Transition to school nurse

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Hello Everyone! I am an RN with 10 years experience mostly in the operating room with a holistic/naturopath business on the side. I have recently been moved to do more "direct care/meaningful" nursing (hopefully not taken the wrong way) and I have a true passion to work with children. I see that there is always a great need for school nurses and was wondering if any current school nurses could comment on how they feel about their careers, what are your biggest challenges, and if you think I will be able to handle/be successful in this position given my nursing background. I am a quick learner and self motivated to do so, but I'm keenly aware it will be me and only me as the medical professional in the school and will most likely get thrown in pretty quickly. Any thoughts, comments, insights greatly appreciated!!! I originally asked this question for NYC specifically because sometimes this city comes with its own set of issues but any school nurses please respond ?

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Specializes in School Nurse.

The paperwork is different for sure. Rather than your typical hospital charting (I was ER nurse many years ago before I switched to this). But you get used to it in a hurry. Fortunately, our school is large enough that some of that has been off-loaded onto nurses in other areas (special ed, discipline, etc). Still, there are vaccine forms to chase down, drug/treatment orders and plans to maintain etc...

The actual treatment side is a lot less messy than I remember from my ER days. Of course, you have to deal with a few students who are trying to put one over on you, but on the whole, they're sweet and it is rewarding. The downside is the occasion when I have to deal with a student who is not getting proper medical care OUTSIDE of school.

Can't vouch for NYC.

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Specializes in School Nurse, past Med Surge.

LOVE it! Can't picture myself ever going back to hospital nursing.

I don't so much like the pay, but I'm off when my kids are off and there's a lot of value in that. I don't like that sometimes I feel like I care more about some of these kids than their parents do.

See if you can sub in districts around you to get a feel for what it's like and get your foot in the door.

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Specializes in School Nursing, Pediatrics.

Love it! Its a learning curve at first, but you catch on fast because you have to, you are THE only one there to make the decisions! But that being said, just read over the policies and check with us here....we will help you! LOL

Seriously though, I am in a big inner city as well (though not as big as NYC) but you probably have a large number of public school nurses, (so I am guessing there is good support from nursing) and there is probably a union and a pay scale for that, and while your pay will be lower than a hospital pay, you catch up fast.

Anything specific, just ask here, we wear pink on Wednesday and we are the best group of nurses! ?

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Specializes in school nurse.

Is there always a great need for school nurses in your area? In mine, people have told me that the jobs are considered "hard to get"...

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NYC is an animal of it's own as far as getting placed in a school. To be hired by DOH/DOE, they do recruiting/interview events. You can definitely dip your toes in the water and sub through an agency but there is no guarantee that if you transition to full time, you will be placed in a school where you subbed. Obviously, the demographics can vary wildly from school to school. They try to place you near home.

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Specializes in getting it done.
On ‎9‎/‎27‎/‎2019 at 2:40 PM, Jedrnurse said:

Is there always a great need for school nurses in your area? In mine, people have told me that the jobs are considered "hard to get"...

In NYC I'm assuming the reason there is always a great need for school nurses is due to the shear numbers produced by the population here, and the need for a high salary due to the astronomical cost of living. Put in short, not enough nurses willing to work for half the salary they'd make in a hospital setting, coupled with a vast number of children/schools in need of those nurses.

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Specializes in kids.

Hardest job I have ever loved. Truly! 20+ years here and still find it challenging and fun. Some days suck. Others are awesome. And everything in between. There is a lot of paper chasing, but when you have those AHA! moments with a kid or family, that really reminds you why you chose this field. I don't think I would have survived without this website, that is for sure!

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Specializes in getting it done.

I am interviewing this week for a school (not public) that has 1500 students pre-k through 12th grade. Is that a normal/manageable amount for a school nurse by most standards?

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Specializes in school nurse.
1 hour ago, UpliftingRN said:

I am interviewing this week for a school (not public) that has 1500 students pre-k through 12th grade. Is that a normal/manageable amount for a school nurse by most standards?

Normal? Maybe, by some standards. Manageable? Not if you want to do it properly without working all kinds of unpaid OT.

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I am new to school nursing (this is my first year and we are in our 8th week). Before this position I was the DON in an outpatient surgery setting. I had worked as a sub nurse for another school district because I wanted to get a feel for school nursing and also wasn't ready to leave my position. I ultimately decided I wanted more time with my kids and a less hectic life for now and took a school nursing position. When I made the decision to leave, my medical director and some of my peers told me I was making a bad decision by leaving my management position and going to "just be a school nurse". I cried over it and cried some more, asked sooooo many questions, read ALOT in here, etc. School nursing positions do not come open alot in my area, so when I saw there was one open I decided to take the jump and apply. I had applied for a couple in the past and nothing ever came of them, so I wasn't expecting much from this one either. They ended up calling me for an interview and then having me meet with the superintendent the next day! It was a very hard decision, especially since so many people were telling me I was not living up to my fullest potential.

It was a learning curve at first, but subbing in other schools made the transition a little easier for me. I would definitely say work as a sub or shadow a couple of nurses in different school clinics because you will learn a lot. All clinics are set up differently and you can get some wonderful ideas!

I learn so much all the time. I was actually a little worried that I wasn't going to be "good enough" to be a school nurse. I have run into some challenges, but I have overcome them and learned new things. I work VERY hard and stay VERY busy! My hours (in elementary) are 8:30-4, 185 days a year, 15 sicks days, 3 personal days, holidays off, school breaks off, snow days off, SUMMER OFF! I get great healthcare benefits (way better than my previous job) and they also match my retirement.

You definitely have to be organized and self motivated to do this kind of nursing though. Also, working in the school setting, everything is set up for education first. Healthcare is not as much of a priority to everyone else as it is to you. I have been very fortunate to have wonderful teachers and admins in my building. They seem to respect my judgement and that is so important. I've heard horror stories. Sometimes I do feel like an outsider because everyone else is here for a different reason than me and has different priorities than I do, but I am making friends!

Good luck to you!

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