jhendoRN

It really depends on what State you are going to work in, and if you plan to work as an actual RN or go into teaching other nurses. I was laid off after being a School Nurse for 11 years and replaced with an LPN---so even my RN didn't save me there! I am a diploma RN and do not have a degree but I have over 20 years experience as an RN. I had trouble finding a job and thought maybe it was because I am not a degree nurse. I spent a lot of time researching furthering my education & applying for jobs. I can't afford to spend around $30,000 for an RN to BSN course and will get little financial help because I am an adult. I also can not find a single employer in my western new york area that actually pays more for a nurse that has a degree in comparison to one that does not. I ended up getting hired as a supervisor at a county nursing home as a sub, and the hourly wage is $27/hour! I would have a hard time finding that wage even with a BSN degree. I would suggest you do some research of the area you plan to work, the cost of getting your degree, and see if it will pay for itself over time. For me...it just would not be financially smart or even worth it for my career future. I am currently looking into some sort of independent practitioner work as an RN with my own business...but naturally, will need to research that option more too. I wish you the best of luck! I am an RN from South Africa, however I have a diploma and not a bachelors degree. I would like some advice on whether it is worth studying further and spending thousands of dollars to get my Bachelor in Nursing, and if it is the best way to go about it. Anyone else been in my shoes? Thanks a million:) Tarryn

You are right....NYS does not mandate nurses at schools, and if a school chooses to have one, it must be at least 1 RN. As for "overseeing the LPN"....you should go to our state board site & look up the scopes of practice--I was stunned. LPN's can not assess or triage--which is 90% of what a school nurse does. They are "dependent practitioners" where an RN is an "independent practitioner". The LPN must be under the direction of an RN at all times for every single student & staff member that comes into the medical office with a medical issue. According to Karen Hollowood RN/BSN/MSEd from State Ed, the LPN should not be in a building by herself..and if she is...she should be calling that RN for every single visit to get the RN's direction! How can this be done, honestly, when the RN has over 1000 students, and the LPN has a building of over 500...including medically fragile children. It is irresponsible and risky of districts to do this. Niagara Wheatfield school revoked their decision to lay off an RN and use the LPN instead after they researched the scopes of practice and liabilities involved. My other thought is...what RN that cares about her license would want to make medical decisions over a telephone without her own personal assessment of the student?! Supervision by phone only is absolutely insane...we might as well just start calling our personal physicians and let them treat us over the phone without seeing us! Insane! It will never change until NYS FINALLY mandates an RN in every school....and I am not holding my breath! HA!

I have been an RN since 1991. I finally achieved my "Dream Job" of becoming a School Nurse, and worked at an elementary school for over 10 years, only to be laid off and replaced with an LPN this past June. I had finally gotten to a point where I felt like all my doubts about being a nurse were because I just wasn't in the right area of nursing, because as a School Nurse, I LOVED my job and truly felt like it was my calling in life. I tried everything to educate our board of education--even contacting the State Education Department and showing the board all the regulations, scopes of practice, and statements from the state against what they were doing...but to no avail. It made no difference, and I lost my job along with another RN. Now an LPN is in my office, taking care of over 550 students and over 100 staff members---students with extreme special needs---and she is not qualified to do the job (no assessment or triage privileges as an LPN!) Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of respect for LPN's---I worked as an LPN before I got my RN---but I also knew my scope of practice. I am shocked that EVERYTHING School Nurses do is mandated by the state....but School Nurses themselves are NOT mandated. Are you kidding me? There doesn't seem to be any urgency to remedy this either! With more and more students with chronic & serious medical issues attending schools, why isn't this on the very forefront of legislation? I have written several senators & congressmen only to be told that they "understand" the importance and it is something they take seriously....but that is it. I think RN's (School Nurses) across the state of NY...heck--it should be this way across the country in EVERY state--need to stand up and do something about this! As School Nurses....we are independent practitioners that make a HUGE difference in the lives of the students & communities we serve...we are necessary, important....and we should be STATE MANDATED IN EVERY SINGLE SCHOOL BUILDING!!! Thoughts? Suggestions? I feel alone, abandoned, scared, and so very uncertain of my future. Losing my dream job was so much harder on me that I could have ever imagined it would be.

You are already on your way to becoming an amazing nurse for the simple fact that you can be truly honest about how you feel and what you believe. Yes...a lot of the culture is related to school...but you will also find that culture in different areas of nursing as well. I was always "on my own" in nursing school...I didn't party, I didn't ever feel like I fit in...I just felt it was what I was supposed to do. Don't get me wrong...I had many doubts and fears, and still do after over 20 years as an RN. Those doubts are not a bad thing, though...those doubts cause you to self reflect, and to re-examine yourself, your choices, your life, and this profession. Anyone who claims they never had a single doubt is lying. It is human nature to doubt and to question. If you don't, how can you grow, how can you learn, how can you better yourself? I was never a great "book/test" student...and it scared me terribly....but....I could see the way patients seemed to connect to me and I to them. There are so many, many different types of nursing...and you should explore all the different possibilities. I remember in nursing school (I went to a VERY intense diploma RN program which was 2 1/2 years) feeling lost, questioning why the hell I decided to go into nursing, dreading my clinicals, feeling like a misfit....I faced insecurities over my intelligence, my ability to handle the profession and its demands, and if I was even in the right profession all together. I did know instantly that hospital nursing was not for me...I am NOT the political game player type, and I can not kiss butt to move up a ladder....I am independent, stubborn, strong willed, and I hate feeling like I have to join the cheerleaders cult to get along with co-workers.....but I also am passionate, determined, and I love certain aspects of nursing---research, teaching, and children. You sound like the type of person our profession needs. The nursing profession NEEDS less robots and cheerleaders, and more thinkers and nurses that challenge the status quo! You will find where you fit...and you will be an INCREDIBLE nurse. Doubt and question EVERYTHING....but DON"T doubt or question yourself, your heart, or your beliefs! I wish you the very best of luck!!!!