How young is too young to teach LPN students?

Lovely_RN, MSN · Apr 30, 2009

I think that recent experience in the clinical field is a plus. It's better than being taught by someone who hasn't worked as a bedside nurse in 25+ years and is clueless about what is going on in the real world of nursing.

I honestly wish I had had more instructors that said "This is what you need to know to pass the NCLEX but this is what you really need to know to survive the floors."

Bettie P · Apr 30, 2009

Are you sure that these ladies don't have much experience? I'm only 37 but I've been a nurse since 1990... :coollook:

More important that their age is their knowledge, leadership and confidence. I've seen younger nurses who could take a doc full of bull by the horns, and I've seen older nurses who couldn't lead the way out of a wet paper bag. Take whatever good things these whippersnapper instructors have to offer with grace and take the bad things they offer with your therapeutic beverage of choice. :lol2:

NamasteNurse, BSN, RN · Apr 30, 2009

Most schools require 2 years nursing experience and an RN to teach. Crazy IMHO.. My teacher was probably an excellent nurse but knows diddly about teaching. I was a teacher for years and I can say that you need a specific set of skills to teach and not just job experience. That said, I don't think you can be "too young" if the school requirements are met, being young is out of the equation. To years experience is probably enough nusing skill wise, but agin, teaching skills are another topic altogether.

NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN · Apr 30, 2009

My instructor seems to be very young as well. When I inquired about her age all she told me was that she became a nurse at 21 which will explain why she is young and teaching. She seems to be very knowlegdeable ( spelling), and she's a very great instructor. Age shouldn't matter at all. As long as your instructor is a good instructor and is helping you to learn that should be all that matters.

I'll be a LPN at 20 and I'm sure people may think I'm too young to be a nurse. However, as long as I'm competent and provide quality care my age shouldn't matter. I won't be broadcasting my age either. I also plan to teach someday and I may be in my late 20's as well. So age should not matter. Good luck in your class.

dblpn · Apr 30, 2009

Are you sure that these ladies don't have much experience? I'm only 37 but I've been a nurse since 1990...
More important that their age is their knowledge, leadership and confidence. I've seen younger nurses who could take a doc full of bull by the horns, and I've seen older nurses who couldn't lead the way out of a wet paper bag. Take whatever good things these whippersnapper instructors have to offer with grace and take the bad things they offer with your therapeutic beverage of choice.

Wow you were really young when you became a nurse. the two ladies are really nice and seem to know what they're doing. the one thats 27 said she has always wanted to become a teacher or a nurse so now she's doing what she originally wanted to do. like i said, i'm probally overreacting and judgeing these women based on their youthfullness.

dblpn · Apr 30, 2009

My instructor seems to be very young as well. When I inquired about her age all she told me was that she became a nurse at 21 which will explain why she is young and teaching. She seems to be very knowlegdeable ( spelling), and she's a very great instructor. Age shouldn't matter at all. As long as your instructor is a good instructor and is helping you to learn that should be all that matters.
I'll be a LPN at 20 and I'm sure people may think I'm too young to be a nurse. However, as long as I'm competent and provide quality care my age shouldn't matter. I won't be broadcasting my age either. I also plan to teach someday and I may be in my late 20's as well. So age should not matter. Good luck in your class.

you're right age shouldn't mattter it's what they know. honestly, i've never seen nursing instructors so young thats why i was so shocked, LOL.

anyhoo, these are great gals and they must be doing something right because our school has a good nclex pass rate.

Good luck in your class too

ZanatuBelmont · May 1, 2009

so i've met some of our instructors today for our up coming classes and oh boy are they, well at least two of them are very young. one is in her late 20's and the other is in her early 30's. these women havent been nurses long, well at least bedside nurses and now they're instructors!
I thought most schools would require an rn with at least 8-10yrs. of nursing experience before they could teach. not someone who's only been out of school for a few yrs.
I'm sure these women love what they do but i'm not to confident having someone be my med surg insturctor who just graduated from high-school less than 10yrs ago. am i making too much of this or should i be concerned with the quality of education these women have? i dunno, maybe i am overreacting a little bit here. please calm my fears.

My program has five "young" intructors - the youngest is 22 and the "oldest" of the youngest is 28. For purposes in my LVN program (and I believe state regulations) they are only allowed to teach basic nursing skills (how to use a stethoscope, work with a G-tube, etc.) and "teach" as clinical instructors. I prefer them in those areas of instruction because they are still "textbook." Some instructors I have have been in nursing for 25+ years and like to share a lot of their personal experiences and "their" way, but "their" way will not be on state boards. So for testing purposes in the "nclex hospital," I like new grad nurses to teach basic skills since they are still so very textbook in their thinking which, as I implied, is helpful.

If the new grad or someone who graduated less than five years ago was put in charge of teaching Med-Surg, however, I would have a problem.

What do your young instructors teach? As for them having less than 10 years experience, five years, in my opinion, should be minimum for in-depth studies. By then the instructor has been exposed to many different aspects of nursing.

sunray12 · May 1, 2009

I wouldn't make too much out of it. I met the director of the program I'll be attending and she is an older woman but it wouldn't bother me if she was young. As someone pointed out above some nurses start their schooling very young. Some are still in high school when they start nursing school, and might have be RN's by the time they're 19 or 20 which would make them old hands by the time they're 25. :) Nursing instructors are on shortage as it is which makes finding nursing schools hard for all of us. Many of us are choosing the lpn pathway because the waitlists at RN programs are years long. If umpteen years of experience were required to be a nursing instructor the situation would only be worse.

ParkerBC,MSN,RN, PhD, RN · May 2, 2009

I think you bring up an interesting point. When I was working on my first undergraduate degree, I had instructors who were TA's (Teaching Assistants). They were young graduate students working either towards their Master's or PhD's. None could have had any business experience to speak of. I also learned that many of your PhD professors lack real world knowledge. Their responsibility is to do research, write grants for funding, and teach. Anyways...if those two instructors know the material, able to present it, and answer questions, I wouldn't be concerned about it.