1 wk into School Nursing ready to quit!! Is this normal?

[StressedRN76]

Hi.

So after being in the nursing field for 20 years ( ICU, cardiac stepdown, Occupational health) I figured I would try school nursing as I heard good things about it mostly the due to hours and summers off. I knew I was going to take a pay cut ( almost 40% for me) but I figured the job would be less stressful...... Well after one week in a NJ public high school I am ready to quit!!! I have not slept for the past week DREADING to have to go to this new school nurse job. I was hoping by the end of the week, it would get better but I think I made a big mistake. I am working with a second nurse for a population of 1100+ diverse community. I really wish I subbed before taking this job, but I was desperate to leave my former job in which I had a toxic manager, so I jumped on the offer thinking it would be a nice environment to work in a high school. So please school nurses tell me if this is normal....

1. 60-70 visits a day ( cough drop, ice pack requests oh and sanitary pads alllll day long)

2. One water cooler in entire high school in nurses office so all day long all the teachers come in and fill their bottles and then begin to tell you all their ailments and want you to diagnose them and give them OTC Meds. The nurse that I am working there has been there for 25 yrs and has created this culture of letting the teachers run the show in the health office.

3. Students do not want to drink from the water fountains nor buy their own bottled water so all day long they make excuses to come in to be seen and then request water from the cooler since it tastes better. Since my desk is right in front of the door, the constant In and out has me dizzy no exaggeration.

4. the faculty do not like to use the multi-stall bathrooms in the faculty lounge, so they come into the nurses office all day long to use the 1 private bathroom we have for ourselves and the sick students. Its non-stop . I made comments to the other nurse about this and she said they are allowed by the VP

5. Students who do not want to use their own hallway bathrooms and constantly come in begging to use our private bathroom. ( they do not have any medical need such as IBS.. they just complain the bathrooms are dirty and they wanna use a nice one)

6. I knew there was going to disrespectful kids and parents but for $48K a year with all the legal responsibilities of responding to all the emergencies, suspicion of drug use exams, fights constantly among the students....... I think the job is not worth it.... Maybe I am just burnt out from so many years being a nurse.... the only perk I see at this point is the holiday breaks and summers off....

School Nurses especially in NJ : Is this the norm in your school?

[Nurse Lynne]

10 hours ago, rbytsdy said:

I’m a Nj SN. I’m subbing right now. I’ve been in 4 different high schools and your situation is ridiculous. I don’t blame you for resigning. If you are open to another SN job, they aren’t all that bad! They aren’t easy - the issues, the paperwork, the parents... people have no idea how intense the job is.

But $48k? You should have started higher for having so much nursing experience. That sounds like a first year teacher salary in NJ. You should’ve be “on par” with 1st year teachers.

Hi, you need to remember that in NJ public schools nurses are usually hired along the teacher salary guide, not according to their nursing years experience. The district should give credit for the extra post baccalaureate or master's level credits it takes to get your CSN.

If you divide 48k by 185, the amount of days in a school work year, & multiply that by 262, the amount of days in the average work year, you get about $67,900. That just gives you salary perspective. Salary start amounts are according to contract at each district. I would check with the union rep. To understand the salary guideline at your school and make sure you got a fair offer. Plus great benefits, wk off at Christmas and spring, no nights, weekends, holidays. Yes, it is a super demanding job, not for the faint of heart!

[pbajil]

I just wanted to chime in that I also left a school nursing job because it was not safe. I was in a float position and put in schools alone that usually had 2 nurses. That made me totally unfamiliar with the chronic kids, special needs kids, everyone's daily meds, at the schools I was thrown into. Rude teachers, rude secretaries, and yes the teachers that come in asking for ibuprofen. Just no. The other nurses that have been there 30 years and don't welcome change. The low pay rates that are not worth it. I really felt it was unsafe against my nursing license and I would be in a medical lawsuit if I stuck around. I did not give notice and explained all of this as my reasoning why. It was a very unsafe situation. And i did sub for a number of years before that, but I was able to choose where I went. As a float, I was told where I was to go, and had no choice, sometimes in the middle of the day. Very unsafe.

[UpliftingRN, BSN, RN]

On 10/20/2019 at 8:38 AM, Nurse Lynne said:

Hi, you need to remember that in NJ public schools nurses are usually hired along the teacher salary guide, not according to their nursing years experience. The district should give credit for the extra post baccalaureate or master's level credits it takes to get your CSN.

If you divide 48k by 185, the amount of days in a school work year, & multiply that by 262, the amount of days in the average work year, you get about $67,900. That just gives you salary perspective. Salary start amounts are according to contract at each district. I would check with the union rep. To understand the salary guideline at your school and make sure you got a fair offer. Plus great benefits, wk off at Christmas and spring, no nights, weekends, holidays. Yes, it is a super demanding job, not for the faint of heart!

Are you factoring in 4 weeks (20 days) paid vacation and 9-10 national holidays that wouldn't count as working days at a regular job into the 262 when you are calculating salary?