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Discussion

Choosing a MSN program

Hi all.

I am an RN who is about four months away from completion of my BSN, which is my first step toward becoming nursing faculty. This has been my goal since I first became an RN in a diploma program about 21 years ago. Family and life delayed this, but now I am about halfway there. My main question is to choose a FNP master's degree or the MSN in nursing education. My entire career has been spent in nephrology nursing, and so I lean towards the FNP degree as it will refresh my overall nursing skills and knowledge, making me a more well rounded nurse and teacher. In doing research I have found many respected online FNP programs, which would allow me to continue to work (two days a week) and still have some semblance of family life. My drawback for this is I believe I need the curriculum development and education portion of a MSN in education to be effective as well. A few colleges I've looked at offer both, and I could do the FNP first and then attend two semesters more and obtain a post-Master's certificate in education. If I completed the MSN ed degree first I could do the same, but it woud take much more time and may be quite difficult if I obtain a full time faculty position immediately after graduation.

I am interested in any advice from those of you who live this role on a daily basis. Is my narrow nursing experience really a liability, or am I worrying about something that simply won't matter? I would also like to know what a day in the life of a nursing faculty member looks like so that I can make sure I am not on the outside looking in through rose colored glasses! Also, any advice that can be offered on important points to consider in choosing a university are welcome!

Thanks to all of you in advance for any advice or guidance you can give!

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    Look at it like this; higher education instructors don't get higher degrees in education. They are subject experts. If you go to the biology department you won't find the faculty to hold a B.S. in biology and a M.Ed. in instructional techniques. They hold a master's in biology and Ph.D. with research foci in biology. The same applies to every other department. Education professors study education since their specialty is education.

    If you want to teach nurses then specialize in some area of nursing and teach that. With the FNP you'll have more assessment, patho, pharm, and practice knowledge to offer. Don't get a generic degree in nursing education and go into a classroom with two decades of kidney experience. It's so obvious as a student (this isn't my first degree) when a faculty member has no experience or clue about what they're talking about. It's disappointing to have an instructor give us nothing more than I could read in the same book the instructor is teaching from.

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