Written By: Darby Faubion, RN, BSN, MBA
Are you a registered nurse considering options for your career? Does having a job that offers weekends and holidays off and extra time for family sound great to you? If so, you may be interested in becoming a school nurse. You may have considered school nursing as an option but wonder, “How hard is being a school nurse?” In this article, I will share the 8 biggest challenges school nurses face and ways you can successfully overcome them. Being aware of possible challenges and how to respond to them can help you be a school nurse who makes a true difference for the students you serve.
IS BEING A SCHOOL NURSE REALLY HARD?
All nursing jobs can be challenging from time to time, and being a school nurse is no exception. As a school nurse, you must work with parents, students, school staff, and administrators to promote the health and well-being of students. School nurses do more than give medications or bandage wounds. You may experience days when you care for a student who has major behavioral problems or whose home life is unsafe. These situations require you to be aware and make critical decisions to promote the safety and well-being of the student. Although being a school nurse is hard, it can also be a rewarding job.
HOW HARD IS BEING A SCHOOL NURSE?
(The following are the 8 biggest challenges school nurses face and ways you can successfully overcome them.)
CHALLENGE #1: You May Have to Work Between Several Schools
About the Challenge:
One of the things that makes being a school nurse hard is that you can be responsible for more than one school. Many school nurses are employed by county or state school systems and must travel from one school to another to perform routine examinations on students. In this case, you may conduct vision and hearing screenings or tests for scoliosis and report to parents if you determine a need that should be addressed by the student’s primary care provider.
How to Overcome:
If you work for a school system that requires you to serve more than one school, one of the most important things you can do is practice good time management skills. Plan your schedule well ahead of time, allowing for enough days at each school to screen the student population before moving on to the next school. As a school nurse, you will see many students, so it is crucial that you document properly and in a timely manner so no vital information or referrals are overlooked. It is important to schedule time each day to complete paperwork instead of waiting until the end of the week.
CHALLENGE #2: You May Work Alone
About the Challenge:
One of the things I love about nursing is there are many opportunities to broaden your scope of practice or have the freedom to work independently. As a school nurse, though, the high level of independence can be challenging, especially if you work with a large student body. A school nurse is often the only medical staff on the school premises, which means there is no doctor or nursing peer to call on when you become extremely busy, or there is an emergency with several students requiring care.
How to Overcome:
Although working alone is one of the things that makes being a school nurse hard, you can find ways to handle difficult situations and succeed. Joining professional school nurse organizations, like the National Association of School Nurses, is an excellent way to develop a professional network of people who do the same work as you. These organizations offer insight and resources for developing and implementing plans for completing your work in a timely manner, preparing for emergencies, and collaborating with school staff to promote good student outcomes.
CHALLENGE #3: There Is A Lot of Paperwork
About the Challenge:
If you dislike paperwork, you will probably find that being a school nurse is hard.
There are strict state guidelines for documenting that all school nurses must follow. School nurses must complete paperwork for every student who is screened for wellness screening as well as document any sick calls. You will also process health forms and review immunization records to make sure students have current immunizations. If parents do not send appropriate forms when you request them, you may have to reach out to them again and again until you have everything you need.
How to Overcome:
The simple fact is no matter what type of nursing job you have, you must complete paperwork and verify documents. As a school nurse, you can overcome the challenge of having a lot of paperwork by not procrastinating. It is easy to let paperwork pile up or get distracted, especially if you have several tasks to complete each day. So, prioritizing paperwork is vital. If possible, consider setting aside time at the end of each day to dedicate to completing paperwork and any follow-up calls to parents.
CHALLENGE #4: Earning Less Money Than Other Nurses
About the Challenge:
Nursing is a wonderful career with many advantages. Depending on where you work and your role, you can earn a significant income. Unfortunately, school nurses are not at the high end of the income scale. According to Indeed, the average pay for school nurses is $35.41 per hour, which is less than the average $42.80 per hour RN salary reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
How to Overcome:
Earning a lower salary as a school nurse does not have to be a deal-breaker. Many school nurses have great benefit packages, which often make up for the difference in pay. If you need to supplement your income, you will find that the school nurse schedule makes it easier to take on prn shifts or to work a side job.
CHALLENGE #5: Being a School Nurse Means Having Significant Responsibilities
About the Challenge:
There is more to being a school nurse than performing vision screenings or applying band-aids to skinned knees and elbows. The responsibilities you have in this role are one of the things that make being a school nurse hard. You may be the only medical professional on the school premises, which means any child who is injured or ill must come to you. In addition to assessing students to determine if they should be sent home or require emergency medical care, you will often act as the liaison between students, parents, teachers, and other medical professionals. The number of responsibilities can feel overwhelming at times.
How to Overcome:
Although you cannot reduce the number of responsibilities you have, you can find ways to manage tasks and time effectively. Creating a to-do list or plan of action for each week can help you get on track and keep work moving smoothly. While you cannot predict emergencies that may disrupt your schedule, with good time management, you can ease the burden of having so many responsibilities.
CHALLENGE #6: Dealing with Unconcerned Parents
About the Challenge:
In a perfect world, all parents are concerned about their children’s physical, mental, and academic health and progress. Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world, and dealing with unconcerned parents is one of the things that makes being a school nurse hard.
How to Overcome:
As much as I would love to tell you that you can make unconcerned parents transition to loving, involved parents, I cannot. As a school nurse, you will learn to identify the students whose parents are involved with their child’s education and health and those who lack the advantage of involved parents. You must remember that your priority is the health and well-being of the children in your care. Follow school policies and protocols for communicating with parents, teachers, and administrative staff. Although you cannot change a parent’s behavior, you can make yourself available, which could promote better communication and parental involvement.
CHALLENGE #7: Being a School Nurse Can Take an Emotional Toll
About the Challenge:
As a school nurse, you may care for students who become ill or injured at school, but you may also have students with chronic illnesses, behavioral problems, or those experiencing abuse or neglect. The broad range of issues students face can be emotionally taxing on you, especially if you are the only medical professional in the school, which is one of the reasons being a school nurse is hard.
How to Overcome:
It is natural to feel emotional connections with students, especially when you believe their home life is not good. However, to protect your own mental and emotional health, you must learn to develop healthy boundaries. Following protocols for reporting important issues and working closely with your professional peers can help you deal with the emotional toll that comes with being a school nurse.
CHALLENGE #8: Knowing When to Report Issues to Outside Authorities
About the Challenge:
As a nurse, you are a mandated reporter of abuse and neglect. Depending on the situation, it can be difficult to know what needs to be reported. Mandated reporting can be especially challenging when school administrators do not have the same view of a situation as you.
How to Overcome:
The best advice I can give you to overcome this challenge is to trust your instincts. It is always better to err on the side of caution than to dismiss concerns about abuse or neglect. If you report an issue to your school administrator or other supervisor, document every detail and follow-up. It is important to follow your school system's protocol for reporting, but at the end of the day, remember you are legally responsible for your own actions, or lack thereof.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
If you are a nurse looking for a job with good hours and benefits, becoming a school nurse is a great option. You may have thought of working as a school nurse but wonder, “How hard is being a school nurse?” Like any nursing job, being a school nurse comes with challenges, but knowing what to expect and how to address them makes the job easier. In this article, I shared the 8 biggest challenges school nurses face and ways you can successfully overcome them. With these tips, you can become a school nurse and impact student health and well-being on many levels.
Darby Faubion, RN, BSN, MBA
Darby Faubion is a nurse and Allied Health educator with over twenty years of experience. She has assisted in developing curriculum for nursing programs and has instructed students at both community college and university levels. Because of her love of nursing education, Darby became a test-taking strategist and NCLEX prep coach and assists nursing graduates across the United States who are preparing to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX).
