get some advice. I am an OT, have worked in the hospitals and in skilled nursing facilities but am looking to make a career change (definitely burnt-out and dissatisfied). I am very interested in becoming a school nurse but was wondering if it is possible/smart to do that right after graduating from nursing school. I live in NJ so I know the requirements are a bsn and certification (including an internship). I was also thinking about taking an EMT course so I could gain some experience that way. I know I am not interested in doing the med/surg or other hospital RN specialties, just school nursing. What do you guys think, is it something that a new grad could/should do? I really appreciate any help or advice!!!