School Nurse Jobs

School nurses, like you, have an indispensable role to play in both their schools and communities. Although most people think a school nurse’s job involves handing out bandaids and sending sick kids home from school, we understand that school nurse duties are much broader than that. Your overall goal is to ensure that all students have what they need to learn by supporting their social, physical, and mental health needs. That’s why our main goal is to help you find a job where you have your needs met so you can best serve your students.

If you’re a school nurse looking for travel nursing jobs, Blazer Jobs can help you find open opportunities across the country, caring for students in schools that may not have a qualified nurse on staff.

School Nurse job Responsibilities

The school nurse job description covers many responsibilities, from direct care to running school-wide wellness initiatives. School nurses must be familiar with a range of conditions and illnesses that children in the school may have, such as diabetes, lice, chickenpox, strep throat, ad much more. In addition to caring for the general student population, school nurses also provide the necessary support for students with chronic health conditions to help them stay in the classroom, learning with their peers.

Some specific school nurse duties may include:

• Distributing prescription medications as ordered
• Advocating for students and their families to get the support they need at home
• Helping families access health insurance programs, like CHIP or Medicaid
• Running vaccination clinics
• Teaching classes, including safety, first aid, and CPR
• Performing screening for things like vision, hearing, BMI, and scoliosis to identify health problems early and plan appropriate interventions
• Maintaining student medical records
• Educating families in the school about healthcare opportunities and other available support in the community that they may not be aware of

School Nurse Job Requirements

School nurse requirements vary from one school to another. Some schools hire LPNs or RNs directly into the school’s open role, though the National Association of School Nurses recommends school nurses hold a bachelor’s degree. Most RN school nurse jobs require some experience working with children. Experience working in a clinical setting is often preferred, too, as this shows nurses can make critical decisions without a doctor on site.

To be considered for a school-based nursing job, LPNs and RNs must pass their state boards and get a license to practice in the state in which they plan to work. Every state has its own licensing requirements.

Although there is no national credentialing in the U.S., the Nursing Licensure Compact is an agreement between some states that lets nurses practice in other states using the one license. Twenty-five states belong to this agreement or have pending litigation to join, including Alabama, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Maine, North Carolina, and Tennessee.

Those who want to practice as a school nurse should also consider a school nurse certification from the National Board of Certification for School Nurses, as this allows you to work in roles that require a Certified School Nurse. While this certification is not required for all school nurse jobs, it helps you grow in your career and open even more opportunities across the country. Nurses wishing to take this certification exam must have a bachelor’s degree, an RN license in good standing, and at least 1,000 clinical hours in the three years leading up to the exam.

Are you interested in working in a school as an LPN, RN, or CSN? Reach out today to learn more about our LPN jobs, RN jobs, ad Certified School Nurse jobs that we have available today.

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