beachynurse

I have been a school nurse for 22 years. I just can't recommend this job to a new grad. I think it is imperative that anyone that applies has a strong background in Med Surg. That area allows you to hone your critical thinking skills and your assessment skills, both of which you will need as a school nurse. You are working alone as the only health care professional in the school. You will have to make split second decisions that you can only make with experience. If there are other school nurses available in other schools, you can call for advice, but in an emergency, there just isn't time for that. Any and all medical decisions are made by you, and you need to have the rationale behind those decisions. If I were you, I would work elsewhere for a year or two and then explore school nursing.

I grew up on Long Island and I am very familiar with the schools that you have mentioned. Stony Brook is a massive school. I went there my first year of college and hated it. I don't know if it's improved but my freshman Bio and Psych were held in a 2 story lecture hall that was jam packed with students. I found I needed a smaller school with smaller classes. I had been accepted to Molloy right out of high school and wish I had gone there. It's Nursing School is wonderful, and the school is beautiful. I should have gone there. I was not interested in Adelphi, or Hofstra. My cousin went to Hofstra and loved it. By the time I had finished my year at Stony Brook, I decided I wanted to go away to school, and ended up at Marymount University in Arlington, VA. I loved that school.. Anyway, I hope this helps you with your decision...