Has anyone got their Masters and went straight to teaching?

tencat · Jan 10, 2009

Are you referring to someone who was already a nurse, then went back to get a Masters? If that's the case then there's no reason not to go straight into teaching. But if you're referring to someone who has just been in school and not had any practical experience, and a fair amount of it, I think that's a really bad idea. If you've never experienced the real nursing world, there's no way in hades you can be a decent, effective instructor of nursing. It's a disservice to the students, really.

JaneyW · Jan 10, 2009

Are you talking about an entry level masters? I am finishing my MSN after practicing for 6 1/2 years and I am going to go straight into teaching if I can get a job. I have something lined up for summer session and am starting to apply for fall positions. I know in California the BRN won't approve you to teach unless you have at least a year of continuous practice in the specialty and you have to have BRN approval to teach.

elkpark · Jan 10, 2009

I returned home to a full-time teaching position when I finished my MSN. I had almost ten years of clinical experience as a generalist RN in my specialty area, however.

Whispera, MSN, RN · Jan 12, 2009

I started teaching clinicals when I had one year of experience under my belt, and when I only had my BSN.

island40 · Jan 24, 2009

I started teaching at a CC during my last semester prior to graduating with my MSN in nursing ed. I had been an RN for over 10 years. With the cost of school I just can't imagine anyone going from BSN to MSN without working a little. Clinical courses do not give a person enough experience to teach.

EvelynRN-BSN · Jan 24, 2009

I went from graduating from an ADN Program and completed the RN to BSN program, graduating with Latin Honors: Cum Laude. I worked for five years during that time and went directly into teaching a year after completing the BSN prgram. I love it! I did not have to get my MSN, but I one course under my belt prior to the date of hire. I want to complete the MSN program, but will have to wait. I have to say I LOVE IT!!! I am so glad to be given the opportunity to be a Clinical Nursing Instructor with a BSN. It's great and very rewarding!:heartbeat

island40 · Jan 24, 2009

I think we need to state if the teaching we are doing is clinical or didactic. Full time faculty either have an MSN or are in the process of getting it. Clinical instructor and adjuct instructors (who teach med math or skills courses) usually need their BSN but can also be "in progress." Depending on how rural and needy the school is, it is not uncommon in Iowa for an ADN to teach clinical with no coursework toward BSN.

EvelynRN-BSN · Jan 24, 2009

I think we need to state if the teaching we are doing is clinical or didactic. Full time faculty either have an MSN or are in the process of getting it. Clinical instructor and adjuct instructors (who teach med math or skills courses) usually need their BSN but can also be "in progress." Depending on how rural and needy the school is, it is not uncommon in Iowa for an ADN to teach clinical with no coursework toward BSN.

For Island40,

I am instructing "Clinical" which is the clinical portion and part didactic in lab, but not lecture. Maybe sometime in the future I will do lecture. I do have some Master Courses under my belt! And a strong background in ICU, which helped a lot with getting the job for instructing clinical. They wanted someone with a strong clinical background and I was told that a strong background in working in the ICU always was a plus and stood out on a resume for instructing clinical without prior teaching skills at a college. And the fact that I was a Unit Manager was a big help as well. It showed that I have the ability to manage, teach and be a leader, which they said was impressive as well for choosing a clinical instructor that lacked teaching on the resume at a college. Obviously we all do a lot of teaching as nurses and as a unit manager I did a lot of teaching to staff as well, especially while our staff educator was out for several months, so I did even more teaching. It really helped with getting the job. Now I am into my second semester of teaching and love it. :heartbeat

caligirl99 · Feb 7, 2009

You can't go straight into teaching without any practical experience even with an MSN. You need at least two years full time experience as an LVN or RN before you teach. This is the BVNPT requirement.