School Nurse

School nursing is a specialized practice of professional nursing that advances the well-being, academic success and life-long achievement and health of students.

School nurses are usually registered nurses. They must be expert at analyzing tell-tale signs of diseases common among school children of all ages. They exercise good judgment every day in deciding whether to send a child for a check-up by a specialist.

Nurses are generally friendly, caring, gentle and sympathetic. They are able to explain concepts and situations clearly, yet without upsetting patients unnecessarily. School nurses must be particularly caring and careful, since they work with children who are psychologically vulnerable patients.

Communication and interpersonal skills are of the utmost importance. Nurses must communicate effectively with senior medical personnel and the school staff, but they must especially be good at communicating with school children.

Most importantly, school nurses keep a sharp eye out for signs and symptoms of disease or any health problems. If they notice anything suspicious they report it to parents with a written recommendation to visit a specialist. Other preventive measures are vaccines administered at school and health education for the children.

I have always loved nursing but my interest in health care really started when I volunteered at a homeless shelter in college. Seeing so many people without care inspired me to pursue a career devoted to caring for others. I kept going back and volunteering, which got me hooked. It was great to be able to contribute positively to society that then led me to a field I feel so passionate about.

Many schools have children requiring special care. Although nurses are generally able to treat any child, some specialize in special-needs children.

My last boss taught me the importance of time management. He did not pull any punches and was extremely deadline-driven. His no-nonsense attitude pushed me to work harder and manage my case loads way more efficiently.

I have learned a lot from my current role, but now I'm looking for a new challenge in nursing, to broaden my horizons and to gain a new skill-set, all of which, I see the potential for in this job.

In five years I would like to have an even better understanding of this industry. Also, I really love working with people. Ultimately, I would like to be in some type of managerial role at this hospital, where I can use my people skills and nursing knowledge to benefit the nurses working for me and the patients and hospital as a whole.

I have been a nurse practitioner for the past ten years. My boss has said time and time again that without me, the hospital would fall apart. I have also taken the time to educate myself on some of the latest industry issues I regularly use (but did not really understand the ins and outs of). What is good enough for most people is never really good enough for me.

I learned that no matter what I am doing, I should strive to do it to the best of my ability. Otherwise, it is not worth doing at all.

I am a people person. I was always happiest and most satisfied when I was interacting with patients, making sure I was able to meet their needs and giving them the best possible care. It was my favorite part of the job and it showed. I was rated as "Good or Excellent" 95% of the time in peer reviews. Part of the reason I am interested in this job is that I know I would have even more interaction with patients on an even more critical level.

I have never been very comfortable with speaking up, which as you know, can be a hindrance in nursing. Realizing this was a problem, I asked my previous employer if I could enroll in a speech workshop. He said "yes." I took the class, and was able to overcome my lifelong fear. Since then, I have made great strides in sticking up for my patients, communicating with doctors and just being a better nurse.

There was nothing about my last job that I hated but I guess there were few things I liked less than others. My previous role involved traveling at least twice a month. While I do love to travel, twice a month was a little exhausting. I did not like spending quite so much time out of the hospital. I am happy to see that this role involves a lot less travel.

I used to lock heads with a fellow nurse in the ICU ward. We disagreed over a lot of things from the care of patients to who got what shifts to how to speak with a child's family. Our personalities just did not mesh. After three months of arguing, I pulled her aside and asked her to lunch. At lunch, we talked about our differences and why we were not getting along. It turns out, it was all about communication. We communicated differently and once we knew that, we began to work well together. I really believe that talking a problem through with someone can help solve any issue.

I have always been motivated by the challenge of a tough patient. In my last role, I came across a particular patient who refused a handful of nurses before he was assigned to me. I was able to find something we had in common, which calmed him down. After the patient saw me make an effort to better understand his situation, he became much more agreeable to my aid. I love facing and overcoming challenges on such a personal level.

My friends would probably say that I am extremely persistent. I have never been afraid to keep going back until I get what I want. When I worked as a program developer, recruiting keynote speakers for a major tech conference, I got one rejection after another, this was just the nature of the job.

I have always pictured myself becoming a nurse. I would love the chance to help people and to make a difference in their lives. I also love interacting with people on a daily basis.

My work is important to me, so I shall not be satisfied with any old nursing job. Instead of rushing to accept the first thing that comes my way, I am taking my time and being selective to make sure my next role is the right one.