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School Health Nurse Specialist - Career Profile |
Career OverviewMany schools hire School Health Nurse Specialists to provide health care, health education, and general emotional and social support to students and staff. Still more schools benefit from the services of School Health Nurse Specialists who are hired by educational agencies.
School Health Nurse Specialists are trained Clinical Nurse Specialists who not only have experience in diagnosing and treating general illnesses and injuries, but who also have specialist training to monitor students for serious issues such as substance abuse problems, depression, stress, abuse, STDs, pregnancy, homelessness, eating disorders, and the like, which require intervention.
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Career RequirementsSchool Health Nurse Specialists are required to train as Clinical Nursing Specialists prior to completing any advanced training in the field. They are required to have some advanced training in the nursing field. Most Clinical Nursing Specialists have advanced degrees. Approximately 93% of all CNSs have a Master's Degree or equivalent graduate certificate to compliment their training as an RN.
School Health Nurse Specialists are required to have an active RN license and typically have a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing to have obtained this qualification.
Specialist training in caring for school-aged children is a requirement for this profession, typically met by the practical experience of each candidate. Experience is focused on providing quality diagnostic care and treatment to school-aged children, with particular attention paid to health issues common amongst teens, such as depression, drug abuse, eating disorders, pregnancy, and STDs.
Some institutions offer specialist training programs and certification in school health nursing. More information about training programs and certification is available through the following organization:
National Association of School Nurses
P.O. Box 1300,
Scarborough, ME 04070
www.nasn.org
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Job OutlookAt present, the job outlook for School Health Nurse Specialists is promising. In particular, it is in the interest of individual schools and education authorities to provide adequate health care to students because of the vast array of physical, psychological, emotional, and social issues that impact school-age children, for which schools and teachers have some degree of responsibility, such as depression and substance abuse issues which often result from peer pressure.
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Career TrackSee Clinical Nurse Specialist
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CompensationSee Clinical Nurse Specialist
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