What do you know about School Based NP Positions?

Specialties NP

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I love my current position in primary care peds, but was recently approached about a school based NP position. The pay is terrible, but the hours/expectations are great!

I don't really know much else. Anyone have any insight?

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Here in my area of Texas the NP run clinics at the schools are actually funded and run by the county hospital district as a "sub"station of care. Hours are 8-5 and they go year round in order to provide open access for the kids in the community. There is still a "school nurse" who takes care of regular school nurse types of duties, but the NPs in the clinic do well-child checks, sick kid visits, etc for 5.00 a visit. I've heard the starting pay is $85K + some great state benefits.

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Wow, maybe I wish I lived in Texas! The salary here is 45k but it is 35 hour weeks (8-3 Monday through Friday) and only when school is in session for the children. No holidays, snow days, staff days, etc. I don't know about the benefits yet. I do know that I make 60k now but work more than 35 hrs/week especially when you consider call, rounding, etc.

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Hmmmm....given the hours and the no summer hours or holiday hours I would think that salary is actually somewhat competitive.

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In Mass SBHCs are run (and largely funded) by the state Department of Health, but staffed by agreements with community health centers. I work at a SBHC and make the same amount as other NPs on staff at the community health center (I think -- it at least seems competitive, and is more per hour than I make at another hospitalist job). 45K seems awfully low, though if you really like the lifestyle it CAN be pretty nice. Schools are a great place to work with kids, with their own unique rewards and challenges. For one, the parents are rarely there for visits -- nice in some ways, tricky in others. Keeping up with *all* those kids' PCPs can also be a bit of a drag; but then again, you really get to know the community.

One major thing to consider -- if you don't already carry NP-level , you'll DEFINITELY want it for a SBHC. If the salary is that low, I would try to get them to reimburse you for stuff like a policy you keep in your name, loads of CE credits, memberships in the NASBHC, SAHM, and NAPNAP, etc. They may have more wiggle room to finance "extras" than raise the salary.

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Wow, maybe I wish I lived in Texas! The salary here is 45k but it is 35 hour weeks (8-3 Monday through Friday) and only when school is in session for the children. No holidays, snow days, staff days, etc. I don't know about the benefits yet. I do know that I make 60k now but work more than 35 hrs/week especially when you consider call, rounding, etc.

SIDELINE QUESTION: What state/region are you working in now? Just curious about an NP earning 60K per year...

Hope you won't mind answering.

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Bump... I am also interested in this area. I know of one NP in a school near me. Anyone know of another in the NC area?

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Bump... I am also interested in this area. I know of one NP in a school near me. Anyone know of another in the NC area?

Here's a recent news story from Buncombe Co. North Carolina.

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2010303010037

A couple of years ago I read about how counties are hiring NPs to provide services to county employees. It reduced their healthcare costs since many of the basic services provided were never filed to insurance. She was in Henderson County, NC and did such things as sick visits to employees (and sometimes their family members), prescribe meds, and even assess minor work injuries and help determine whether the employee needed to be seen in ER. It kept people working and saved money, so definitely a win-win. When I complete my education, I might like to find something along those lines for a county or other large employer.

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HI. I am a Family Nurse Practitioner for 13 years. I have recently just took a 25K cut in pay to work as a school nurse. I love it! I make more hourly than in the previous positions I have had, but work essentially half time, which is why the pay is so low, AND it is amortized over the summer, so you get a paycheck when you are not working!

I don't know how many of you NP's have a current school based position, but I would love to hear from you. I live in Albuquerque NM where the largest school system in the state has hired several of us. We are just beginning to explore our role.

Unfortunately, is $1300/year and is not paid, neither is any of the licenses or CME's. I am expected to keep the insurance, and treat staff for urgent care type stuff. This is no problem, and I like being available to the teachers and staff so they don't have to wait to see someone for an illness. I am NOT treating the children, however, as this is just too litigious an area, and the parent would have to be present anyway, AND I could just see it, I would be inundated with kids whose parents would abuse this system. So far, no one has asked me to see children as a provider, diagnose or prescribe for them.

So, if you are interested in getting published, and being entrepreneureal in this new NP role, I think you can!

It is fun and challenging, just not the stress of adult family care (obese, diabetic, hypertensive smokers w psychatric problems seems to be the majority of patients I see in FP). There is room for me to grow professionally. Money has been a factor in previous jobs, and wanting more money has kept me in jobs where I was not well paid or treated, consequently I have become depressed over the years - try working for 13 years doing something you actually do not like, working w folks who are not very nice.:idea: I finally came to my senses!

Laurie Casady, Albuquerque NM

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SIDELINE QUESTION: What state/region are you working in now? Just curious about an NP earning 60K per year...

Hope you won't mind answering.

I live in upstate NY. As a new grad, I received 4 job offers and 62k was the most money I was offered even though I had 10 years RN experience and was leaving a management position making more money! We have several NP and PA schools along with a medical school so the area is completely saturated with providers. RNs absolutely can make more than NPs here, but I didn't do it for the money!

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Good Morning everyone.

:idea:

Here in Albuquerque we have several schools pouring out NP's and PA's too. Many of those do not have RN experience before going into these programs. These inexperienced grads have saturated the market here too, so that experienced NP's and PA's are competing with low and lower salaries, because, obviously the newer grads will take less money, and most businesses just want a body to see their "20-30 patients per day" in 8 hours (salaried of course). A body who won't get sued is the bottom line. NM is a depressed economy, but it seems this is a nation-side trend.

For a new grad, you will not get much mentoring or support, and you will be lucky to get through your first 2 years unscathed.

After 20 years as an RN, and 13 years as an FNP w lots of procedure training that even MD's don't do, I was still only making $73K. I think it is because of the saturation factor.

15 years ago, while still in the FNP program, it was brought up at the yearly ANCC conference that perhaps these schools would sabotage our salaries. Once again, folks, our nursing educators have failed nurses by waiting in line for a teaching/moonlighting position at these fly-by-night "colleges" and "universities", thereby assuring that nurses, once again, are exploited and under paid. Thanks a lot "professors"!

After graduation and $26K in debt, I came to realize that I could have made more money just with my RN degree because agency and traveling have become so lucrative. Now, I work in an elementary school, I practice my medical skills with the staff, and may get a summer job in urgent care. I am so rediculously over-qualified for this job. Actually it is a shame that my talents are going unused, but I refuse to be mistreated and poorly paid any longer, so I just pulled out.

All of you who are thinking about going from an RN to an NP or PA, please think again! It is not what you think it is our here. The MD's resent you, other RN's really resent you, and you are paid like a glorified nurse, not a physician. You are practicing medicine with all the responsibilities and litigious issues JUST like MD's, BUT you are paid 1/3 of an MD's salary. As an RN you can work agency in your town if you have children, or travel and make tons of $$. Having an advanced degree is not all it's cracked up to be. If you think it is your calling, you are being delusional! Sure we want to help others, but not at the expense of your own health and well being.

Hope this helps those out there on the fence about their careers.skeleton.png

Laurie Casady

Albuquerque, NM

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Hopalong, I am so sorry you have had such a horrible experience as an NP. I'm a rookie FNP but I might suggest to you that your problem is a regional thing? Starting salaries for me and my fellow new grads at great clinics, with good mentoring, etc.etc. are $85-95K.

Just didn't want everyone to read yoru post and get totally discouraged. I think it really depends on the region.

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