The Relentless School Nurse: The School Nurse is IN, for Each Other

If you’ve ever walked into your office before the school day begins, coffee still warm and waiting, and inbox already full, you know the rhythm of school nursing. There’s a unique flow to our work—the constant shuffle of students, the confidential conversations, the rapid switch from paperwork to an emergency with the snap of a finger. No two days look the same, except in this one way: so often, we do it alone.

For years, I wore isolation like an invisible badge. I’d smile for the staff, sprint for the emergencies, and swallow the hard moments. After all, isn’t that what we’re supposed to do? School nurses are the steady ones, the fixers, the last line between a child and chaos. So why did I sometimes feel so lonely, even in a building brimming with thousands of voices?

Maybe you’ve asked yourself that question as well. Maybe you’ve felt the sting of an email, the ache of a full heart with no safe place to pour it out, or the fatigue of advocacy when it seems like only nurses truly understand what this role demands. If so, this post is for you—because here’s what I know now: the myth of the solitary school nurse is just that—a myth. We are not meant to muscle through in silence. We are meant to create bridges, to reach toward one another, and to build the kind of peer support that fortifies our practice and our spirits.

Exposing the Myth of Isolation

Isolation creeps in quietly. It settles between documenting visits and end-of-day exhaustion. It seeps into moments when we watch a child’s health transform or advocate fiercely for policy change—only to realize no one else quite sees the ripple effect. The truth is, while school nurses are found in nearly every school building, we are often islands in the educational landscape—uniquely positioned, but physically and professionally apart.

Some say this is just how the work goes. I say it’s a crisis hiding in plain sight. Professional loneliness not only erodes our wellness, but it also diminishes our impact. When we don’t lean into each other, we lose the opportunity to share best practices, to innovate together, and most importantly, to offer the empathy that only a fellow school nurse can extend.

Why Connection Matters—Now More Than Ever

The landscape of school nursing is shifting under our feet. After years of pandemic response, social-emotional upheaval, and new waves of public health challenges, the need for robust, meaningful connections has never been more urgent. We navigate complex care—mental health crises, chronic disease, trauma, and system inequities—requiring both clinical expertise and emotional resilience. Doing this work without support isn’t just difficult; it’s unsustainable.

But here is the hope: connection is not a luxury, nor is it out of reach. When school nurses lean into each other, extraordinary things happen. Ideas spark in group chats at midnight. Laughter bubbles up in quiet after-school Zooms. Support groups become lifelines, and professional book clubs morph into places for both learning and laughter. Creativity flows more freely, and advocacy becomes collective power rather than a solo climb.

An Invitation to Build Something Better

This blog space is more than a place for clinical tips and advocacy updates—it’s an invitation to join hands and dissolve the boundaries isolation builds. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be exploring concrete ways we, as school nurses, can forge new pathways of connection, whether through virtual networking, face-to-face meetups, or creative communities that celebrate our unique stories.

What has helped me most on the loneliest days? A text from a colleague who just gets it. A scheduled Zoom with nurses from different districts, each bringing a different shade to the tapestry of school health. Organizing a book club where the conversation drifts from professional development to favorite novels—reminding me I am more than my license number, more than the sum of forms and protocols.

So, whether you are a seasoned school nurse or fresh to the specialty, know this: there is room for you at this table. There is strength in sharing, healing in laughter, and power in numbers. Our doors, virtual or otherwise, are open. All it takes is a step forward—toward each other. 

Share your response to this invitation to build something better for ourselves! I am all in and will be happy to spread your ideas in future blog posts.

Email me at relentlessschoolnurse@gmail.com