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Are School Nurses in Texas required to be RN's or LVN's? Are there any requirements? Or is it per district? I am a Paramedic with a very busy County based 911 system and have been for some 15 years. My daughters school district is growing rapidly and they will soon be adding more School Nurses, or we hope they will. So I am curious as to the State requirements for School Nurses. Could you direct me to a source that might be able to answer my questions?
In our state, School Nurses are defined as RN. There is not a state mandate for School Nurses, however, so every local school district determines their own staffing.
Since the school setting is an independent practice setting, an RN is licensed to conduct assessments and create an Individualized Healthcare Plan for each student, based on "Nursing Diagnosis, Nursing Interventions and Nursing Outcomes." The scope of school nursing goes beyond emergency nursing skills, to include, but not limited to: chronic disease management, communicable disease control, age appropriate health instruction, psych nursing, and communication skills with the parents or family members and their healthcare providers.
Many schools, with a variety of health needs, may have several types of healthcare providers, that work together, as a team, with an RN, P.A. or M.D. lead.That exists more often in larger districts. You would need to check with the individual schools.
Cathy Harris, RN, BSN
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