Being a Teacher/Nurse

Published

Has anyone done this? Teacher school during the school year (I'll be getting a teacher degree and a aa in nursing (rn) I would like to work a shift once a week during the school year and full time during the summers.

Specializes in Acute Care Cardiac, Education, Prof Practice.

While I commend the idea of getting multiple degrees, both nursing and teaching are challenging careers.

It generally takes two years of full-time experience in nursing to begin to become confident and competent in bedside care. I am not saying there isn't a chance you aren't a savant of sorts, but nursing takes a lot more then completing the program. The majority of nursing expertise comes from applying book knowledge to the bedside.

I don't know. Both careers are so important to the people involved in them (students rely on strong teachers, patients rely on strong nurses) that I don't favor the idea of short-changing both groups by trying to do do much.

Best of luck in your schooling and I hope you find a happy medium!

Tait

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

I've been an elementary school teacher and a nurse. I don't think you realize how much work teachers do at home. It can be a huge amount. I usually spent my whole Sunday working on things for the next week. Then there's the after school work every day. It's very cognitively, emotionally, and sometimes physically demanding to be a teacher. I wonder if you would have enough energy to work as a nurse one day per week? You would be one tired puppy in both jobs!

Teaching on the university level, however, worked well for me, while also working as a nurse, once I figured out how to coordinate things and had been teaching a few years. The first few years were kind of intense. I did both jobs half time. University students tend to have fewer behavioral problems to work through (although sometimes they have some biggies). That helps alot.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Just curious, would it be hard to get on somewhere just during the summers(obviously after having a few years experience.)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I don't think you are going to get a full-time job just for summer, but per diem hours can be increased to full time hours, only your hours are not guaranteed.

If you are lucky, you find a job where lots of people take time off in the summer and the per diem staff have lots of chances to work.

If you really want to do nursing as well, I would recommend at least one or, better yet, two years of full time experience before you go per diem.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

It occurred to me that you could be a travel nurse during the summer...

Up Vote Up Vote ×

How much is per diem generally? I'm still very green on nursing, and more importantly, y'all said the time wasn't guaranteed but I'm sure most people try and take off during the summer so it seems it would be easy to get hours.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU.

I have a BS in Edu and a BSN, currently licensed and working as a nurse. I let my teacher cert lapse. I am exhausted just thinking about doing both jobs!

But, theoretically, since you asked, is it possible? I don't see why not. As long as you have no family commitments and a very open social schedule, it could work.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

What would you have to do to get your teach cert back?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

Somebody asked me once why I didn't go and get my Masters in Education instead of going into nursing (I have a BSEd already), I told them teachers were underpaid and unappreciated so I decided to go into nursing.:p

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Working the two jobs at times may be a bit much. I taught elementary and middle school. My workload was pretty full during the school year. I had papers to grade, lesson plans to research and create, parents to call, faculty meetings, and CE classes to attend. Most of the time, just to keep up, I took work home with me at night and on the weekends. As an elementary teacher I had 6 to 7 preps for each day in my lesson plans. In other words I had to have a lesson for each subject for each day. In the middle school I had 4 preps with one Reading, one Language Arts, and two different Math lessons. We also had open houses and other activities that would require us to stay after school into the evening. My district also required that we work on Saturdays from January until April to help tutor students who needed extra help. This was all part of our contract. I also took extra classes in the summer because I had to have 150 hours of CEs every 5 years to keep my license current.

I'm not saying that you can't work two jobs, but the extra job, even one day a week, is really going to eat into your time. I had a friend that worked at a video store after school. He seemed to make it work, but he was also single.

Teaching school can be a great career, but it wasn't for me. Nursing and teaching are similar in some ways. You definitely are not in it for the money and you really need to have a passion for what you do.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Somebody asked me once why I didn't go and get my Masters in Education instead of going into nursing (I have a BSEd already), I told them teachers were underpaid and unappreciated so I decided to go into nursing.:p

I had nurses tell me the same thing about nursing.:lol2: I have read so many posts on here that have made me say, "That's just like when I was a teacher.":uhoh3:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Have yall tried travel nursing? That seems like a great option if I taught during the summer.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion