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Overview:
School nurses work with children in their academic setting.
They may be responsible for mandated services (such as vision
and hearing screening), immunization compliance, emergency
care, illness and injury prevention, community relations,
health counseling, health education, promotion and prevention.
As more medically fragile students are mainstreamed, school
nurses may be responsible for tracheostomy care, tube feedings
or other care.
Typical
venues: one or more school campuses, school-based clinics
Education:
active RN licensure; some states require a minimum of a bachelor's
degree
Certification
available: certification may be required in some states
(such as North Carolina and Massachusetts); certification
offered by:
National
Board for Certification of School Nurses Inc.
P.O. Box 1300
Scarborough, Maine 04070-1300
(207) 883-2117
Fax (207) 883-2683
Job
outlook: Nursing as a whole will be one of the top 10
fastest growing professions in the United States in the next
decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However,
school funding cuts could prevent school nursing from growing
as rapidly.
Opportunities:
regular hours; work the school calendar
Challenges:
may cover several schools and be responsible for thousands
of students' health
For
More Information:
National
Association of School Nurses
Eastern Office:
P.O. Box 1300
Scarborough, Maine 04070-1300
(207) 883-2117
Fax (207) 883-2683
Western
Office:
111 Cantrell St.
Castle Rock, Colo. 80104
(303) 663-2329
Fax (303) 663-0403
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