Nurses have traditionally been on the front line of health care services.  The continuing need for well trained nursing personnel in the medical field has made the profession one that is a bright spot even in a bad economy. There is still demand to fill positions for nurses even during a recession. However, the severity of the Great Recession has made careers in  nursing unstable.

Schools across the country have faced severe cuts in budgets. The bulk of revenue for many schools  comes from local property tax. With the downfall of the housing market, schools have had to cut budgets with shortfalls in money coming in. One of the standards of any school has been the school nurse. In some schools the job could be a part time or full time position. The school nurse was the access for health care needs of students. Whether it was seeing to the needs of sick kids or making sure the immunization and health records of students were in compliance with government health requirements, school nurses were a vital part in any educational institution.

In many schools there may not be a school nurse. Nurses in many large city school districts had to be laid off. The National Association of School Nurses reports that a quarter of schools don't have a nurses on staff. One-third of school districts have reduced nursing in the past year. The impact this has on the health needs of students may be hard to ascertain as other staff may absorb duties.