New School Nurse Advice

Advice For New School Nurses

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Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip: A new career as a school nurse can be overwhelming, but it can also be an exciting opportunity for growth and fulfillment. I'll post links below to relevant DOASN blog posts that will help you get started on your journey. Remember, starting a new career takes time and effort, but with dedication and perseverance, you can find a fulfilling and rewarding path.

Subscribe to the new school nurse email HERE, then check out the online, anytime 1 hour CE course created just for new school nurses HERE!

Welcome to the world of school nursing!

Hello New School Nurses!

Hi there! Welcome to your new career as a school nurse. This job is super important & involves a lot of different duties! You'll be helping to keep students, teachers, and everyone at school healthy & safe. Remember, you’ve got the skills and knowledge to handle whatever comes your way; you just might need a  little extra education and you've come to the right place for that! Again, welcome to school nursing! I hope you have a great and rewarding career.

        Sincerely, 

        Elisabeth AKA The School Nurse 

FAQs FOR NEW SCHOOL NURSES

Advocacy & Support

Advocacy and support for school nurses are crucial for ensuring the health and well-being of students and school staff. School nurses play a critical role in promoting health education, providing preventative care, and managing chronic conditions. By advocating for school nurses, we can ensure that schools have the resources and support necessary to provide quality healthcare services to students.

Supporting school nurses can lead to improved academic outcomes as healthy students are better able to focus and learn. Therefore, it is essential to prioritize advocacy and support for school nurses to maintain a healthy school environment and promote student success.

RESOURCES

List of State Association of School Nurses

National Association of School Nurses

Overseas School Health Nurses Association

Mentorship & Networking

Networking and mentoring are both beneficial for school nurses, but they serve different purposes. 

Networking involves building relationships with other professionals in the same field or industry, which can lead to new job opportunities, sharing of resources and ideas, and expanding one's knowledge and skills. On the other hand, mentoring involves a more personal relationship between a more experienced school nurse and a less experienced school nurse, where the mentor provides guidance, support, and advice on career development and professional growth. 

While networking can be done with multiple people, mentoring typically involves a one-on-one relationship. Finding a mentor is important for new school nurses.  A mentor can offer advice on how to handle difficult situations, share best practices, and provide insight into the unique challenges of working in a school setting. 

In addition, having a mentor can help new school nurses build confidence and establish a professional network. Overall, finding a mentor can be a valuable resource for new school nurses as they navigate their role and responsibilities in the school healthcare setting.  

School nurses can find networking & mentorship opportunities via online avenues. Check out a few online resources listed below.

  

RESOURCES

Google Search Results "School Nurse Mentor"

Google Search Results "School Nurse Networking"

The School Nurse Facebook Page

The School Nurse Public Group

The School Nurse Private Group

   

Duties & Responsibilities

School nurses have a variety of duties and responsibilities. Not only are they responsible for managing student health records, administering medications and treatments, and providing first aid and emergency care; they also may be responsible for conducting health screenings, developing and implementing health education programs, and collaborating with other healthcare professionals to ensure the overall health and well-being of students. 

School nurses play a critical role in promoting a healthy school environment and supporting the academic success of students.  The duties and responsibilities of each school nurse should be defined with state practice guidelines and school district needs.

RESOURCES

Legal Resources for School Nurses https://amzn.to/3D4b1JM

School Nurse Resource Manual https://amzn.to/3D8JfLT

School Nursing: Scope & Practice of Standards https://amzn.to/3O4iChM

Routines & Boundaries

Establishing a daily routine with clear boundaries (including taking a lunch break) can be essential for school nurses. Routines can help you manage your workload effectively, ensure that they have time for self-care, and prevent burnout. 

Remember, you are setting a healthy example for your students and staff too. Would you encourage them to skip lunch daily or eat while working?  If not, then you need to prioritize your lunch break too. Taking your lunch break can help you recharge, attend to their personal needs, and ultimately provide better care to students. It is important to prioritize self-care and establish healthy habits to maintain overall well-being and provide the best possible care to those in need.

RESOURCES

Boundaries

Boundaries at Work

From Burnout to Purpose

Organization & Decor

Having an organized school nurse's office is crucial for several reasons:

1. It ensures that all necessary medical supplies and equipment are easily accessible and readily available when needed. This can be critical in emergency situations where time is of the essence. 
2. An organized office helps to maintain a clean and sanitary environment, minimizing the risk of infections or the spread of illness. It can also help to streamline administrative tasks, such as record-keeping and inventory management, allowing nurses to spend more time providing care to patients. 
3. An organized nurse's office is essential for providing efficient, effective, and high-quality healthcare services.

School nurses spend a lot of time at work, take the time to create a space that is functional and makes you feel good. An aesthetically pleasing office space is important for several reasons:

1. It sets the tone; a visually appealing workspace can impress students & staff, helping to create a professional and trustworthy image for your school. 
2. Creating a positive and comfortable work environment can lead to increased productivity and job satisfaction.
3. A well-designed office space can also reflect the values and culture of your school and your professional values as well. 

RESOURCES

 

Funding & Budgets & Supplies

Public school budgets are the financial plans that outline how funds will be allocated to various school programs and services. The funding for school nurse staff is typically included in the overall budget and varies depending on factors such as the size of the school district, the number of schools, and the student population. Funding can come from a variety of sources, including federal and state grants, local property taxes, and fundraising efforts. 

School nurse staff play an important role in promoting student health and wellness, and it is essential that schools allocate adequate funding to ensure that students have access to quality healthcare services.  

One way to provide quality is to have the supplies you need & to know where (& how) to purchase those supplies. You'll want to find out what your school year budget is and what you are required to purchase from that budget & from where you can purchase items. 

The easiest way for me to get supplies is to place a purchase order with the assigned person at my school district through our Amazon Business account! This account offers no tax and quick (usually two day), free shipping! You can view all of my supply lists HERE.

OTHER RESOURCES

 

 Check out these other popular DOASN blog posts & product links.

School Nurses - Does Their Compensation Match Their True Worth?

School Nurses - What are they really worth?

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Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip: Pay is always a hot topic within The School Nurse Fb groups. How much are you paid? Are you paid hourly or salaried?  Are you on the certified teacher contract or noncertified contract?  Do you know how to advocate for a pay increase?

School Nurses - Does Their Compensation Match Their True Worth?

If you haven't read this article yet? If not, you should!  

It had been on my to-do list since August 2018 & I'm so thankful I made time last weekend to read it.

Author, Sarah Matacale BSN RN, writes:

"School nurses have always been one of the most diverse and unique subspecialties in nursing throughout the decades. While the specific job responsibilities and pay may have changed some, the mission and purpose of the job remain constant. The National Association of School Nurses defines school nursing as " a specialized practice of nursing, that protects and promotes student health, facilitates optimal development, and advances the academic success" of its population."

full article HERE

School nursing can be very misunderstood and even hard to explain. However, in my opinion, it is the best nurse job around! Some days are more challenging than others, but I wouldn't have it any other way.   

"I was awed by what school nurses knew, the fact that they teach AND practice medicine to hundreds of students, staff, and visitors. They were so organized, knew who to call and when and what was a true emergency. At the end of the day, they knew that sometimes we just needed a hug, a listening ear, and some TLC."

Nurse Sarah says it best- read her entire article HERE

PS  Maybe all school nurses deserve a raise?

See below for more articles about promoting and supporting school nurses?

         

What Does A School Nurse Do?

School Nurses

Making a Difference One Student At a Time

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Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip: Sometimes, it can be challenging to articulate the duties and responsibilities of school nursing. Leveraging existing resources and information can help clarify these roles. Start with this article for guidance...

Charting Nursing’s Future
A publication of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

I first heard about this article from School Nurse Sue Dillon-

you can read the 2010 article here.

This is a great article full of research and statistics related too.

School health services have been described as a “hidden system” of health care by Julia Graham Lear, PhD, founder of the Center for Health and Healthcare in Schools at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. Lear notes that school health services are largely unfamiliar to health policy decision makers— even though tens of thousands of counselors, nurses, psychologists, and social workers and smaller numbers of other health professionals are caring for children’s physical and emotional needs in schools.

School nurses reside at the core of this enterprise. They play diverse roles (see “What School Nurses Do,” below) and collaborate with other health professionals to serve the needs of all students. Some schools also offer expanded health services through school-based health centers staffed by nurse practitioners (see page 6).

Escalating health care costs and the failure of recent educational reform initiatives to significantly improve student performance are prompting many reformers in both these arenas to examine the connection between health and learning and to reconsider the potential of school nurses to keep children healthy, in school, and ready to learn. 

To achieve their goals, reformers will have to confront a range of challenges, including a lack of federal policy and a patchwork of state and local policies regarding school nurse staffing and practice (see pages 4–5) and the financing of school health services (see page 7). Despite these challenges, some state and local policy initiatives offer promising models (see pages 4, 5, and 7), and opportunities for greater federal support of school nursing may be gaining traction (see page 8). 

“Unlocking the potential of school nursing:
Keeping children healthy, in school, and ready to learn.” 

                 

The article also helps answer the question-

What does a school nurse do?

 

I’ll mention a few things school nurses do according to the article here. You can add many more too!

SCHOOL NURSES:

1. Provide episodic care
2. Manage chronic conditions
3. Track communicable diseases
4. Promote healthy behaviors
5. Connect children with insurance and healthcare providers
6. Handle emergency situations
7. Handle life-threatening allergy and asthma events
8. Respond to student's physical and emotional concerns
9. Connect students with substance abuse treatment and mental, behavioral, and reproductive health services
10. Screen for conditions that impair learning, such as poor vision and hearing
11. Educate children about healthy lifestyles
12. Ensure immunization compliance
13. Develop health plants for students with disabilities
14. Prepare for school wide and community emergencies
15. Administer medication and provide first aid
16. And so much more!

Really, there is so much more. According to a research article I recently read, there can be up to 80+ duties for a school nurse! Comment what would you add to this list?

click the images below to read these other related school nurse blog posts

Check out these other popular DOASN blog posts & product links.