School RN in high school

[travelnurse79]

Hello,

i am interested in school nursing and was able to shadow an elementary school RN for a few hours. I am also interested in high school but wanted to hear about the challenges with school nursing in the high school setting. Pros? Cons? I will ask about shadowing hs as well. Thanks!!

[SaltineQueen]

I'm not in a high school but considered transferring when ours left last year. She told me the main differences were dealing with fights, possible drug & alcohol abuse, possible and actual pregnancies, and bigger sports related injuries. Other than that there's a lot of similar headaches & stomachaches. More anxiety & mental health issues in high school, I'd think.

[GdBSN, RN]

^^^ This pretty much sums it up. I went from elementary to HS, and would never go back. The stomach aches and headaches I encounter are usually RT poor nutrition and hydration. Lots of education, they are old enough to understand but don't always do it. I have two trainers on campus, so most of the sports injuries are managed by them. Lots of mental issues and poor coping skills.

I love this age group. They are old enough to understand what you are telling them, and they are fun to joke around with. Good luck on whichever you decide to pursue!

[tining, BSN, RN]

All of the above and no potty accidents. That is why I left elem. Parents tend to hover more with littles as well.

[blueindigo79]

Thanks for the feedback! Yes, I assume no potty accidents :)

[ruby_jane, BSN, RN]

If you type in high school nurse in the search feature you'll come up with a lot more comments. I left HS (2700 incoming) for elementary/middle and don't regret it but I do miss the good conversations I had with young adults. You will likely be asked to do drug assessments, and every visitor will have Googled their symptoms and be convinced they're dying. They're not. They're prolly just dehydrated.

[Farawyn]

On 3/4/2019 at 12:42 PM, GdBSN said:

^^^ This pretty much sums it up. I went from elementary to HS, and would never go back. The stomach aches and headaches I encounter are usually RT poor nutrition and hydration. Lots of education, they are old enough to understand but don't always do it. I have two trainers on campus, so most of the sports injuries are managed by them. Lots of mental issues and poor coping skills.

I love this age group. They are old enough to understand what you are telling them, and they are fun to joke around with. Good luck on whichever you decide to pursue!

This. These kids are why I come to work. Great age group, lots of anxiety issues and sports injuries, though. Be prepared to work very closely with Psych, SW and Guidance.

[AutumnDraidean]

HS students are cool, but they may also be avoiding a class they don't like. They also may come just to play on their phones and you have to assess that as well as the other unwanted phone stunt, texting parents and saying they are ill when they are just DONE. As a sub I can shrug my shoulders and let the consequences fall where they may. As the regular school nurse you would have to be right in there solving the school avoidance issues as they crop up.