School Nursing: Here’s What to Expect

• School nurses are considered a bridge between education and health. 
• Their job is to provide care coordination, advocate for student-centered health care and help advance student’s academic success. 
• Interested in pursuing a career in school nursing? Wondering what a day in the life looks like? We’ve got you covered! 

A school nurse is an essential aspect of a child’s health and well-being while in a school environment. 

Many school nurses have a background in hospital nursing, which allows them to use their autonomy, critical thinking skills, time management, and hands-on training to provide the best care for school children.  

What do you think a day in the life of a school nurse is like? 

Interested in finding out? Keep reading!

School Nursing: Daily Duties

Office Visits

You never know what is going to walk through your office door; I like to call my office a mini clinic.  

Anything and everything will come to you.  

This will require you to think quickly and utilize those critical thinking skills.  

From congestion, broken bones, and seizures, you must be prepared to handle it all. 

Daily medications – if you are a large school, chances are your mornings and afternoons will be full of these. These not only include ADHD medications, but seizure medications, antibiotics, allergy medications, and more.  

Daily treatments and procedures – all of the children you saw in the hospital that were deemed “medically complex” will more than likely be going to school.  

These children have a wide variety of daily treatments.  

You may see g-tube feedings, g-tube medications, catheterization, tracheostomy suctioning, diabetic treatments, nebulizers, and many more.  

In these circumstances, you get to utilize skills that you learned in the hospital!  

More importantly though, this is something that no one else in the school knows how to do, so they will look to you for guidance.

Communication

Communication across all of the channels listed below will come with a career in school nursing. Here are a few examples!

Parents or Guardians

This communication will be daily.  

Whether it is in the form of notes sent home with students, phone calls, emails or in person, get used to this.  

Since guardians are not present in the school, it is important that any health-related information on their children be communicated with them.

Physicians

I mentioned above you will provide medication and treatments to many students.  

You will receive administration instructions from the student’s physician.  

As with hospital nursing, you cannot administer medication without the approval of a physician (or parent/guardian in the case of over-the-counter medication).  

Treatments will be at the direction of the physician. You need to be aware of your personal scope of practice as a nurse, as well as your school board policy, as there will be some treatments you cannot perform. 

Administrators

I mentioned above you will provide medication and treatments to many students.  

You will receive administration instructions from the student’s physician.  

As with hospital nursing, you cannot administer medication without the approval of a physician (or parent/guardian in the case of over-the-counter medication).  

Treatments will be at the direction of the physician. You need to be aware of your personal scope of practice as a nurse, as well as your school board policy, as there will be some treatments you cannot perform. 

Paperwork/Charting 

Vaccines

Every state requires specific vaccines for their students.  

It goes against state law to allow a student who is not fully immunized to be in a school setting.  

As the school nurse, it will be your job to track what students are immunized and what students are not. 

Health Forms

In my building, parents/guardians are required to fill out a health form at the beginning of each school year.  

These forms contain crucial health information on each student in the building.  

Parents will inform the nurse of any allergies, medications, diagnoses, etc. They will also include information about their student’s physician, and emergency contact numbers. 

Monthly/Weekly Reporting

This information will vary depending on the school. 

My district, and the surrounding districts are required to provide a weekly report detailing the specifics of the week.  

This includes how many children presented with stomachaches, headaches, vomiting, and now, COVID-19 related illnesses.  

We are also asked to track flu and strep diagnoses.  

Monthly reporting consists of tracking the number of students you saw, the amount of students you sent home, how many staff members you saw, etc.  

In my building, parents/guardians are required to fill out a health form at the beginning of each school year.  

These forms contain crucial health information on each student in the building.  

Parents will inform the nurse of any allergies, medications, diagnoses, etc.

Miscellaneous

Health-related Topics

If you pursue a career in school nursing, you may be asked to lead discussions on health-related topics.  

My district requires its nursing staff to lead yearly discussions on health and development with every 4th and 5th grade student.  

Students are split into boy/girl classrooms.  

A video is played describing puberty and students are given the opportunity to ask questions when the video is over.  

Hygiene products are then sent with students at the end of the class.

Dental/Eye Programs

Many communities will have dental and eye programs that present at schools. 

This allows students to receive free dental and eye care services.  

Our district is partnered with an eye care company that provides free pairs of glasses to students who need them.

Immunization Clinics

Since immunizations are required in every state, many districts will host immunization clinics.  

These clinics are typically held in a school building and allow parents easy immunization access.

Of course, this post doesn’t cover every facet of school nursing.  

If you are interested in pursuing this field, I truly recommend it; it is beyond rewarding. 

School nursing allows you to get to know students on a personal level, too! 

You get to see them grow up, learn, and achieve in whatever they choose to do.  

For me, I have really enjoyed going to sporting events and theatre performances that my students are taking part in.  

There is nothing like being a school nurse! 

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