School Nurse Perceptions of Their Role, Burnout, and Mentorship Programs: A Qualitative Analysis

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated demanding workloads and poor working conditions for school nurses, both of which are strong predictors of burnout. This study explores Pennsylvania school nurses’ perspectives on burnout and the value of peer mentorship programs in mitigating burnout. Fourteen (N = 14) school nurses who served as mentors or mentees in a one-year (2023–2024) mentorship program participated in one of two focus groups. Content analysis was performed by two coders using MAXQDA software (Cohen's kappa coefficient = 0.75). Results demonstrate that school nurses feel misunderstood in their role; they additionally experience frequent worry, low availability of substitutes, high student caseloads, stress over managing multiple buildings, and challenges navigating administrative and parental relationships; these factors were identified as sources of burnout. Nurses view peer mentorship positively, valuing the opportunity to share ideas and experiences and benefiting from a supportive organizational culture. Qualitative data supports that peer mentorship may reduce school nurse burnout.