Experienced Nurse Seeking Advice

Tait, MSN, RN · Apr 6, 2013

If you have any opportunity to get educating experience now, either as a unit educator or something like that, I would jump on it. I am graduating in like 2 weeks with MSN-Ed and have been home for the past two years with my daughter. Most teaching jobs require one year minimum teaching experience to start (Kaplan, some ADN programs, etc). If you can get something on your resume now while you chug through the final year it will be great for landing a job afterwards. CNE also requires two years of teaching prior to sitting for the test, and the PhD program I am looking at also requires 2 years of faculty teaching.

Best of luck!

Tait

akc_RN · Apr 7, 2013

Ok thank you! That is what I was thinking about doing. Maybe starting this fall, I will look into teaching at a community college to start getting some experience. I appreciate your advice!

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Apr 7, 2013

What about teaching clinical? I know people who taught clinicals while enrolled in an MSN program.

TheWalkingDeadNurse · Apr 7, 2013

You don't have to have a master's to teach at a vocational nursing school.

akc_RN · Apr 8, 2013

What about teaching clinical? I know people who taught clinicals while enrolled in an MSN program.

Oh ok that's not a bad idea. Now can I do that full time or just part time? I currently work at the beside, but I would love to do it full time...

akc_RN · Apr 8, 2013

You don't have to have a master's to teach at a vocational nursing school.

Ok thank you for that idea too!

akc_RN · Apr 8, 2013

You don't have to have a master's to teach at a vocational nursing school.

Ok thank you for that idea as well! I will look into that :)

allnurses Guide · Apr 13, 2013

While I was in my MSN program, I taught just one group for clinicals, so one day a week; while still working my regular shifts as a staff nurse. It really opened my eyes in several ways, about education and the paperwork required of teaching, which is many many hours outside of both classroom and clinical site.

It also gave me access to some terrific mentors through the school that hired me as a CI. I now work for that school as adjunct in classroom (too hard to do night shift for staff and days for clinicals) but get paid a lot more (by the hour) with my staff job.

akc_RN · Apr 14, 2013

While I was in my MSN program, I taught just one group for clinicals, so one day a week; while still working my regular shifts as a staff nurse. It really opened my eyes in several ways, about education and the paperwork required of teaching, which is many many hours outside of both classroom and clinical site.
It also gave me access to some terrific mentors through the school that hired me as a CI. I now work for that school as adjunct in classroom (too hard to do night shift for staff and days for clinicals) but get paid a lot more (by the hour) with my staff job.

Ok thank you for your post! Yes I'm thinking it will be too hard to do both while still on school. I would like to teach clinicals full time in the fall. Any suggestions on how I should go about it since I don't have my MSN yet??

allnurses Guide · Apr 14, 2013

You don't need the MSN for ADN clinicals in most places. Some schools will hire you if you are enrolled in an MSN course and plan to graduate within 5 years. The general rule of thumb is having one degree higher than you are teaching, or so it seems to me. BSN can teach ADN clinicals, MSN can teach BSN clinicals. They get stickier about classroom lectures.

Best bet would be to find a local school and just go introduce yourself. I know we are often desperate for clinical instructors.

BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN · Apr 19, 2013

Does anyone in your masters program already teach adjunct? When I was in my MS program, there were people who did. Do you have any clinical groups that come to your unit? If so, talk to the instructors. See if the schools consider grad students. You could also speak to your professors, or any of your hospital educators, since they likely deal with the clinical facilities. I was able to get my foot in the door through a classmate in my masters program. She did her student teaching at the school I went to for ms ADN. She told me they were looking for adjuncts and said they were desperate! So I jumped on it. I still had less than a year to go, but they took me as an adjunct, then by the time I had the MS, a full time position opened up.

The four years experience is better than nothing. Ideally, they are looking for more, the fact that you have ob experience is a plus, but don't count on landing a clinical in that specialty right away. It took me a few years to teach my specialty, because of seniority, and proving myself.