What to expect for salary

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Hello fellow nurses, a question

Not sure if this is the right forum, but I am looking at a job as a special needs school nurse in an educational collaborative. It is in a special needs classroom overseeing 4 students, tending to their medical needs as well as a lot of educational support to the teacher as well. The students also go on field trips once a week, and I would accompany them on these trips. 2 of the students have serious seizure disorders, which is why they are more comfortable with having the nurse in the classroom every day instead of a separate office. This is an ideal job for me, as I worked in special education prior to becoming a nurse.

I am curious as to what to expect to be offered for a salary? I live in Massachusetts if that helps. I currently work in psych/addictions nursing. I love it but working in a school has always been my goal. Should I expect to make less money?? I will go on Wednesday to discuss salary and benefits. Any input or experience would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!

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Specializes in School Nursing.

Obviously every district is different but that description sounds like what our district calls a nurse paraprofessional. They are on a separate contract than the teachers and nurses and make less money. Overall school nurse pays less than the hospital but the trade offs are awesome. I did NICU in the hospital for 3 years before switching to school nursing once both of my kids were in school. I was just thinking this morning as I waited at the bus stop with them how great it has been being home more to do drop off and pick up. I never got to do that when I worked at the hospital. When I worked my weekends I did 4 12H shifts in a row and literally did not see my kids for 4 days because they were still asleep when I left for work and already tucked into bed by the time I got home.

The health insurance is better through my school district than it was at the hospital. It's more expensive but the coverage is much better. My only complaint is that I'm not eligible for 401(k) sign up for 3 years which sucks but I've just been socking money away every month on my own until then.

Good luck to you! Hopefully it all works out and you can be in the environment you want to be in! :)

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Community Health, School Health.

I am in MA as well. Yes, expect to make less money for sure. The trade-off is a shorter work day and 185 days a year of work :) Also, different districts have different pay scales. I would assume if you are in Western MA the pay might be less. Also depends on the type of school. I am in a charter school and there is no pay scale here. Some schools consider their nurses "teachers" and use the teacher pay scale which is more (usually).

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You should be able to check the school's website for their contracts which would contain salary information.

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Specializes in School nursing.
You should be able to check the school's website for their contracts which would contain salary information.

If it is a public school in MA, this should be available. But yeah, generally I'd expect it to be lower than your current job, though as a whole MA pays its school nurses better than other states do. As another poster mentioned up thread, the pay scale can be different depending on what district and part of MA you live in.

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Expect to be paid lower than your present job, in the realm of other paraprofessionals or an exended care home health nurse who accompanies a child to school. The fact that you will be responsible for four students instead of only one should be factored in and could be a point of negotiation for the higher end of a salary range.

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Thank you all for your comments

I will find out more on Wednesday when i go to view the classroom and ask more specifically about salary. I don't mind if it's a bit less just can't be too incredibly low

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