What are the requirements for a school nurse?

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My question is what is the requirement to be a school nurse? Does anyone know how different it is from state to state? Someone told me that not all schools have one and not all schools use RN's AND... one does not always have to be a BSN if an RN is used. ANy body have any ideas? I am really interested in trying to be a school nurse but not sure what road to go down. We are military and might be moving to NC, TX, FL, VT, or TN. To name just a few. :-) If anyone has any input it is much appreciated.

Thanks,

Pam

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Sorry. I have been doing some searching through the old threads and if I understand correctly it really depends on the county one wants to work in?? I think. Some do LPN, some RN and some BSN. I guess I have to narrow it down some more. If there is any other input please feel free.

Thanks again,

Pamela

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I always thought you had to at least be an RN but I recently met an LVN who works as a school nurse. She told me that where she works, they are so short of employees there are even people doing the function that are not nurses at all. I certainly do not agree with that situation.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, School Nursing.

I am a school nurse in Florida and I love my job. It is challenging, but worth every second of it. Currently Escambia County which is Pensacola has a nurse in every school. As I understand it, we are one of the only counties in Florida with this type of comprehensive school nursing. All our nurses are RNs with at least an ADN. Many are BSN nurses, which I believe is really vital to this type of nursing. What part of Florida are you looking to move. We have the Naval Air Station here in Pensacola, so this might be a good spot for you. Amy

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Not sure where we will move to, We will not find out until at least Dec-Jan. So I guess I have to wait until it gets closer to figure out what I need to do. I have young children and I love being able to work on their schedule - no weekends, no holidays and no summers. Our current school nurse is the one who sold me on it. She has only been a school nurse for 2 years and her youngest is 17. She said she would have been a school nurse years ago when her kids were small if she had known better.

Thanks for the input,

Pam

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Not sure where we will move to, We will not find out until at least Dec-Jan. So I guess I have to wait until it gets closer to figure out what I need to do. I have young children and I love being able to work on their schedule - no weekends, no holidays and no summers. Our current school nurse is the one who sold me on it. She has only been a school nurse for 2 years and her youngest is 17. She said she would have been a school nurse years ago when her kids were small if she had known better.

Thanks for the input,

Pam

In California you have to have an RN and a BA or BS degree ( may be in another field), then you can apply for preliminary credential which is good for 5 years. In these 5 years you can complete a program for professional clear credential ( many schools offer it in CA). Pay is the same as for teachers- the more education and experience you have- the more you get paid.

Good luck with your career.

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Specializes in maternal/child, L&D, pediatrics.

Hello!

I am a school nurse in Columbia, SC. The school district I work for requires you to be an RN. Minimum amout of education is not set at Diploma, ADN, or BSN. I have an associates degree in nursing with about being 1.5 years away from obtaining a BSN. I am the only nurse at the school and some schools have a nurse with a licensed assistant usually another LPN or certified nurse technician depending on school enrollment if greater than 800 students. It is a rewarding and challanging experience. You will encounter students with chronic health care needs like asthma, diabetes, etc. My school district requires you to have at least 2 years experience as a licensed RN professional. Most of the nurses who work in the school district also hold other part time or prn jobs like myself to keep current and updated on clinical skills. I hope that this information is helpful. Our school district has a licensed nurse(RN) who is the coordinator of nursing services, so she is our contact and support if needed when managerial and supervisory issues arise regarding our school nurse practice. Best of luck to you in your pursuit of being a school nurse.

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Question: When it comes to experience before applying for a school nursing position, is pediatrics preferred over med/surg? To me, common sense says yes...but I was still curious.

Kris

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Specializes in maternal/child, L&D, pediatrics.

Pediatrics is not necessarily a requirement, after all one does begin with a strong med/surg background before you work to obtain experience in Peds, Maternal/Child, etc. I started out with a Peds and Maternal/Child background since graduation, however many of my colleges are only med/surg experienced nurses working as school nurses and are seasoned(experienced) professionals. To some extent possesing a med/surg background is a plus since it goes back to basics during training.

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Specializes in Labor and Delivery/ Postpartum/ School.

In Delaware, I found out the requirements through the Board of Education website. You must have 3 years experience and have your Bachelors. You must become certified through the state within 3 years. I started the certification before I was even done my Bachelors because I knew it was a requirement and I used one module (6 total, only one is worth college credits) as an elective for school (killed two birds with one stone, yes!).

You can also learn a lot by substitute school nursing, it gives you a chance to meet the nurses in the schools in your area and ask questions. Even if you dont see Ads for subsititutes, go into your district main office and give them your resume. This is what I did and they loved me, "hired" (put me on the sub list) on the spot. And this is ultimately how I got my job now because I knew one nurse was retiring and kept my eyes out for her job opening and subbed for her school whenever I could and then got in.

As for one sort of experience over another, it is really going to depend on WHO YOU ARE. I was up against a nurse with 35 years critical care Ped experience and I only had 2 years L&D/MB and 2 years MS and wasnt even done my bachelors and they hired me! They said they loved my attitude and eagerness for the position. But hey, who knows- maybe they didnt want to pay someone with 35 years experience too!

In Delaware, we get the same pay as the teachers and are basically considered the same as teachers, in their Union and everything. It also means we have to take the Praxis exam, which is what teachers take before they can become certified to teach. So that nurse wouldve been making a ton more money than me- but that is the conspiracy theorist in me- I just need to accept they liked me for me.

Here is a good article on school nursing by state: http://nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/Columns/Legislative/SchoolNursingExperience.aspx

Here is another article that is good about school nursing http://www.homestead.com/snp/ExploringSN.html

There is a web page I wish I could find for you, it compared all 50 states and the requirements for each. Delaware was the only one that had all 4 requirements (RN, BSN, Certified, School nurse in every school... Im pretty sure). Now I think NJ also has all 4 becoming the 2nd state to require a school nurse in every building. If I find it, Ill post it here.

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In California you have to have an RN and a BA or BS degree ( may be in another field), then you can apply for preliminary credential which is good for 5 years. In these 5 years you can complete a program for professional clear credential ( many schools offer it in CA). Pay is the same as for teachers- the more education and experience you have- the more you get paid.

Good luck with your career.

Is the School Nurse Certificate (30 credits at one of the California State nursing schools) and School Nurse Audiometrist Certificate not required for a RN BSN to work as a School Nurse in California?

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In California you have to have an RN and a BA or BS degree ( may be in another field), then you can apply for preliminary credential which is good for 5 years. In these 5 years you can complete a program for professional clear credential ( many schools offer it in CA). Pay is the same as for teachers- the more education and experience you have- the more you get paid.

Good luck with your career.

Is the School Nurse Certificate (30 credits at one of the California State nursing schools) and School Nurse Audiometrist Certificate not required before a RN BSN nurse can work as a School Nurse in California?

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