school nurse qualifications

Specialties School

Published

Hello,

I worked as a nurse 3 years but I have kept my license current. Could anyone tell me how much experience do you need to be a school nurse? will they hire a new grad? I have been reading the forums and seems it would be ok to return to nursing in the school system. Thank you for your opinion

Trauma Columnist

traumaRUs, MSN, APRN

88 Articles; 21,249 Posts

Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Moved to school nurses forum

RedKat

67 Posts

Hello,

I worked as a nurse 3 years but I have kept my license current.

I'm a little confused - do you mean that you worked for 3 years and then took some time off? How much time? I don't know how it is anywhere else, but around here I think the most important thing would be for you to start doing some subbing. I was a sub in 3 different districts for a year, working daily for several months in one of those districts, before I landed a permanent position. Subbing would look great on your resume, but it would also start familiarizing you with the job so you can really get an idea of whether or not it's for you. I'll admit that when I got into it, I was naive and found out that there was SO much more to school nursing than I had ever imagined. Thankfully though, it works for me and I love it. I've watched a few subs drop off the radar though, because they were overwhelmed once they found out what it involved. Best of luck to you!

blackmamba123

97 Posts

Hello,

I worked as a nurse 3 years but I have kept my license current. Could anyone tell me how much experience do you need to be a school nurse? will they hire a new grad? I have been reading the forums and seems it would be ok to return to nursing in the school system. Thank you for your opinion

I'm a bit confused. You said in your post that you worked as a nurse 3 years, kept your license current, but want to know if they'll hire a new grad??? Were you an LPN and became an RN and took time off while in school or something like that? What area is your 3 years of experience in?

I remember doing clinicals and being so excited about doing the school nurse rotation. I thought it would be cool to put band-aids on boo boos and help the kids with stomach aches. Man, was I surprised when I found out what school nurses REALLY do! Keeping up with kids with everything from diabetes to ADHD etc, screenings, making sure immunizations were up to date (that's all I can remember). I think the other poster had a great idea about subbing to see if it's for you.

If you've been out of practice for a while or are a new grad with no pediatric experience, you may have some challenges finding a job. Many public school districts in my area look for nurses who are certified in school nursing. Here, private or parochial schools are a better option as they don't always require certification. Also, have you considered working in a college clinic? Different population and different issues, but still very interesting, and may be a better fit if you've been off or no peds. In my area, NP's often run the clinics, so you'd get to learn their role in that setting.

+ Add a Comment