Help: I want to teach but not clinical nursing!!

Editorial Team / Admin · Sep 18, 2005

Hello everyone! I need some advice. I want to teach but not necessarily clinical nursing. I am uncomfortable with hands on nursing but love working and teaching nurses (regulations/policy/procedure). I have the experience to give great advice on clinical and procedural issues but to actually take care of the patient (no real interest). I love the concept of being a teacher: 9-10 month contracts, teaching courses, researching, community involvement. I don't want to be one of the "hospital" instructors. How do I get around this and is it worth pursuing it? We all know how much schooling I am going to have to go through (PhD, EdD). What do you think are my options for becoming this "non-clinical" nursing instructor?

Hello, gerinurse10,:balloons:

Do you have a Masters???? If so, you can teach without a PhD. At least you can in my state......

As for no clinicals, that would be something you would have to work out upon being hired by the program director/administrator.

mwbeah · Sep 18, 2005

nurse educator

a career in nursing education provides you with the opportunity to teach in programs that prepare licensed practical nurses (lpn) and registered nurses (rn) for entry into practice positions. in addition, nursing faculty teach in graduate programs at the master's and doctoral level which prepare advanced practice nurses, nurse educators, nursing administrators, nurse researchers, and leaders in complex healthcare and educational organizations.

faculty who teach in lpn, associate degree and baccalaureate programs are required to hold a master's degree in nursing. most baccalaureate and higher degree programs require a minimum of a master's degree and prefer the doctorate for full-time teaching positions. many nurse educators have a clinical specialty background that is often blended with coursework in education. individuals may complete a post-master's certificate in education to complement their clinical expertise if they choose to enter a faculty role.

nursing faculty have the unique opportunity to share their clinical expertise in educational settings to shape the next generation of nurses. current faculty indicate that the most positive aspect of their role is the interaction with students. nursing faculty may also engage in scholarly inquiry that will further illuminate the nature of teaching and learning and will ultimately shape future educational processes and outcomes.

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after reading your post, it sounds like you may consider a law degree for policy work or a business degree for administrative work. not knowing you, i would just say that your view on clinical nursing, if you were to teach at a nursing program, may reflect onto your students and possibly jade their outlook on the profession and (quite possibly) be detrimental to future patient care given by those students.

llg, PhD, RN · Sep 18, 2005

Even with the appropriate degrees ... it is sometimes difficult to cross over into teaching without doing some clinical teaching. New faculty members come into the academic world as the "newbies" on the faculty and rarely get the "favored" teaching assignments. The 100% classroom classes are often assigned to the senior, full-time faculty members. The junior faculty members are often assigned to the clinical courses. This is particularly true of the university programs with a formal system of seniority, tenure, etc.

I'm sure there are some exceptions to this -- and if you look hard enough, you will probably find them. But you might have to be very flexible in the type of program you work for, your geographic location, etc.

This has been an issue in my career. My clinical experience is considerable -- but it is in NICU, a specialty taught minimally at the undergraduate level. I don't have solid experience in pediatrics or maternity. When I graduated with my PhD several years ago, I could not find a good fit on a faculty. As a new faculty member, I was expected to "start at the bottom" teaching undergraduates. That meant participating in their clinical rotations -- on adult med/surg, peds, OB, etc. Only after moving up the faculty career ladder a little would I be considered for a position with no bedside supervision of undergraduates.

Good luck,

llg

gerinurse10 · Sep 18, 2005

Hi! Thanks for your response. I work in community health and can't imagine working on a med/surg floor now, let alone with students. Do you have any advice on other academic areas I could get into and teach with my medical background? I am in a MSN program (9 credits completed), education track. My other interests would be QA/Staff Development. Bottom line is that my husband works very strange hours as a Firefighter and I am trying to find a career that has alot of flexibility in it's hours ie. work from home, time off during summer, eves/days. I know I am asking for alot but hey why not try and find this fit. I've just started school so I have some flexibility in my direction. The thought of going for an EdD is intriguing also. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Editorial Team / Admin · Sep 18, 2005

Hi! Thanks for your response. I work in community health and can't imagine working on a med/surg floor now, let alone with students. Do you have any advice on other academic areas I could get into and teach with my medical background? I am in a MSN program (9 credits completed), education track. My other interests would be QA/Staff Development. Bottom line is that my husband works very strange hours as a Firefighter and I am trying to find a career that has alot of flexibility in it's hours ie. work from home, time off during summer, eves/days. I know I am asking for alot but hey why not try and find this fit. I've just started school so I have some flexibility in my direction. The thought of going for an EdD is intriguing also. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Hello, gerinurse10,:balloons:

Have you considered NP with a concentration in Education?

sbic56, BSN, RN · Sep 18, 2005

My other interests would be QA/Staff Development.

That's just what I was going to suggest...plus Infection Control. You only need to know what do do, not dabble in it!

llg, PhD, RN · Sep 18, 2005

"Teaching clinical" doens't necessarily mean adult med/surg. You might be able to teach community health. You would still have students in the clinical setting -- but you would be supervising their community health experiences, not their inpatient clinicals.

A lot of staff development jobs do not require bedside nursing. Many involve teaching things like CPR ... orientation classes ... preceptor preparation classes ... etc.

llg

gerinurse10 · Sep 18, 2005

Thanks everyone for your input. I have time to think about all this so we will see what happens. It can't hurt to have an MSN whatever direction I head. I do like the idea of teaching community health. I'll just keep on with the educator track and see what happens. Thanks for the advice it helps.

hmsrn1201 · Sep 26, 2005

I am completing my BSN-PhD degree in effort to teach at a university level as well. Keep in mind that many universities offer academic tracks other than just tenured and clinical tracks. You may also receive a research or a fixed-term faculty appointment as well where your time is divided between classroom teaching and research/policy, ect.

My advice to you is to seek out a PhD (research degree) or a DNSc. You may be more utilized and employable in nursing, health care policy/legislation, research, consulting, pharmaceuticals, ect. An EdD is more of a degree of the past as far as nursing is concerned and is not favored among nursing schools. Many doctorate degrees are incorporating education cognates/electives into their curriculums to prepare nursing faculty as well.

Good luck to you!

foxyhill21 · Sep 30, 2005

I am NS and I want to work in NICU or L&D and also have a passion to teach? Can anyone tell me any schools that offer BSN-PHD?

Editorial Team / Admin · Sep 30, 2005

I am NS and I want to work in NICU or L&D and also have a passion to teach? Can anyone tell me any schools that offer BSN-PHD?

Hello, foxyhill21,:balloons:

Try here for a fairly comprehensive list of nursing programs in the U.S.

www.allnursingschools.com

Good luck.