Recently, Lynn Nelson, board president of the National Association of School Nurses (NASN), said that budget cuts are increasing the likelihood of school nurses being laid off and, as a result, only 8% of school nurses plan to stay in the education sector until they retire and 71% expect to keep working in schools for just six more years or less. The comments were made in light of according to a report released in April by Soliant Health, a healthcare staffing provider.
In addition, preliminary survey findings from the NASN show that 66% of school nurses plan to stay in schools for three to five years and, among those who planned to leave, 65% said they would retire. Such retention rate data is raising red flags about the stability of the school nursing workforce and employees’ ability to sustainably take care of students.
In fact, it was found that current staffing shortages are the biggest factor cited by school nurses for burnout. Other contributors include student behavioral problems, high caseloads, safety concerns and administrative demands.
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