I have been an RN for 6 years with PACU and ICU experience. I am currently in school to get my BSN. I am still trying to decide what area I want to get my MSN in. FNP or education? I am tired of working "under" different people and doing orders and tasks. I understand the duties and responsibilities of a FNP, but is it too much for what pay you get? Would a job in education say at a university or community college but less stressful with less pay? I am having a hard time finding out salaries for nursing instructors at universities and community colleges. If anyone has any advice or suggestions it would be of great help!
UVA Grad Nursing 1,068 Posts Jan 26, 2012 The salary teaching nursing is much less than that for practicing nursing. In my city, the differential is about $30,000 per year. But teaching does have its benefits regarding quality of life. With teaching there are no nights, weekend, or holiday shifts. Our faculty also have 3 months off in the summer and 4 weeks off at Christmas. Some are picking up PRN shifts in the summer months, some spending more time with families, and others use the summers for their own clinical/research projects.Another thing to consider is where you would get a position with a MSN in Education. In my locale, those with MSNs in Education are not hired to teach at 4-year schools (due to CCNE and BON guidelines). Even many of the local community colleges are preferring those with specialty education to teach the clinical classes (MSNs in psych to teach psych, peds for peds, etc). Definitely check around with the employers in your region to see what is their preference in hiring faculty. I know several RNs who took out large loans to pay for a MSN in education from online, for-profit universities and are not even getting interviewed for teaching jobs.
foxyhill21 429 Posts Specializes in trauma ICU,TNCC, NRP, PALS, ACLS. Jan 31, 2012 Have you thought about becoming an FNP and teaching a clinical or a class part time.
elkpark 14,633 Posts Jan 31, 2012 But teaching does have its benefits regarding quality of life. With teaching there are no nights, weekend, or holiday shifts. (Just a comment, since this is something one often hears about teaching jobs -- sure, you may not be scheduled to work evenings, nights, or weekends in a teaching position, but that doesn't mean you don't end up at times spending plenty of your own time on evenings and weekends grading papers, preparing for class, etc. :) )
