NEED ADVICE - Nursing or Teaching???

Donnetterr · Dec 21, 2005

I want to let you know that as a bachelor's degree holder you may be eligible for some accelerated BSN programs, or even a direct entry MSN. There are a variety of schools that offer both accelerated BSN and MSN programs, and you can do a search from any popular search engine for them.

As to whether to go into nursing or teaching, only you can truly answer that question. I can offer you my opinion, though! Why limit yourself? Go into nursing, get some experience, then teach nursing. The field of nursing is wide open, and we will need some new nurse educators as our current crop of faculty members ages and retires. I am considering doing this myself. I am a post-bac BSN student, and I plan to get some experience and then pursue an educator's degree in nursing.

Whatever you choose, good luck, and please keep us posted.

Jame · Dec 21, 2005

Thanks for your reply!! Do you think that in a few years all nurses are going to need a BSN?? What's the difference if you have an Assoc. degree and are an RN compared to a BSN and are an RN?? Pay??

I will look into the accelerated BSN programs.

Thanks for your advice!!

tencat · Dec 21, 2005

Nursing is way more felxible and pays better than teaching. There's not much you can do with an education degree except teach or administrate. With a nursing degree you can do all kinds of different jobs. Some may quibble on this point, but having been a teacher and having seen nurses at work during clinicals, nurses seem to be treated with quite a bit more respect than public school teachers are. But, as another poster said, why not get the nursing degree and teach nursing? Best of both worlds!

lcbradley · Dec 21, 2005

I taught school for a total of 4 years before finally deciding to give it up for teaching. I know I made the right decision and wish I had the guts to do it when I first had thoughts about it--after graduating from college. Instead, I went on to grad school and earned a masters in elementary education. Believe me, if you are seriously contemplating nursing, those feelings won't go away. If it is really what you want to do, don't delay. As advised earlier, there are programs available considering you have already earned a degree.

Jame · Dec 21, 2005

Thanks!!

What other jobs can you do w/a nursing degree??

My only concern is the difference in degrees - ADN/BSN. I have an assoc. and BS degree in other fields. If I get my ADN, would I have to go on to get my BSN?? What's the difference?? Also, there is such a demand for nurses and a lot of people seem to be going into nursing now, will there be nursing jobs 3 years from now??

Thanks for the advice, it is very much appreciated!!!

sonja77 · Dec 21, 2005

no, you do not have to go and get your bsn.

just do a search, the difference between bsn and adn has been discussed quite often:

https://allnurses.com/forums/f87/asn-bsn-134141.html

https://allnurses.com/forums/f121/what-difference-btwn-bachelors-vs-associates-133963.html

https://allnurses.com/forums/f198/sick-adn-vs-bsn-like-most-us-have-choice-anyway-108746.html

https://allnurses.com/forums/f87/should-i-go-my-bsn-131770.html

https://allnurses.com/forums/f50/associates-bachelors-131860.html

and there are quite a few more threads about this subject.

Donnetterr · Dec 21, 2005

Whether you enter nursing as an ADN or BSN grad (or direct-entry MSN for that matter), you will take the same NCLEX licensing exam and have the same RN license. There are lots of opinions regarding the merits of ADN or BSN, but in a nutshell, I think it's safe to say that either degree will allow you to enter nursing practice.

ADN grads may, or may not, choose to pursue a BSN if there is a desire to move into certain administrative type positions or teach. However, many experienced ADNs hold administrative or management positions right now. As time marches on, it may become necessary to have the BSN for those jobs, but no one has a crystal ball.

Since you already have a bachelor's degree, you may want to determine if you have completed any of the nursing prerequisites in your other program. For example, anatomy and physiology, microbiology, statistics, etc. If you have, this may cut down on the time you will need to complete either degree.

Good luck!

zenman · Dec 21, 2005

My wife is a teacher and I'm a nurse. We both currently work in an American International School. I'm in my first position as a school nurse. If we had known about this avenue, we would have started earlier. All the teachers here, who have taught all over the world, say they would never consider teaching again in the states. So, if you want to travel, get a year or two of teaching experience and apply to international schools.

llg, PhD, RN · Dec 21, 2005

While I agree that nursing offers more flexibility than teaching, I do not agree that nurses make more money. Sometimes that is the case: other times it is not. Most public school teachers have great benefit plans, including generous tuition reimbursement plans and pension plans that most people fail to notice when they are comparing the two. When you look at the value of those pension plans, teachers often "win" the compensation comparison.

My sister and I provide a good example. We are approximately the same age and both have graduate degrees. I am a nurse: she taught 2nd grade in a small town public school system. While I have always been paid more "cash up front" that she has gotten, she has always had better benefits.

Her graduate school was 100% reimbursed by the school district. She never had more than $10 deducted from a pay check for health insurance. She was also able to retire at age 51 with 60% of her maximum salary guaranteed for life with annual increases for inflation. Had she chosen to work for 5 more years, she would have been guaranteed 80% of her highest salary.

Not many nurses have benefit packages that come anywhere near what she has gotten.

In the end, the decision should be based on the kind of work the original poster would like to do. What kind of work will make you happiest?

llg

suebird3 · Dec 21, 2005

i figure, even if you go into teaching, you can still "work the floor" as a nurse. many of my instructors have done this, and still do.

wouldn't you would have, literally 2 marketable skills?

suebird

mollysn · Dec 21, 2005

Hi, if you decide to go the nursing route, check into an accelerated BA to BSN program. Depending on what pre reqs you need to take, the BSN may be faster or the same amount of times as the AD. Good Luck with your decision!