School Nurse Career Overview
What Is a School Nurse?
According to the National Association of School Nurses (NASN), school nurses are “licensed nurses who work in public and private schools and use evidence-based practice to promote individual and population-based student health, provide care coordination, advocate for quality student-centered care, and advance academic success. School nurses are leaders who bridge health care and education, and collaborate to help create healthy communities.”
The NASN defines school nursing as “a specialized practice of nursing [that] protects and promotes student health, facilitates optimal development, and advances academic success. School nurses, grounded in ethical and evidence-based practice, are the leaders who bridge health care and education, provide care coordination, advocate for quality student-centered care, and collaborate to design systems that allow individuals and communities to develop their full potential.”
How Long to Become?
4-6 Years
Job Outlook
6% increase from 2022 to 2032
Average Salary
$94,480
What Does a School Nurse Do?
School nurses are registered nurses (RNs) who have a variety of responsibilities within the school setting. The school nurse’s credentials and state practice laws determine the scope of practice permitted.
Although a school nurse may be required to cover more than one school, the NASN says that should not be the case: “To optimize student health, safety and learning, it is the position of the National Association of School Nurses that a professional registered school nurse be present in every school all day, every day.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) concurs. In June 2016, the organization issued a policy statement recommending that there be “a full-time registered nurse in every school building.”
The duties of a school nurse may include:
- Assessing and monitoring the student’s status
- Documenting the student’s medical history and symptoms
- Collaborating with the student and family
- Administering medications and treatments
- Performing various procedures
- Operating and monitoring medical equipment
- Providing health education
- Engaging with community organizations to secure needed resources
In “Role of the School Nurse in Providing School Health Services,” the AAP captures both the broad scope and detailed requirements of the school nurse’s role.
“Over the past century, the role of the school nurse has expanded to include critical components, such as surveillance, chronic disease management, emergency preparedness, behavioral health assessment, ongoing health education, extensive case management, and much more,” the AAP says.
According to the AAP, school nurses:
- “…provide both individual and population health through their daily access to large numbers of students, making them well positioned to address and coordinate the health care needs of children and adolescents.”
- “…understand and educate about normal development; promote health and safety, including a healthy environment; intervene with actual and potential health problems; provide case-management services; and actively collaborate with physicians who work in schools, such as medical advisors and team physicians, families, community service providers, and health care providers, to build student and family capacity for adaptation, self-management, self-advocacy, and learning.”
- “…play an important role in interpreting medical recommendations within the educational environment and, for example, may participate in the development of action plans for epilepsy management and safe transportation of a child with special health care needs.”
- “…provide insight to a student’s pediatrician when attendance concerns, parental noncompliance with medical home goals, or even neglect or abuse is suspected.”
- “…are also participants in public health arenas, such as immunization, obesity prevention, substance abuse assessment, tobacco control, and asthma education.”
Additionally, the AAP notes that since more children with special healthcare needs are attending school, the school nurse “plays a vital role in disease management, often working closely with children and their parents to reinforce the medical home’s recommendations and provide treatment(s) during the school day. Feedback mechanisms regarding student response to the treatment plan in school are critical to timely medical management in areas such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, diabetes, life-threatening allergies, asthma, and seizures as well as for the growing population of children with behavioral health concerns.”
How Much Does a School Nurse Make Per Year?
According to salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average annual wage for registered nurses is $94,480, —with half of nurses earning more than that amount and half earning less. Wages of nurses in the lowest 10 percent average $63,720. Wages of nurses in the highest 10 percent average $132,680.
According to BLS salary data, registered nurses who work as school nurses in these settings earn the following median annual wage:
- Government: $99,840
- Educational services; state, local, and private: $71,550
The salary of a school nurse is also influenced by factors such as education, experience, and geographical region of the country.
Annual Mean Wage of Registered Nurses, by State
- $69,030 - $80,760
- $81,390 - $86,210
- $87,220 - $94,670
- $94,830 - $137,690
Blank areas indicate data not available
How Do I Become a School Nurse?
The path to becoming a school nurse depends upon the credentials involved. The NASN recommends students have “daily access to, at a minimum, a full-time baccalaureate-prepared registered nurse.”
In that light, although an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) may be enough, nurses who have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) will likely have a better chance of being hired, depending upon the specific requirements of the school or school district involved. Some school nurses possess advanced degrees, such as a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN).
A school nurse can also obtain specialty certification by meeting eligibility requirements and taking the certification exam through the National Board for Certification of School Nurses (NBCSN).
“Board certification in school nursing is a formal recognition of advanced knowledge, competence, and a personal commitment to excellence in the specialty practice of school nursing on behalf of the better health and education of school-age children,” the NBCSN says. “To earn the NCSN, a Registered Nurse must demonstrate a high level of education, clinical practice experience, and knowledge.”
What Are the Benefits of Being a School Nurse?
School nurses can enjoy a number of benefits, such as great hours and — typically — summers off.
But perhaps the greatest benefit is the ability to make a big difference for students, families, and communities.
In an article for the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation (RWJF), Robin Cogan, MEd, RN, NCSN, FNASN, FAAN, captures some of that impact.
Describing specific instances in which her interventions as a school nurse made a significant difference, Cogan says, “We are the chief wellness officers, the care coordinators, the people who know what resources are available in our communities. We recognize emerging problems and mitigate the struggles children and families face. We eliminate barriers by connecting families to resources. We get eyeglasses for children who can’t see well, and do tube feedings for medically-fragile children, which allows them to be in school.”
“We also deal with life-and-death situations,” she adds. “Twenty-five percent of students with an undiagnosed food allergy have their first anaphylactic event at school. Students have asthma attacks at school that can be deadly. Some are medically fragile. Some are newly diagnosed with diabetes. Up to 30 percent have chronic health conditions. COVID remains with us, and now monkeypox.”
“Ultimately school nurses are an investment in student wellness and achievement because health happens in the community and at school,” Cogan explains.
“I sometimes say that school nurses are population health gold,” she says. “We are the epicenter of every concern a child brings to school, be it racism, hunger, homelessness, threats to undocumented families, opioids, or something else.”
Additional Resources About Becoming a School Nurse
To learn more about becoming a school nurse, these additional resources may help:
