Where do I start to become a school nurse?

ja hendrix · Jul 19, 2004

[Hi, I am an RN with BSN and work in a college as college nurse and coordinator of a human sexuality and aids resource center. U need a broad based nursing education similar to a private family practice. U can be certified as I am. Contact the Nursing Board in your area. Buy a good first aid/first responder book to hone up those skills not really taught in nursing school. Your youth clinic practive can't hurt either.

Apply to individual schools and colleges or to the school board. Watch the ads and to internet searches. Good luck. I love college nursing and education.

Nurse Judy

QUOTE=melon]I am interested in becoming a school nurse. I have a BSN and RN and live in Canada. Where do I start? I looked on the web and didn't find a single site about school nursing in Canada. Are there standards, certification, and school nurse associations like there are in the US? How do Canadian school nurses become school nurses?

What kind of education do I need to practice school nursing? Where can I find a list of schools that specifically offer masters degree in school nursing? Are those masters programs actually nurse practitioner programs? Do you think Canada will recogize my master degree if I do it in the US? Cam I practice school nursing with just a BSN? Is it a waste of time and money to take a certificate school nurse course if Canada doesn't require any certification?

What kind of work experience do I need? I have one year of acute care experience in orthopaedics (TOTALLY unrelated). Will work experience in a youth clinic be helpful? How can I get my foot in the door at this point in my education and career?

melon · Jul 19, 2004

Thank you for your reply Judy. I discovered today that they kinda scrapped the school nurse program. ie. There isin't a school nurse that is at the public schools all the time. They just visit there once in a while. Instead, the nurses work from the public health clinic and do a variety of things; school nursing is only a tiny aspect of what the public health nurses do. So, I geuss in Canada there's no such thing as a school nurse. :uhoh3: No wonder I couldn't find anything on school nurse. :crying2: I wish I was living in the States.

mushberry · Jul 29, 2004

Thank you for your reply Judy. I discovered today that they kinda scrapped the school nurse program. ie. There isin't a school nurse that is at the public schools all the time. They just visit there once in a while. Instead, the nurses work from the public health clinic and do a variety of things; school nursing is only a tiny aspect of what the public health nurses do. So, I geuss in Canada there's no such thing as a school nurse. No wonder I couldn't find anything on school nurse. :crying2: I wish I was living in the States.

ha, you aren't perhaps from Newfoundland are you? That's the way it is there, where I'm from. You could always do what I did...I got up and moved to the US.

I'm living in Nebraska now working in a hospital, working on getting to Kansas, and maybe after a few years of hospital nursing I'm going to try to break into the school system. :)

Steyntjie · Feb 27, 2011

Hi Judy, are you still a campus nurse? If so please let me know, I have some questions to ask you.

Thanks very much