School Nurse Career Guide | Nurse.com

Who is a faculty nurse?

School nurses are essential to keeping the young ones of their care healthy and secure at college.

A licensed school nurse on duty ensures that students receive skilled care within the event of on a regular basis illnesses and injuries at college. For children with chronic conditions similar to diabetes and asthma, a faculty nurse is important to make sure their well-being while learning.

Job description of a faculty nurse

As a faculty nurse, you might be assigned to at least one or more schools. Although many school nurses work alone of their clinic, your role may include supervising other nurses, aides and support staff. Each state and faculty district operates in another way, depending on their needs. School nurses work in private, public and boarding schools.

The responsibilities of a faculty nurse transcend simply applying bandages and bandaging scraped knees. Although many broken arms and injuries occur on playgrounds and sports fields requiring attention, the role of the college nurse is more complex and goes beyond the standard duties of a nurse.

In addition to administering every day and emergency medications and caring for sick and injured children, school nurses work closely with parents, teachers, administration and the broader community to make sure the protection of all points of the college environment.

This implies that school nurses are involved behind the scenes in lots of points of on a regular basis school life, similar to emergency and disaster planning, playground design and policies, decisions about food and events, and mental health care.

Each school includes children with special needs and complicated health problems. Children with cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, seizure disorders, and even those on ventilators often attend private and non-private schools. Tube feeding, PICC line care, every day catheterization, and tracheostomy care are only a few of the specialized clinical procedures that a faculty nurse may perform.

Additional obligations

The RN serves as an advocate for college students, ensuring that each one staff members are aware of the kid’s health status and tips on how to manage the every day accommodations obligatory to maintain the scholar secure and functioning to the most effective of their ability.

The school nurse can also be often involved in health education. These RNs could also be asked to complement classroom teaching on topics similar to first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, smoking and drug use, human sexuality, AIDS, and sexually transmitted disease education. Additionally, each nurse encounter with a student, parent, or staff member can function a chance to teach on health and questions of safety.

School nurses play a key role in helping students understand newly diagnosed conditions similar to diabetes, asthma and cancer. In such cases, most school nurses develop close relationships with vulnerable students and their parents. The nurse’s influence can even help alleviate the frustration and fear related to a life-threatening diagnosis.

• Tracking and maintaining health and immunization records
• Administration of vaccines
• Mandatory screening tests, similar to height and weight, vision and hearing tests, and scoliosis measurement
• Sports physics
• Screening for substance abuse
• Disease management similar to COVID tracking and lice identification and guidance
• Referral (and follow-up) for medical, addiction and psychological problems
• Specialized programs, e.g. for pregnant students
• Community service tasks similar to food and clothing drives, holiday meals for families in need, and providing resources to oldsters when needed
• Emotional support for college students (and employees)

The above list of skilled duties of a faculty nurse just isn’t exhaustive. Just whenever you think you have experienced all of it at school nursing, something latest and unexpected will surprise you. There is rarely a dull moment as a faculty nurse.

School nurse qualifications

Individual countries vary of their qualifications for a faculty nurse. However, most states require (or prefer) that the college nurse be BSN prepared and authorized as a faculty nurse. Contact your state board of education to seek out out what’s required to be hired as a faculty nurse.

To develop into certified as a faculty nurse, you possibly can achieve this goal in two ways. There is school nurse certificate, where you prepare for the test and take the exam. If you pass this standardized exam, you will probably be considered certified as a faculty nurse. You must have several years of nursing experience, especially with children, before taking this test.

You can even take advanced nursing courses to develop into certified as a faculty nurse. Many states specify what courses are required to develop into an authorized school nurse. These include child physical assessments, counseling and child psychiatry courses, and classes on state health mandates.

The final requirement is to finish clinical practice in a faculty health clinic at the first and secondary levels. Nurses who follow this path are well-rounded and ready for a profession as a faculty nurse.

Salary and advantages of a faculty nurse

According to current information from various salary resources, the national average salary for a faculty nurse can range from $40,000 to $90,000 per yr. This salary varies greatly from state to state and relies on years of experience.

However, school nurses generally report that they earn lower than nurses working in hospitals. In our 2022 Nurse Salary Survey ReportThe median salary for nurses in 2021 was $78,000 for RNs, $120,000 for APRNs, and $48,000 for LPNs/LVNs. Most payroll respondents were employed in hospitals.

To offset the pay gap for more traditional nursing roles, school nurses have some specific advantages. In addition to medical insurance, many faculties offer pensions, which is an increasingly rare profit. Most schools also include tuition reimbursement of their compensation package. During holidays and weeks off from work, a faculty nurse actually pays off.

Useful resources

If you’re fascinated by becoming a faculty nurse, contact your state board of nursing for further guidance on becoming a faculty nurse. It’s also a very good idea to ascertain your state board of education for the precise job qualifications of a faculty nurse. The NASN it also provides detailed instructions on tips on how to develop into an authorized school nurse.

Check out continuing education at school nursing at Nurse.com for more details about requirements, available CEUs and topics to expand your knowledge.