CRNA Looking For Undergraduate Teaching Opportunity

[Nupe4sleep]

Hello:

I'm looking for some advice and guidance. I've been a NURSE ANESTHETIST for 20 years and a RN for 30 years. For personal and professional reasons I'm looking to make a career change. I would like to teach nursing on the UNDERGRADUATE level. I don't have any "formal" teaching experience but I did have the opportunity to teach while I was in the military and often taught nurse anesthesia students during their clinical rotations etc. Excluding my 20 years as a CRNA I've worked in EVERY clinical setting (ICU, ER and OR) and I definitely feel I have something to offer the next generation of nurses. Especially in the area of critical thinking skills. However, I am encountering one major "stumbling block". I DO NOT have a Master's in NURSING. My nurse anesthesia program only offered a Master's in BIOLOGY. Most states require a MSN or MEd to teach nursing. To that end, the other issue is that I'm 53 years old and quite honestly have NO DESIRE to go back to school. My son just graduated from college 3 years ago and my daughter will be starting college in 3 years so I really don't want to incur the additional debt etc.

My preference would be to teach in the traditional classroom setting but I would be open to teaching online etc. I live in Maryland but I would be willing to relocate for the RIGHT opportunity. Does anyone have any advice on how I should proceed? I would really appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

TG

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Sorry - but you are not going to be able to teach at an accredited RN program without an MSN. It's an accreditation requirement. A program can apply for a temporary waiver if they hire someone who is nearly finished with an MSN, but it's only temporary.

It would also be a good idea to obtain some formal (paid) teaching experience and additional coursework in the discipline of education. There is much more to education than simply lecturing or checking off clinical skills. Knowlege/skills in instructional design, education law, and psychometrics are extremely important. Many of us have discovered that online teaching is more difficult and time consuming than classroom teaching.

With your great clinical background, have you thought about becoming a simulation instructor? There are a growing number of certificate programs, and I recently heard of a graduate program in Simulation Learning at Drexel. This is a growing field - with jobs in academic programs as well as hospital education departments.

Best of luck on your career transition.

[Nupe4sleep]

Thanks for the advice. I will definitely look into "simulation teaching".

[Nupe4sleep]

Based on the above response, does anyone think I might be better served looking for an LPN teaching position? Based on my research, there do seem to be a lot of LPN teaching opportunities. However, I don't recall seeing any in the Maryland/DC area. More importantly, I'm not sure how much LPN's are used anymore. I know when I first graduated (1985) there were a LOT of LPN's. Especially in the military. Some of the BEST nurses I ever worked with were LPN's. One of the best kept secrets was that the LPN's actually ran most floors. Not "on paper" or based on "rank" but IN REALITY they did. That being said, I've haven't been on a Med-Surg floor in probably 25+ years so I'm sure things have certainly changed. Maybe with health care reform and cost cutting at most hospitals there might be a renewed need or desire for LPN's? Any thoughts or opinions? Thanks in advance.

TG

[annetj]

Check out EDJOIN - The Nation's #1 Education Job Board for teaching opportunities

[AlleycatLady, BSN]

I think it depends on where you are (state). I have a cousin who teaches at a community college in Alabama. She is an RN. She has been teaching for many years (>12) and she just got her masters this year. I would check with the community colleges if I were you. You may also be able to do a hybrid teacher cert MS where they allow you to start teaching before you get the cert. I think UNC Charlotte has one.