Going straight from BSN into Masters program?

[JessMae]

Can people go straight from BSN into a Masters program for teaching? More specifically, I would like to work while going to a part time Masters program, thus I would not be completely without floor experience.

The Nursing field in general seems like its very entrenched in requiring that new nurses "suffer" or "earn their place" before they can do anything else, so I'm wondering if this move might be looked down upon because I didn't earn my stripes first?

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

Education positions will require you to have two to five years of acute care experience before you are considered qualified to teach, and that is a minimum. It is unfortunate that you see that as having to "suffer". It is actually because without the direct patient care knowledge and knowing how a hospital functions you aren't going to be an effective instructor.

If you want to teach, you do indeed need to earn your stripes. If you pursue an MSN in nursing education without the necessary experience you will not be taken seriously as a job candidate for teaching, both in professional development and in academia. Yes, you will be looked down upon and you will have wasted a lot of money.

I became a nurse educator after six years on the floor and I can honestly say that it probably was NOT enough acute care experience. You don't even know how much you don't know. Part time work while going to school will not be enough, both from the perspective of someone looking to hire an educator and from the perspective of someone being qualified to teach nursing.

If you just want to be a teacher, go get a teaching degree. Teaching nursing requires you to have worked as a nurse.

[kaylee.]

Agree with PP. Even if you got the MSN with the intent of working for 2 years before becoming an educator—To be taken seriously as an MSN in nursing education means not only do you have expertise in education, u also have expertise in nursing!

Imagine if you wanted to become a spanish teacher but you didnt speak spanish. u can go get a masters in education, but In no way would this qualify you to be a spanish teacher.

Bottom line: a masters in education may teach u how to teach, but not the subject matter—its expected that u have expertise in the subject intend to teach.

Im not saying new nurses should never get an msn before experience. It can work in some cases. But not education.

[jc3015]

I was always told that nursing school prepared me to pass the boards, that I learned to nurse on the job. That has definitely wound up being true. I wouldn’t want to be ‘taught’ by an instructor with no real experience.

If you only want to teach, pick another field. If you want to teach nursing, suck it up, get your hands dirty and really be a nurse.