School Nurse

You'll need:

• knowledge of medicine and nursing practices
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
• sensitivity and understanding
• a desire to help people
• the ability to work well with others
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• excellent verbal communication skills
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

As part of your role, you could:

• raise awareness of health issues like smoking and drug abuse
• promote healthy living, including safe-sex education
• give immunisations and vaccinations
• carry out developmental screening
• train teachers on healthcare issues
• advise on school health policy
• support children with medical needs like asthma, diabetes, epilepsy or mental health issues

You could work at a school, at a pupil referral unit, in the community or at a college.

Registration

• you'll need to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council

Career tips

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.

Further information

You'll find more details about becoming a school nurse from Health Careers.

You'll need to:

• pass enhanced background checks

You are likely to need a driving licence for this job.