How to hire a school nurse

How to hire a school nurse, step by step

Here's a step-by-step school nurse hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a school nurse job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new school nurse
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a school nurse do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your school nurse job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a school nurse for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect school nurse also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of school nurses and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of School Nurse	Description	Hourly rate
   School Nurse	Registered nurses (RNs) provide and coordinate patient care, educate patients and the public about various health conditions, and provide advice and emotional support to patients and their family members.	$18-37
   Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist	A Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist administers anesthesia to patients. They work in various healthcare settings, such as operating rooms, dentists and podiatrists offices, birthing centers, and plastic surgery centers.	$37-140
   Registered Nurse Charge Nurse	A registered charge nurse is responsible for supervising nurses' workflow in a particular department or area, ensuring every patient gets the proper care that they need. A registered charge nurse has the discretion to direct tasks, arrange schedules, and monitor patients, such as in the aspects of admission and discharge... Show more	$22-52

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • CPR
   • School Health
   • Health Education
   • Health Problems
   • Health Services
   • Emergency Care
   • Immunization
   • Patients
   • Public Health
   • Home Health
   • Administer Medications
   • Health Issues
   • Patient Care
   • Child Abuse

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Create and manage care plans for students with chronic health conditions (such as diabetes, food allergies and depression).
   • Evaluate and manage post-exposure of blood-borne pathogens.
   • Administer medications, evaluate prescription needs and facilitate prescription management, chemotherapy teaching, assess and manage chemotherapy side effects.
   • Perform employee physical exams including hearing and spirometry as required.
   • Provide patient care for PCI patients, mechanically-ventilate patients and an overall variety of critically ill patients.
   • Perform drug testing, physicals, PFT and xrays.

   More school nurse duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the school nurse job description is a good way to get more applicants. A school nurse salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a school nurse in North Carolina may be lower than in Rhode Island, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level school nurse. Additionally, a school nurse with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average school nurse salary

   $54,998yearly

   $26.44 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level school nurse salary

   $39,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 18, 2026

   Average school nurse salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Rhode Island	$84,734	$41
   2	Oregon	$83,340	$40
   3	Washington	$79,445	$38
   4	Massachusetts	$77,185	$37
   5	California	$70,416	$34
   6	Delaware	$69,298	$33
   7	New Jersey	$69,232	$33
   8	New York	$68,040	$33
   9	Connecticut	$66,742	$32
   10	New Hampshire	$65,286	$31
   11	Pennsylvania	$63,396	$30
   12	Maine	$58,170	$28
   13	Illinois	$57,290	$28
   14	Minnesota	$57,068	$27
   15	Indiana	$56,967	$27
   16	Colorado	$54,285	$26
   17	Georgia	$49,464	$24
   18	Texas	$49,133	$24
   19	North Carolina	$46,401	$22
   20	Arizona	$46,056	$22

   Average school nurse salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Preston High School	$81,337	$39.10
   2	Legacy Health	$73,231	$35.21	34
   3	Poly Prep Country Day School	$68,610	$32.99
   4	Sycamore School	$66,145	$31.80	1
   5	Esf, Inc.	$65,866	$31.67	5
   6	Excel Academy Charter Schools	$65,656	$31.57	12
   7	Boston Public Schools	$65,125	$31.31	13
   8	Fallbrook Union High School District	$64,498	$31.01	1
   9	Elizabeth Seton Children's	$61,820	$29.72	2
   10	Contra Costa College	$61,651	$29.64
   11	Rowland Unified School District	$61,540	$29.59	3
   12	Great Hearts Academies	$61,520	$29.58
   13	St. Clare Catholic School	$61,359	$29.50	7
   14	The Bear Creek School	$61,279	$29.46
   15	Memorial Health	$61,197	$29.42	26
   16	Milton Hershey School	$61,083	$29.37
   17	Santa Rosa City Schools	$61,051	$29.35
   18	LCMC Health	$61,032	$29.34	40
   19	Miriam Hospital	$61,016	$29.33
   20	CAI	$60,995	$29.32	1

4. Writing a school nurse job description

   A school nurse job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a school nurse job description:

   School nurse job description example

   This job is considered a leader in the provision of patient care utilizing the Nursing Process within the framework of the Nurse Practice Act, ANA Code for Nurses and Scope & Standards of Practice. This job administers nursing care under the guidelines of a school system. Participates in the implementation and evaluation of student care. Ensures the health, comfort and safety of students.
   
   This job description is a summary of the primary duties and responsibilities of the job and position. It is not intended to be a comprehensive or all-inclusive listing of duties and responsibilities. Contents are subject to change at the company's discretion.
   Education Required - Registered Nurse Diploma
   Preferred - Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Nursing
   Work Experience
   Required - None Preferred - Prior experience as a RN
   Certifications Required - Current RN license in the state of practice Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification from the American Heart Association Knowledge Skills and Abilities (KSAs) Must have computer skills and dexterity required for data entry and retrieval of patient information. Must be proficient with Windows-style applications, various software packages specific to role and keyboard Effective verbal and written communication skills and the ability to present information clearly and professionally to varying levels of individuals throughout the patient care process. Excellent organizational skills Excellent time management skills
   Job Duties Administers nursing care within a school system. Effectively uses the Nursing Process in the delivery of patient/student care. Assesses learning needs and implement teaching strategies appropriate for the diverse needs of the patient, family and other groups or disciplines. Utilizes data, information and knowledge to evaluate and promote change in order to achieve optimal outcomes. Embraces concepts and behaviors that enhance customer satisfaction and employee morale and improvement in the profession of nursing. Other related duties as required. The above statements describe the general nature and level of work only. They are not an exhaustive list of all required responsibilities, duties, and skills. Other duties may be added, or this description amended at any time.
   This employer maintains and complies with its Compliance & Privacy Program and Standards of Conduct, including the immediate reporting of any known or suspected unethical or questionable behaviors or conduct; patient/employee safety, patient privacy, and/or other compliance-related concerns.
   
   The employer is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status.
   Physical and Environmental Demands The physical essential functions of this job include (but are not limited to) the following: Frequently exerting 10-20 pounds of force to move objects; occasionally up to 100 pounds of force. Physical demand requirements are in excess of those for sedentary work. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Because the incumbent works within a healthcare setting, there may be occupational risk for exposure to hazardous medications or hazardous waste within the environment through receipt, transport, storage, preparation, dispensing, administration, cleaning and/or disposal of contaminated waste. The risk level of exposure may increase depending on the essential job duties of the role.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find school nurses for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   To find school nurse candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting school nurses requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new school nurse

   Once you have selected a candidate for the school nurse position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a school nurse?