School Nurse /Pay/No pay?

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I have been a nurse at a Middle school for 3 years. My starting wage was under 20.00 an hour, I was started at the bottom of scale with 40 yrs experience. I love my job but am not adjusting well to no pay in the summer. I can work at school for 12/hr doing other jobs. I would like input this was to be my last job. Very happy but haven't made this much money since 1989,LOL.

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Specializes in Home Health,Dialysis, MDS, School Nurse.

Yes, that is the biggest drawback to working in school nursing - the pay! Most of us do pick up extra work in the summer for more money - I work PRN at the local nursing homes and in Home Health. It can be a bummer, but the benefits of the job far outweigh the pay cut!

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I took a major pay cut when I took this position~I make 1/3 of what I was making at the hospital. The schedule cannot be beat and the amount of stress that I have surrounding work has been greatly decreased. As my kiddos get older, I'll pick up hours during the summer either PRN or with home health, but for now, I'm enjoying the time off! As a parent of school aged kids in the same district, the benefits far outweigh the crappy pay.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

For me it all started when...I was working full time 12 hour night shifts in a busy pediatric ER. My Sweet Petunia was working full time days as a Home Health PT. At that time we were paying for daycare for two pre-school kids. We had a walk-in closet that I slept in during the day so I could get enough rest to wake up and pick up the kids from daycare to hand them off to my wife when she got home and off I'd go to work. As a couple we made more money than we've ever made in our lives. It was a living Hell of seldom seeing each other and chronic exhaustion. Then, one day, one of the elementary school nurses retired in our district...after about 118 years of service, I think. For fun I applied, was accepted (I think they wanted a token male but that was OK with me), Sweet Petunia told me to go for it, and we haven't regretted the pay cut to this day. The time off is golden; not just for me but SP likes it when I'm off too for all the honey-dos she can think of. I still work when I want to prn at a pedi Urgent Care. Plus, over the past few years I've been blessed enough to have all my AN School Nurse buds to hang out with here - they are the best! Yep, it was a good decision.

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All of my friends thought I was nuts when I left the hospital to be a school nurse - best decision ever. I did get a cut in pay but not by much. I absolutely love my time off in the summer. I am on the teacher pay scale so we get paid monthly thru the summer. I work PRN in Pedi Home Health to give me extra money and something to do in the summer (I have never been one of those stay at home mom types, get bored to easy). I usually work 2 Saturdays or sundays a month and pick up shifts during the summer & on my breaks if I feel like it. The money I make from this PRN job goes into our vacation/travel fund.

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Specializes in IMC, school nursing.

My pay is pretty good considering that teachers make just a little more than me, but responsibility/ workload wise I make out so much on top. Take into account that compared to almost every other position a nurse could work, this is the only one that doesn't require OT at all, the weekends and holidays are truly yours and the biggest perk of all... three months off every summer. Your pay is based on 180+/- days vs. 280 days at every other job. This is not the fit for those wanting to make the most money. SN are afterthoughts in education and the pay echoes that sentiment, but if you want the best schedule in the country, this is it.

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I'm probably going to leave after this year because of the pay.

Many of us work second jobs.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
I'm probably going to leave after this year because of the pay.

Many of us work second jobs.

:cry:

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OD, if you think you are gonna get rid of me you are nuts.

*takes a tissue out of my bra and wipes away your tears* :blink:

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Welcome to AN, OP!

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I'm probably going to leave after this year because of the pay.

Many of us work second jobs.

Noooooo!!!!

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

that makes me sad, Far... You better never stop decorating the furniture around here no matter your spesh-ee-ality!!

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