School Nurses

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Asking any School Nurses out there!

I am at the point where I am seriously considering school nursing (any age). Ive been a nurse for 5+ years, worked mainly in Geriatrics, but have done skilled home care nursing (trach, vent, mental illnesses, autism,OCD,etc)

I have an associates in nursing, bachelors in another field. Plan to just go straight thru and get my Masters in Nursing, although not sure what my concentration should be.

Questions, if anyone would be so kind to help!

1.) How hard is it to become a school nurse? I looked online and it said you need 1000 hours of clinical to qualify for the certification exam. I am confused as to who would hire you without that certification?

2.) What Masters degree concentration would you suggest, I don't want to limit myself to just school nursing in case it doesn't work out, so I was thinking something more broad like public health.

3.) I live in PA (Philly area). What is the pay like? I know it's not competitive to those nurses who work in hospitals, but this is a change for my family, so pay isnt the top priority.

If anyone could give me their overall opinion of school nursing I would greatly appreciate it! Going through a "mid life nursing carrer crisis" :-}

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1. In California you have to have a BSN. Then they give you a temporary credential and give you 5 years to get a real one. It costs about $12,000 to do that and takes approximately a year with online classes although you do have to show up for some things on campus.

2. I am a BSN-PHN and think Public Health would be a great idea for a Masters. I meet monthly with the county public health nurses and the school nurses and we do a lot of great things at these meetings. Plus it helped me a lot when I first started as a school nurse.

3. Salary is on par with the teachers here. I work part-time because in California for the most part, there are no full-time nurses on each campus. In fact, I work 24 hours a week and cover 11 campuses. So I have to pick and choose what gets done and of course for the teachers, that is Hearing & Vision screening and Initial Health reports for IEP's. I make quite a bit less than an acute-care nurse but have the same benefits that the teachers get. Fortunately, I do not have to join the teacher's union.

I'm leaving this job at the end of the 5 year allowance to get the credential. I decided I don't want to go back to school and get more in debt. But many nurses love this job. I'm just ready for a change.

I'm hoping more nurses from your part of the country will answer as well. I'll send you a link to the program I was going to attend, just for your information.

School Nurse Credential Program

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Thank you SO much for your thoughtful answer!! I hope too that more school nurses from east coast answer as well!!! Any help is so appreciate f :)

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In NY you don't have to be certified or have a BSN, but they still want an RN. The pay in no way compares to the hospital.

I, too, think Public Health/Occupational Health would be a good direction. What is your Bachelor's in? Mine is BA-Psych.

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Specializes in School nurse.

In NJ you have to have a bachelors degree, in addition to RN, and a school nurse certification (extra 22-30 credits or so. You can sub without the cert but can't get hired full time. School nurses in NJ are considered teachers and are part of the collective bargaining agreement. Also NJ First requires that teachers live in NJ. Of note, the national cert is moving in the direction of a required BSN. I'm doing my masters in nurse education so I can either per diem or part time teach at the college level in evening programs. Good luck!

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In NJ you have to have a bachelors degree, in addition to RN, and a school nurse certification (extra 22-30 credits or so. You can sub without the cert but can't get hired full time. School nurses in NJ are considered teachers and are part of the collective bargaining agreement. Also NJ First requires that teachers live in NJ. Of note, the national cert is moving in the direction of a required BSN. I'm doing my masters in nurse education so I can either per diem or part time teach at the college level in evening programs. Good luck!

Yea, so it looks like I have to trade Billy Joel in for The Boss and move to Joisey.

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Specializes in School nursing.

In MA, you need to be an RN, have a BSN or MSN, and get certified as a school nurse through the Department of Education. However, I got a job with the certification in a charter school, but am working toward it. You have to take 4 classes (a total of 5 days of time), have 2 years worth of experience in peds, public health, or another related area of nursing, and have a passing score on the MTEL Communication and Literacy Skills Test (step 1 of testing that teachers in this state complete). All told, it probably costs about $400. My job covered the class portion, so I will just have to pay for the MTEL out of pocket.

Now if I want to get my master's...I am toying with public health and nursing education, but to be honest, I'm not in any rush as it won't really affect my pay scale much at my current job ;).

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

I'm in NJ - so the same thing rings true about me for the NJ pay scale - on teacher's scale. So I make a half way decent living. (shame on the states and districts not treating nurses with the same value as teachers).

I have debated getting my masters and while i'd like to - life keeps happening around me and i can never seem to find the money to start myself up. Plus the jump in salary guide isn't enough motivation for the amount of work right now

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In Texas the requirements vary for each school district. The district I work in requires RN license but not a BSN nor do they require certification. We need 2 years experience but a few nurses have been hired right out of school. We are paid & have same benefits as teachers. WE are fortunate to have a nurse for each school and each high school has a nurse and an aide. I have my ADN and have thought about going back for BSN - at my age (late 40's) though I don't see any benefit for me to continue forward with the BSN, plus with 1 kid a freshman in college and 1 off to college in 2 years I just can't justify the expense right now. I am happy & content with my position and plan on staying within the district till I retire.

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Specializes in School Nursing, Telemetry.

1) In Oregon, I think it varies district to district whether a certification is needed or not. BSNs are preferred, though in my district, I was hired with an associate's degree.

2) I think getting a Master's of Public Health would be a good move. That is the route I believe I will be taking in the future when/if I decide to pursue a higher degree.

3) Salary-wise, we are on the teacher's pay scale and it is frankly pretty terrible when compared to what is made in the hospital setting. This is why I work four shifts a month at the local hospital to make ends meet. But, although the pay is a little on the poor side, the breaks, I am sure, will be excellent (I have not experienced these yet!) and the schedule works well for my family. I love working at the schools my children attend!

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Thank you all for the responses! Looks like it al varies (I live in Pa) bachelor's degree in Geography/environmental planning.

Looks like everyone is in agreement with Masters in Public health!if any other school nurses could add anything I would so appreciate it!!:):)

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