School Nurse Interview -any advice please

[JobHunting4]

Hi, I hope this is an appropriate place to post. I’m a long time member, but haven’t been active for a while, and I’ve never ventured to this section until now.

I’m a RNMH 6 and have an interview for a School Nurse band 5. The downbanding doesn’t bother me as the hours will suit my family better.

I gather that the role varies in different areas, and I have a very basic understanding of the role. I plan to play heavily on the recent emphasis on the mental health of children, and highlight these skills. However I don’t want to completely ignore the important other issues they deal with.

Can anyone share with me either their experience of a school nurse, or if you are or have been one. What are the cannot miss issues and duties, and what did you spend your time doing?

Thank you in advance, I’ll be doing a lot of reading over the next few days.
Should there be a more appropriate place to post my query, please also direct me there.

Child protection/safeguarding it will be worth reading up on that.
Immunisation program
Childhood obesity
Looked after children
Sexual health
Youth clinics
Teaching and training packages for schools for children with complex health issues
Are you in England?
Role a bit different in Scotland

Safeguarding, safeguarding, safeguarding! It was all I really did as a school nurse! Although this was in one of the most deprived areas in London, so may be a bit different elsewhere. Agree with above; immunisations, sexual health, obesity, and yes, definitely mental health! Good luck with the interview.

As others have said, definitely safeguarding.
You could also do with mentioning public health - early intervention, signposting to other departments/agencies, health promotion etc.

Thank you all. I have worked in other areas with major safeguarding and highly deprived areas, so my knowledge is quite good on that. I will do a little more swatting up though.

Sounds much like I imagined.

Honest opinions on the job anyone?

It honestly depends on your health board and the management (as with all NHS jobs!). I know other local health boards near me work differently than we do and I’m often envious of their roles, but they seem to have more money given to school nursing and management that cares and know what they’re doing!

Having said that, the hours fit in really well with my DC, I work school hours term time only so couldn’t ask for better. I don’t miss shift work at all! I’m not sure I could say I get as much job satisfaction as I did when working on the wards but the fact that this job makes my life much easier in general outweighs the negatives (for me anyway).

Good luck with the interview by the way!

@cobee I'm intrigued, what do they do that you're envious of?
I must admit the hours would be helpful for childcare, but I was apprehensive about making such a change based on that alone. Luckily public health does interest me too.

The big advantage or disadvantage of this, depending on you, is working with the kids. I think they will be looking for someone who is good with children of course and will look at your personality in that regard, and they will want someone confident and firm but very kind and comforting. Working in a school is a bit weird sometimes and you have to bear with their rules and time tables.

I will also say that you won't be a 'school nurse' as a band 5 who hasn't done the Specialist Community Public Health Nurse qualification, so refer to yourself as a school staff nurse.

The biggest element of the role in my area is Safegaurding. Case conferences for Children on the caseload weekly, sometimes more. Report writting for the conferences. Seeing the children to write your report and weigh them.

Healthy Child Programme - levels of service determine the input a child gets. Every child has universal services which include the core offer such as immunisations, the reception screening (eye tests, weight, height), year 6 measurements. Take a look at the other levels of service.

PSHE - many school nurse teams go into schools to teach PSHE. Most are commisioned to do this but some are unable to deliver due to staffing levels. PSHE is not mandatory or standardised in schools and you could talk about this if asked to discuss something in the media or something which you're passionate about.

Many teams have a CAMHS school nurse or emotional health nurse who has a caseload of particularly vulnerable students. This is something you could look at moving into either now or in the future. You don't have to complete the SCPHN course but it would be highly favoured if you did.

I absolutely love being a school nurse. I was always destined for leadership and I'm an 8b service manager for school nurses, special school nurses and community children's nurses now, so less hands on but still very much involved with driving change in a truly great profession.

@nickmylipple firstly LOVE the username. Had a good giggle at that. Absolutely right about the public health qualification. I have looked at doing it, but this vacancy came up first, and both sound interesting to me at this point. Its definitely something for the future if I get this chance.

Thank you everyone, I didn't expect this much info and pointers, so I'm spending my evenings looking in to all these things. I don't know if I have much of a chance, but I'm going to give it my best shot.

Hi,
I am really keen on becoming a school nurse (at present I am a cardiac Cath lab nurse/sister) so have no school nurse experience, I have seen a post advertised with my local county council for a band 6 specialist school nurse and it comes with a preceptorship, I was just wondering if a band 6 in school nursing would be the same as a band 6 post on the ward and you start as a band 5 and work your way up to a 6 or if this would be a band 6 specialist nurse role for example heart failure nurse or diabetes nurse, the preceptorship is making me think that it’s for nurses who would like to be school nurses. Thanks for any advice on this.