School nurses may not get as much clinical work as other nurses.
When a student isn't feeling well at school, it usually isn't a teacher or parent who ends up helping the student get medical care. In most cases, the person who helps a sick student is the school nurse. This profession allows registered nurses to work in an educational atmosphere. However, because being a school nurse has some disadvantages compared to nursing in a medical facility, this career is not a good option for every nurse.
Pay
As shown on the website jobmonkey.com, school nurses are able to enjoy having the summer off and getting off work when classes end (usually mid-afternoon). Their schedules are fairly stable. However, these conveniences come at a literal price. Nurses who work in schools earn a wage that is below average when compared to other registered nurses. Considering that school nurses and nurses who work in medical facilities may have gone through the same training programs, this means that a school nurse cannot expect as big of a return on her educational and financial nursing investment.
Regulations
School nurses have to abide by all of the standard regulations for nursing. However, as shown by the National Association of School Nurses, school nurses have their own code of ethics and standards because they are in a different work environment. In addition, they have to deal with educational administrators rather than hospital administrators who may be more familiar with nursing needs and practices. As a consequence, school nurses have to deal with a great deal of red tape.
Nursing Amount and Type
The work of a school nurse may be limited by a small amount of resources within the educational facility. Usually, the school nurse provides care only until parents can come get the sick child or until the child may be transported to a medical facility. They thus don't have the opportunity to follow cases through with a great deal of independence. Additionally, school nurses may see a lot of the same types of issues (e.g., general nausea, fevers) and therefore may not be as challenged in terms of what they need to treat. Instead of spending their days consistently treating patients, school nurses may spend the majority of their time planning health and safety programs. Although this is related to nursing and certainly provides a needed service, it may not really give a nurse as much of a chance to apply clinical skills.
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