Friday, December 30, 2022

RESET Your nursing career- Consider being a school nurse!

5 Reasons to Consider Being a School Nurse

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Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip:  Adults spend many, many hours working. Hopefully you have a job you LOVE. There are countless numbers of nurses who LOVE working as school nurses! Are you one of them? Do you wish you were?  Read on...

Craving a career where you have the ability to build an atmosphere of acceptance, provide health education, & disease prevention skills? A career filled with countless unbelievable stories to share with all of your nursing friends? If so, being a school nurse might be a nursing career for you!

jump to the FREE e-book version HERE

There are so many wonderful aspects to this career, but I only have time to share a few with you. Read on to discover (in my opinion) five features of this nursing specialty that may help you RESET your nursing career as a school nurse!


Read on for more details

jump to the FREE e-book version HERE

Tired of not having enough time to spend with your patients, tired of feeling too rushed to really care? School nurses are very busy, but they also have the capability of really getting to know their patients, their students! They have the pleasure of working with their students, student families, & school staff for many years in a row. Imagine the impact a school nurse can make on the minds of those they have the gift of helping & educating day-after-day and school year-after-school year?

Building ongoing relationships is one of the major highlights of being a school nurse. Many school nurses receive notes of thanks and appreciation from current and previous students, families, and even staff members throughout their school nursing careers and even after!


jump to the FREE e-book version HERE

School nurses enjoy the challenge of making each student visit an educational opportunity to teach health promotion and disease prevention & care for the medical needs of their students on a daily basis. They take an active role in the daily health needs of students by providing minor fist aid care, caring for ill children, and monitoring state school health requirements for students.

In addition, it is not uncommon for school nurses to follow doctor orders to administer medications and g-tube feedings, monitor asthma and CF peak flows and/or O2 levels, and help with carb counts and insulin dosing. All the while teaching students to understand their health needs and how to advocate for themselves.

Some say it takes a perfect mix of art and science to work as a school nurse in the education setting. School nurses are usually the only medical professional within the walls of a school and therefore have a great deal of responsibility for those inside the school. They must be ready to respond to a potential medical emergency at any given time.


jump to the FREE e-book version HERE

There are a variety of school settings available for nurses ranging from early education, elementary school, middle school, high school and beyond; there are even remote school nurse positions available. Each setting has unique responsibilities, challenges and opportunities.
Regardless of the setting, school nurses are needed in every school. The percentage of children with chronic health needs attending school increases each year and so, there is a considerable need for nurses to be present in each and every school setting.


jump to the FREE e-book version HERE

School nursing is the perfect environment for a confident nurse who appreciates working autonomously or with a small team.

School nurses should have an office area they are able to arrange and organize in a way they see fit to maximize the space and provide a good work flow for the daily office routine.


jump to the FREE e-book version HERE

Another amazing bonus of working as a school nurse is the work time with a set schedule! Even though a school nurse's office can be very involved, busy and chaotic, there is a routine of sorts. With that routine comes a set end to each work day and the promise of a fresh start the next school day.
In addition to the set work schedule, there is also the potential for personal and sick days. Also, the majority of school districts have school calendars planned months in advance which include scheduled days off and holiday breaks! i.e. SUMMER
These guaranteed days off and scheduled breaks provide a school nurses an opportunity to enjoy time with family and friends, read books for fun, catch up on personal appointments, work a part time job, and/or just relax, sleep in and drink coffee any time of the day or night!




                               



Friday, December 16, 2022

School Nurses- We made it another semester!


Merry Christmas from The School Nurse

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Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip: Looks like we're going to make it through another semester! I hope it was a great one for you & I hope you enjoy this oldie but goodie from Gerri.  Have a great new year and second semester.

Have you been a school nurse long enough to remember Gerri Harvey?

Her blog, School Nurse Perspectives, was the inspiration behind Diary Of A School Nurse!

I miss her blog and would love to see an updated version in 2023- would you too?
Post YES in the comments if you would love to see the School Nurse Perspectives blog return and I'll be sure to let Gerri know!

For now, here is a free winter printable!

Winter break inspiration from School Nurse Perspectives- Gerri Harvey RN!



And, if by chance, you're wondering what to get me for the upcoming holiday season,
I'm a size Grande in any coffee! Send me a coffee HERE 


another card option








Sunday, September 18, 2022

Funding For School Nurse Office Supplies!

 

DonorsChoose and The School Nurse

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Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip:  Every school nurse should have a budget to purchase the necessary supplies for their school nurse's office.  How can school nurses increase their supply budget? Read on for more information on expanding your school nurse budget...

How much money is in your school nurse budget?

I have a hefty budget, but there are always a few items each year on my "wish list". I usually try to budget the funds I have so that at the end of a school year I have enough leftover to purchase one of my wish list items.  Not anymore!

Thanks to a participant of The School Nurse Facebook groups (public school nurse Fb group, private school nurse Fb group), I don't have to wait any longer. A couple of years ago she shared how she was able to receive funds and purchase items for her school nurse office by using the funding source DonorsChoose!  

I was hopeful that if she was successful in receiving funding that I might be able to too!  I decided to give DonorsChoose a try and so far I've tallied up four fully funded projects & I have high hopes of many more too!  The process was actually very simple and user friendly. Remember, if her and I can do it, then you can too! (PS you must work in a public school).

To date, I've received over $4,600 in funding to purchase items for my school nurse office & you can too!  You can read all about the projects I've completed HERE or by clicking the image below... Then start your very own project HERE!

  • DonorsChoose is very user friendly! They provide you with step-by-step directions. 
  • DonorsChoose collects all donated money. They purchase the items you've selected.
  • DonorsChoose has the items shipped directly to your public school!
I advertise my projects on my personal Facebook page and ask friends and families to share with others. I have received donations from friends, families, businesses, and even strangers who are looking to support public schools!

start your very own project HERE

Check out all of The School Nurse's fully funded projects by clicking an image below...

 





Check out The School Nurse's fully funded DONORSCHOOSE projects by clicking an image below...

start your very own project HERE


start your very own project 
HERE

                    

start your very own project HERE



start your very own project HERE


start your very own project HERE


start your very own project HERE



start your very own DonorsChoose project HERE





Please let me know if you have any questions.





 

Sunday, July 24, 2022

Nurse Brandi's School Nurse Office

School Nurse Office Inspiration Images from Nurse Brandi!

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Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip:  School nurse office inspiration is always a hot topic & school nurses want to see pictures of office spaces. Nurse Brandi hopes these images inspire you and help you design a space that works for you and your students. Think outside of the typical box in order to come up with your unique workspace design. 

School Nurse Waiting Room Boundaries!

One of the very first things that grabbed my eye in Brandi's office is her clear waiting room boundaries display! Boundaries are so important. We often expect students (and staff) to act a certain way, but we don't explain the way or our expectations. I'm sure she has to remind her students, but in time they will remember and they might even remind others :) Read my recent DOASN blog post on school nurse boundaries HERE

As you can see Nurse Brandi has made her waiting room expectations for the students very clear!
  1. Take a number and wait to be called- there are plenty of chairs available.
  2. Use a pen and post it note to write down your nurse question or color quietly while you wait. 

Use everyday items to make your life easier!

Another detail I noticed was her use of everyday clothesline clips to complete the set up! You could even use this as a history lesson as I'm sure the majority of students today might not know what clotheslines are :(

Purchase Items Here





I love everything there is to see on Nurse Brandi's "RN" wall, but if I had to pick a favorite then I'd have to go with the skeleton! I've always wanted one in my office :)  What item is your favorite at Nurse Brandi's treatment station?

Purchase Items Here 

School Nurse ABC wall sign- super cute and I believe this is from Etsy but I could not find a link :(

School Nurse Bulletin Board Idea!

This anatomy related bulleting board speaks for itself! I'm sure this is an excellent conversation starter and educational tool- plus it is just fun to look at!  If you're a school nurse who doesn't have time to switch out a bulletin board on a regular basis then this option might be for you! You can keep it up year round and then add interested health facts to the board as you have time. Or better yet, you can ask you students (maybe a frequent flyer) to supply you with the health facts to use!  

Purchase Items Here

similar Where is the Nurse sign- I'm thinking you can feed a cheaper version on Etsy v. Amazon.

The Resting Area

Every school nurse office needs a couple of cots, right?  This area in Nurse Brandi's office looks relaxing and comfortable but not too inviting :)  My personal favorite is the sea foam bookshelf and the turquoise cot! I also love the chalkboard with the "Interesting Fact Of The Week" written on it. Asking a frequent flyer to help you with new facts every week is a great way to have them feel more involved and included.  

Purchase Items Here





Thank you Nurse Brandi for sharing your office with us!
You can connect with Nurse Brandi HERE!



See all of the School Nurse Office Inspiration posts HERE!



     







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