School Nurses: Let the Cities and Towns Decide
After reading the article below, the last paragraph jumped out at me:
I've been aware of the requirement that school nurses also be certified teachers. I assume the unions think it is necessary in the event that a nurse is called on to teach a health class. I think it's a ridiculous requirement that adds nothing to a child's education and safety, and in the end, costs taxpayers more money. Essentially, unions are reducing the supply of eligible school nurses. If you remember economics 101, when supply drops and demand remains constant, prices (wages) rise.
Let's take a look at the current labor pool. There are lots of people with nursing degrees who could very easily handle the position. The problem is that very few of these nurses have teaching certificates. As a result, there are fewer people competing for those jobs. If you could open the positions up to registered nurses without a teaching certificate, you would have a larger pool of applicants, and just maybe, the labor costs would decrease.
Now, some may say that a teaching certificate is necessary because they are working in an educational facility, and they may be called on to teach a health class on occasion. Here are the problems with those arguments. First, if your child is injured and requires medical attention, will a teaching certificate result in your child receiving better care? No it will not. Second, why is it that an individual with a bachelors degree and a masters degree in nursing can teach nursing courses to 18 year olds in college, but can't teach health classes to 18 year olds in high school? If you said it is because the unions are trying to create an artificially small supply of labor, then you're correct.
The school nurse issue is just one example of some of the challenges that cities and towns must deal with. There are many other examples of excessive rules and regulations that should be eliminated. Hopefully, the current economic climate will result in their elimination.
http://www.projo.com/news/content/SCHOOL_CUTS_01-30-09_IKD4UEK_v19.37212ed.html
They’ll have to return for more this morning. The committee is scheduled for another round of hearings on proposed municipal changes. Today’s agenda includes a plan to create a statewide food-services program for schools and another that would eliminate the requirement that each school district employ school nurses who are also certified teachers. The hearings begin at 10 a.m. in room 35 at the State House.
I've been aware of the requirement that school nurses also be certified teachers. I assume the unions think it is necessary in the event that a nurse is called on to teach a health class. I think it's a ridiculous requirement that adds nothing to a child's education and safety, and in the end, costs taxpayers more money. Essentially, unions are reducing the supply of eligible school nurses. If you remember economics 101, when supply drops and demand remains constant, prices (wages) rise.
Let's take a look at the current labor pool. There are lots of people with nursing degrees who could very easily handle the position. The problem is that very few of these nurses have teaching certificates. As a result, there are fewer people competing for those jobs. If you could open the positions up to registered nurses without a teaching certificate, you would have a larger pool of applicants, and just maybe, the labor costs would decrease.
Now, some may say that a teaching certificate is necessary because they are working in an educational facility, and they may be called on to teach a health class on occasion. Here are the problems with those arguments. First, if your child is injured and requires medical attention, will a teaching certificate result in your child receiving better care? No it will not. Second, why is it that an individual with a bachelors degree and a masters degree in nursing can teach nursing courses to 18 year olds in college, but can't teach health classes to 18 year olds in high school? If you said it is because the unions are trying to create an artificially small supply of labor, then you're correct.
The school nurse issue is just one example of some of the challenges that cities and towns must deal with. There are many other examples of excessive rules and regulations that should be eliminated. Hopefully, the current economic climate will result in their elimination.
http://www.projo.com/news/content/SCHOOL_CUTS_01-30-09_IKD4UEK_v19.37212ed.html
Comments