Travel School Nurse

Shanny246 · Oct 2

I started school nursing in 2020 (during the pandemic), but I have been a pedi nurse (off and on, because I have 3 kids) since 2013. School nursing is great! Day to day, it is like a mini clinic. You have some kids come in that just need a bandaid, or have an upset stomach, or a headache. Then you have kids that fell and may have broken a bone, or ended up with a laceration. You have your daily medications that you have to give. You also have your emergency meds (like EpiPen, inhaler, diastat, valtoco etc). I have only had to give valtoco once, and an EpiPen once. It can feel intimidating being the only nurse at a school. That said, if you work in a good district, the nurses in the district all regularly communicate. You will have their extensions, and can call them with any questions! Also, so schools and districts have more than one nurse based on school size; this may be a good place to start. The salary depends on years of experience, and if you are on a teacher pay scale (tends to be better) or not. I make just under $80,000/year where I am, and I work 182 days a year.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Oct 3

Allnurses has an active School Nursing forum -lots of advice to check out.

F.LomaxRN · Oct 16

Shanny246 said:

I started school nursing in 2020 (during the pandemic), but I have been a pedi nurse (off and on, because I have 3 kids) since 2013. School nursing is great! Day to day, it is like a mini clinic. You have some kids come in that just need a bandaid, or have an upset stomach, or a headache. Then you have kids that fell and may have broken a bone, or ended up with a laceration. You have your daily medications that you have to give. You also have your emergency meds (like EpiPen, inhaler, diastat, valtoco etc). I have only had to give valtoco once, and an EpiPen once. It can feel intimidating being the only nurse at a school. That said, if you work in a good district, the nurses in the district all regularly communicate. You will have their extensions, and can call them with any questions! Also, so schools and districts have more than one nurse based on school size; this may be a good place to start. The salary depends on years of experience, and if you are on a teacher pay scale (tends to be better) or not. I make just under $80,000/year where I am, and I work 182 days a year.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Hey @Shanny246 I have been a nurse for 6 years. 4 in critcal care and the last 2 in pediatric outpatient. I have been very interested in getting into school nursing, but I do not know how to get started or where to really look for postings. Any help would be appreciated!!

NutmeggeRN, BSN · Oct 18

F.LomaxRN said:

Hey @Shanny246 I have been a nurse for 6 years. 4 in critcal care and the last 2 in pediatric outpatient. I have been very interested in getting into school nursing, but I do not know how to get started or where to really look for postings. Any help would be appreciated!!

A good start is to check with your local school system. Get on their sub list and try it out. if you like it, check area school websites. Schoolspring is a hiring platform that some districts use.

Shanny246 · Oct 18

I agree with looking into sub nursing and checking schoolspring. I would also just look on indeed for "school nurse" postings. The other thing I recommend is reaching out to an agency, like Maxim, and getting a 1 year contract or so. That is how I got my foot in the door! School districts often hire through agencies to get extra help for the year.