School nurses can come across all sorts of health issues. They are immediately available for students who may not have easy access to a family healthcare professional, so the responsibility weighs heavily on their shoulders.
School nurses also tend to handle mental as well as physical health issues. Their impact on the student population relies as much on their empathy as on their medical knowledge. It is not enough to share a resume that details their medical experience – a school nurse cover letter should show just how much they care.
The school nurse cover letter should also include details of their previous activity that will fit with each position. Take care to base your choice of career stories on the job description.
It may also be useful to have a look at cover letters from a range of other professionals, medical and otherwise. Our library of cover letter examples is well worth a look. In this writing guide and corresponding school nurse cover letter example, we cover:
- Choosing the right format to tell your nursing stories
- Finding the right mix between professional and personal
- Writing a cover letter with no school nurse experience
- Mistakes to avoid if you want to be considered for the role
Here are some medical examples of other cover letters:
- New Grad Registered Nurse Cover Letter Sample
- Carer Cover Letter Sample
- Nursing Student Cover Letter Sample
- LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) Cover Letter Sample
- CNA Cover Letter Sample
- Caregiver Cover Letter Sample
- Medical Receptionist Cover Letter Sample
- Medical Assistant Cover Letter Sample
- Physical Therapist Cover Letter Sample
- Occupational Therapy Cover Letter Sample
- Phlebotomist Cover Letter Sample
- Pharmacy Assistant Cover Letter Sample
- Healthcare Cover Letter Sample
- Medical Cover Letter Sample
- Doctor Assistant Cover Letter Sample
Best format for a school nurse cover letter
The format for a school nurse cover letter should not differ too much from the standard. You will likely have a lot of stories to tell, so it is important that you select which stories to share in which section.
School hiring managers will receive cover letters for a whole range of teaching and pastoral staff, so give them what they expect. You will stand out because of the content, not because you have done something radically different to the structure of the letter. Follow this format:
- The cover letter header
- The greeting/salutation
- The cover letter intro
- The middle paragraphs (body of the letter)
- The ending paragraph of your cover letter (conclusion and call-to-action)
It is important to mention the nature of the nursing that you have done and how this will equip you for the demands of the future role. If you have worked in a similar school, that is an advantage, but maybe you worked in a deprived area and handled a higher percentage of cases. Make sure that the potential employers do not make any assumptions.
By all means, mention your qualifications, but do not repeat your resume too much. The cover letter should be a more personal affair. Tell the employer why you enjoy the job and share what gets you through those tough days as the queue outside your door keeps coming. Your cover letter should be as positive and upbeat as your attitude.
The cover writing process is not just about the content. There are plenty of other decisions to be made. Our comprehensive cover letter guide explores this in more detail. This school nurse cover letter example may also give you some ideas:
Re: School Nurse role
Dear Mrs. Wooley,
During the past four years at Jefferson High School, I have been responsible for the healthcare provision for the 1,100-strong student population - maximizing process efficiencies and focusing on education, while handling a diverse range of healthcare emergencies.
Having obtained my certification as a National Certified School Nurse (NCSN), I bring specialized expertise and knowledge to the job. My experience, along with my Bachelor's in Nursing, has given me the skills to excel in school settings and ensure the health and safety of all students.
Reducing absence rates due to illness was a key metric when I started in the role. My award-winning health education campaigns led to a 29% decrease in absence due to long-term illness and engagement with the student body doubled. When people come to visit the school healthcare team, we can be more proactive in dealing with their health concerns. Academic outcomes improved for 95% of those who were previously persistently absent.
One of the reasons for my application to your high school is your focus on mental health. The stigma around speaking up is something that I have long sought to address, and I am proud that 85% of my former students accessed our bespoke resources. I try to attend 4-5 mental health workshops every year and try to keep on top of the latest science in this vital area.
In terms of my core nursing duties, I can share over 150 letters of recommendation. My previous background in pediatric nursing ignited my passion for looking after young people. It is a true privilege to be the person that so many young people rely on to keep their bodies and minds in top condition. I would welcome the opportunity of an interview to explore how my experience might fit the needs of your students.
Sincerely,
Heather Sims
Cover letter header
The school nurse cover letter header is functional. Include your full name, email address, and mobile number to contact you. This information should be replicated from the resume as you never know when the hiring manager might wish to contact you. Do not be tempted to pick a fancy design for the cover letter header – simple and monochrome will be fine.
You don’t need to include a full home address in the header – leave this until you get to the offer stage. The cover letter will be saved in an ATS database and there are all sorts of potential data protection issues these days. You also don’t need to include the inside address of the employer – that is an outdated convention that is reserved for only the most formal of circumstances. You can use that cover letter space for far more useful content.
Cover letter greeting
The cover letter greeting for a school nurse should be suitably formal. It is likely that the letter will be addressed to the school principal, so their name should not be hard to find. In any case, address it to the person mentioned in the job description. A simple “Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms. Surname” will be fine.
If you aren’t sure about the name of the recipient, take the opportunity to call the school to find out. This may also present a golden opportunity to find out any more information that you might be curious about.
Cover letter introduction
The introduction to a school nurse cover letter should get straight into the value that you bring to work. Do you have any special qualifications that you can boast about to elevate your candidacy among your peers? What have you done in the past that is particularly suitable for the biggest challenges of the new role?
The introduction should make the hiring manager sit up straight and yearn to read more. It should be relevant and compelling. Talk about your bedside manner with the students and maybe hint at why you enjoy the job so much. Motivation is critical when you have a never-ending queue of students waiting outside the door.
Dear Mrs. Wooley,
During the past four years at Jefferson High School, I have been responsible for the healthcare provision for the 1,100-strong student population - maximizing process efficiencies and focusing on education, while handling a diverse range of healthcare emergencies.
Cover letter middle part (body)
The middle part of a nurse cover letter should be heavy on detail about your medical experience. Dissect the job description and think hard about the sort of work that you will be doing. Is the school big on sports? What is the disciplinary environment like? What is the background of the student population? All these questions will add some insight as to the sort of nursing work that you might be expected to deliver.
Another important aspect of caring for students is support with mental health. Share any qualifications that you might have in this area and stress what sort of contribution you can make. Some school nurses might not feel that this is a part of their job description, but it is certainly one way in which you can set yourself apart from your competition. Show that you want to be there for your students in any way possible, whether it is on the job description, or not.
Talk about how you work with the teaching staff, too. Often school nurses help the teachers to stay fit and healthy, something that is equally vital for students.
Consider sharing a couple of your more extreme stories in the cover letter. Your employers will want to hire someone who can deal with the unexpected, so while they will understand that 99% of your days will be routine, they will want to know that you can cope with the curve balls that come along every now and again. These are the things that you would likely wish to discuss during an interview, so start these conversations in a cover letter.
Having obtained my certification as a National Certified School Nurse (NCSN), I bring specialized expertise and knowledge to the job. My experience, along with my Bachelor's in Nursing, has given me the skills to excel in school settings and ensure the health and safety of all students.
Reducing absence rates due to illness was a key metric when I started in the role. My award-winning health education campaigns led to a 29% decrease in absence due to long-term illness and engagement with the student body doubled. When people come to visit the school healthcare team, we can be more proactive in dealing with their health concerns. Academic outcomes improved for 95% of those who were previously persistently absent.
One of the reasons for my application to your high school is your focus on mental health. The stigma around speaking up is something that I have long sought to address, and I am proud that 85% of my former students accessed our bespoke resources. I try to attend 4-5 mental health workshops every year and try to keep on top of the latest science in this vital area.
Most large schools will use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to store and organize applicants for all positions, so make it easy to find your application by including enough keywords from the job description. You don’t have to go overboard, but this will also serve the dual purpose of ticking a few boxes for the hiring manager.
How to close a school nurse cover letter (conclusion and sign-off)
The conclusion of a school nurse cover letter should end with one last reason why you think you deserve the role. Passion for the job is an important attribute for a school nurse, so leave the employer in no doubt that you feel that this is your calling.
Once you have made that final argument, it is then time to say how much you are looking forward to finding out more during an interview. This call to action is perfectly understandable for a confident nurse that knows they can do the job well. Try to avoid any kind of presumptuous tone.
In terms of my core nursing duties, I can share over 150 letters of recommendation. My previous background in pediatric nursing ignited my passion for looking after young people. It is a true privilege to be the person that so many young people rely on to keep their bodies and minds in top condition. I would welcome the opportunity of an interview to explore how my experience might fit the needs of your students.
Sincerely,
Heather Sims
School nurse cover letter with no experience
It is unlikely that you will be taken on as a school nurse with no experience, but if this is a career goal for you, it may be worth doing some volunteering in a school environment while you are doing your medical training. Volunteering is a great way to gain experience in the medical profession. The unique demands of being a school nurse will soon become clear.
The school nurse cover letter with no experience should detail all your previous medical experience, no matter what setting. At the end of the day, patient care is key.
Basic mistakes in a school nurse application letter (and how to avoid them)
School nurses need to keep accurate records and be mindful of how they communicate, so accuracy in a cover letter is important. Making any of the following mistakes may reflect poorly on your attention to detail and generally how much you care about the role. If you cannot take care to get a few basics right on a cover letter, why should you be trusted with the health of a school community?
- Use Grammarly to check your spelling and grammar. Keep the tone of the cover letter formal and ask a friend to check that it sounds like you.
- Share detail and use medical language for the cover letter. You should sound like a nurse when talking to a patient.
- Make sure that the cover letter is tailored to the role. Each school will have differing requirements, so study the job description carefully.
Key takeaways
- Write about the right medical matters in your school nurse cover letter
- Match your career stories with the demands of the student population.
- Explain your motivations for the role – why do you want it?
- Choose a suitable design with our cover letter templates.
