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Suggested Script for Presenting Nursing 
to 4th-5th Graders

Someone playing the role of a child runs into room holding a finger and shouting  “I just fell down on the playground and hurt my finger”.

Nurse:  Oh my, let me see.  Maybe I can help you.  You sure did hurt your finger.  Here, let me put a Band-Aid on it for you.  (use alcohol wipe and apply Band-Aid).

Student:  Where did you learn how to fix fingers?

Nurse:  I’m a registered nurse and I when I went to college to learn how to be a nurse, they taught me all about fixing fingers and a lot of other things to help people get well.

Student:  What other things do nurses do?

Nurse:  We do all sorts of things—we help people of all ages to get well.  Nurses can work in hospitals or clinics or homes.  Some nurses like babies and  children so they can become Pediatric nurses.  Others like to work with grownups.  Some go to the operating room and help doctors with surgery.  It’s a lot of fun because you get to meet a lot of different people and it makes you feel good when you can help someone.  Everyone appreciates nurses, especially when they are sick.  We even have a special week every year to honor nurses and what they do for people.

Student:  But I hate blood—and I don’t like hospitals!!

Nurse:  A lot of nurses do work in hospitals, but there are many other places where nurses work besides hospitals.  Some nurses are teachers and professors; some are lawyers, some work with businesses and in factories and offices, and some even work in schools like  _____________________(the school nurse’s name).  Nurses are everywhere.  And with more people living longer and getting older, we are going to need more nurses than ever by the time you grow up.

Student:  Are girls the only ones that become nurses?

Nurse:  Oh, no!  We have a lot of men that are nurses and we need more boys to think about nursing as a career.  Men in nursing do a lot of the same jobs that women do.  They are teachers, work in the emergency rooms, and some fly in helicopters, and do lots of exciting things.

Student:  Do nurses make a lot of money?

Nurse:  Nurses earn a very good income.  Most nurses earn around $40,000 per year, but some nurses earn more than $100,000 per year.  It all depends on what kind of nursing you choose to do.

Student:  WOW!  That’s good.  What do I need to do to become a SC Nurse?

Nurse:  Well, first you have to work hard in middle school and high school.  You have to take science and math courses, so you can be ready to learn all about the human body and how it works.  Nurses work with computers too, so you have to learn how to use the computer to look up information.

Student:  I like science and math and computers.  And I like people too!

Nurse:  That’s great.  See, you already have many of the skills that nurses need!  Maybe you will become a South Carolina Nurse.

Student:  I really want to.  Thanks, _______________________ (nurse). (Student skips out of the room).

OPTIONAL (if conducting a session during Nurses Week)
Nurse:  Boys and girls, this is Nurses Week and I’m here to encourage you to think about nursing as a career.  We have begun a very special Future Nurses Kids Club for anyone who thinks they may want to become a nurse.  We will be able to send you more information in the mail and we will also have a cool web-site for you to go to and learn more about SC nurses.  I’m going to give you coloring sheet to take home.  At the end of the coloring sheet you will find the address for the Future Nurses Web site. To join the club you can register by completing the post card and either mailing it to the address on the web site, or you can register online.  Be sure to get your parent’s permission to join our club. If they say yes, then you will receive a membership certificate in the mail along with other free gifts.

I hope that each of you will be thinking about becoming a SC Nurse like me and that you will join our special club.  Thank you very much for letting me talk with you today.  I hope we can keep in touch through the Kid’s Club!!
 
If you have any questions about nursing I would love to answer them for you now.