School nursing in KY?

[NurseCard, ADN]

Hello!! I am a new member to allnurses.com. This is my very first post to the website, in fact.

I am a new nurse graduate and I work on a post surgical unit of a fairly small community hospital in Kentucky. My dream job is school nurse. I am curious if anyone knows anything about what the requirements are to become a school nurse in the state of KY.

Around where I live, the school nurses do NOT work for the individual schools, but are in fact hired by the health department. However, I am not sure if this is the case in *ALL* Kentucky counties. For example, I wonder if some of the bigger schools in say, Louisville or Lexington, actually have their own nurses on staff.

I do believe though, that at least around where I live, you aren't necessarily required to even have a BSN to work as a school nurse, let alone any kind of teacher's certification. But then again, I honestly don't know much about it.

Also, a general question about school nursing is; how much money could I expect to make? HOW does it compare to what hospital nurses make? I make great money right now, but med surge nursing is not what I want to do the rest of my life. School nursing is not a MUST for me, but it is something I would really like to pursue.

Advice is appreciated!!!!

[bergren]

It does not appear that the Kentucky School Nurses Association has a website, but their officers are listed on the NASN website: http://www.nasn.org/affiliates/kentucky.htm

Correspond with them to get the materials about requirements in Kentucky.

To prepare to be a school nurse, ER, Peds, PICU and NICU, community health, are all good training grounds. You might consider attending a school nurse local or state conference to get a flavor of the issues school nursing faces. It is also a GREAT place to actually get a job - I was offered one on the spot at a conference once after moving to another state. The Journal of School Nursing Web site and the NASN website will also give you an insight into school nursing concerns.

NASN: http://www.nasn.org/

Journal of School Nursing: http://www.nasn.org/Journal/default.htm

The money is generally less than hospital nursing, but usually better when working for large cities and health departments. It would be public record what the salaries are in your area. Call and ask Human Resources or check the web sites for job postings and salary ranges. The state association may have conducted a salary survey also. The independence, work environment, the kids and families are such an overwhelming plus it is one of the reasons many nurses never leave school nursing once they make the switich, despite the lower pay.