School nurses promote student health and safety through education and intervention. Registered nurses can take courses and exams to become certified school nurses, with required coursework varying by state. Certification is valid for three years and requires prior experience in a school setting.
Some nurses prefer to work in a school setting, which is less hectic than a hospital. The emphasis in the school environment is on safety and maintaining student health rather than on life-or-death situations. The overall objective of a certified school nurse is to promote the health of the school community through health education and assessment and intervention with students. The philosophy behind school health programs is that healthier students are able to learn better, something that bodes well for the nation’s healthy future.
Registered nurses who want to work in a school setting can take the appropriate courses at an accredited university, which culminates in certification as nurses at the school. Online programs leading to this certification are also available to prepare you for the exam. In most parts of the United States, the interested nurse must possess the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited hospital or university nursing program to be eligible to enroll in classes for this certification, even though many candidates hold a master’s or doctoral degree. in nursing or in a field related to school nursing.
The required coursework leading to certification varies from state to state. Typical courses are concerned with an overview of public health contexts, human growth and development, and theories of teaching and learning, as a school nurse is responsible for coordinating students’ health care within the instructional environment. Many nurses who apply for school nurse certification will hold a master’s or doctorate in education or educational psychology. As students are under increasing social and psychological pressures, nurses seeking graduate certification often take courses in psychiatric nursing. The postgraduate track typically culminates in an internship undertaken under an experienced, certified nurse practitioner.
In the United States, registered nurses can take the voluntary certification exam offered by the National Board of Certification of School Nurses (NBCSN). A candidate for NBCSN school nursing certification must have practiced as a nurse in a school setting for at least three years before being eligible to apply to take the exam. Typically, school nurse certification is valid for a period of three years, at which point it can be renewed. School nurses, as with all types of practicing nurses in the United States, must first be certified by the Department of Health and Education.
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