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- Work with schools and families to improve the health and wellbeing of children
- You'll need excellent communication/listening skills & the ability to win the trust of children
- You could become a team manager or a community matron
DAY-TO-DAY DUTIES
- Raising awareness of health issues like smoking and drug abuse
- Promoting healthy living, including safe-sex education
- Giving immunisations and vaccinations
- Carrying out developmental screening
- Training teachers on healthcare issues
- Advising on school health policy
- Supporting children with medical needs like asthma, diabetes, epilepsy or mental health issues
DAY-TO-DAY ENVIRONMENT
Part-time hours are also often available. You could work just in one school or across a number of schools, at a pupil referral unit, in the community or at a college. You'll usually need a driving licence.
You'll need
This role would be ideal for someone with excellent communication and listening skills, the ability to win the trust of children and encourage them to talk about their problems, the ability to explore sensitive issues with tact, understanding and patience, the ability to stay calm in an emergency, record-keeping and organisational skills.
You can apply to become a school nurse if you're a registered nurse or midwife. Any branch of nursing is acceptable.
You'll usually complete a course in Specialist Community Public Health Nursing - School Nursing, approved by the Nursing & Midwifery Council. Courses can last between 1 and 2 years.
You'll need to register with the Nursing & Midwifery Council.
You may have an advantage when looking for work or training if you've got experience in health promotion or working with children in the community.
Knowledge of child protection and an understanding of family planning issues and the health needs of school children would also be useful.
You'll need to pass enhanced background checks for this role and you are likely to need a driving licence for this job.
CAREER PROSPECTS
With experience, you could become a team manager or a community matron. You could also become a manager of a service or work in education or research.