How did you decide to teach?

MissJulie · Oct 24, 2010

Just bumping this up on the list :)

NightAngelle · Dec 27, 2010

Bump...I wanna hear this too. Excellent question.

elkpark · Dec 27, 2010

The title basically says it all, how did you decide to go into nursing education? I ask this because I am currently in nursing school (ADN program) and am day dreaming about possible job choices in the future... So, if you're willing, would the educators out there answer a few questions?
1. What made you decide to begin educating nursing students
2. What level of education do you have (MSN, Ph. D, etc.)
3. Where did you get your degrees (university, online, face-to-face, etc.)
4. Was it hard to find a job teaching nursing?
5. What types of nursing experience do you have, or was teaching always the goal?
6. Finally, do you enjoy what you do?
Thanks in advance for the answers, and thanks for teaching the next round of nurses!
:heartbeat:nurse::heartbeat

1. I've always been interested in teaching -- I started teaching piano lessons in high school (at the insistence of my piano teacher at the time), I coached voice in college the first time around, my original career plan was to teach music at the college/university level (rather than being primarily a performer), I tutored in nursing school. Teaching has just been a recurring motif throughout my life.

2. MSN

3. I attended grad school at a traditional university program -- I moved to another region of the country to attend school and moved back home after I finished school.

4. At different times, it's been easier or harder, depending on the economy and other factors. I easily walked into a full-time teaching position when I first came home from grad school because of personal connections and a paucity of qualified nursing instructors in my rural area. There have been times when schools have been recruiting me to come teach for them. There have been times when I can't find a teaching job (there are jobs and I apply and interview for them, but someone else gets hired).

5. I had many years of experience in my clinical specialty before I returned to grad school. I have moved back and forth between teaching and clinical practice since then (I've spent more time in clinical practice than I have teaching).

6. I enjoy both clinical practice and teaching -- I can't imagine completely giving up either one to just do the other. In addition to working as faculty in pre-licensure nursing programs, I've also provided clinical supervision to grad students in nursing and other mental health disciplines, and have done staff inservice education (on individual topics within my specialty -- I've never worked in a formal staff education/development role).

Whispera, MSN, RN · Dec 28, 2010

1. What made you decide to begin educating nursing students

I was an elementary school teacher before my kids were born. When I went back to it, there were no jobs. I went back to school, became a nurse, and always wanted to teach them

2. What level of education do you have (MSN, Ph. D, etc.)

I have a BS in education and a BSN and MSN

3. Where did you get your degrees (university, online, face-to-face, etc.)

universities, face to face

4. Was it hard to find a job teaching nursing?

not at all--I started teaching for the university where I got my BSN and was well-known. Since then I've been offered jobs everywhere I've applied, and that's quite a few places.

5. What types of nursing experience do you have, or was teaching always the goal?

I have 7 years of staff nursing experience, 6 years in community health education, 2 years as a primary caregiver, and 2 as a consultant in my specialty. During this time I worked some of these jobs at the same time I worked the others, and I also have taught nursing students 16 semesters.

6. Finally, do you enjoy what you do?

I love teaching when I get to know the students and see them learn, change from rookies to competent or better, and see them invest their minds and hearts into it. I love seeing patients get better as a result of my students' interventions or my own. I don't think I'd want to teach if it meant I couldn't practice and vice versa.

JaneyW · Dec 30, 2010

1. I wanted to teach nursing school since I was sitting in my seat during nursing school! I think I was born to teach and just needed to find the area.

2. I have a BA in Psych, an ADN and an MSN-nursing education

3. I did my MSN on-line with CSU Dominguez Hills. I couple of things were on campus and I had 288 hours of student teaching.

4. I got a full-time, tenure track, job right out of grad school. They needed an OB instructor and that is my specialty. I wasn't the only one to apply, though.

5. I think teaching was always the goal, but you can't teach in nursing unless you have done. I always practiced L&D and Postpartum in community, high risk teaching hospital, and registry at a variety of places. I wanted to have a variety of experiences in order to teach. I also worked as a community health nurse teaching parents of pre-schoolers and the preschoolers themselves.

6. I am only in my second year of teaching, but I LOVE it. I am no longer working clinically apart from teaching clinicals because I really don't have the time, but I may go back to registry for postpartum in the summers when my kids are older. Teaching is kind of the best of both worlds because you get to spend time with patients as well as the students. It can be stressful, but it is a different kind of stress.

allnurses Guide · Jan 8, 2011

1. What made you decide to begin educating nursing students
2. What level of education do you have (MSN, Ph. D, etc.)
3. Where did you get your degrees (university, online, face-to-face, etc.)
4. Was it hard to find a job teaching nursing?
5. What types of nursing experience do you have, or was teaching always the goal?
6. Finally, do you enjoy what you do?

1. After 20+ years of nursing, I felt God leading me into getting a masters. Looked through the options, didn't want to be a practitioner but have always enjoyed teaching and leading thing (many year of leading Scouts teaching badges and giving trainings, etc.). So, went for the MSN in Nursing Ed, and taught clinicals; loved it so kept going.

2. MSN

3. online with field work at a local CC, where I had taught clinicals

4. No, the CC recruited me

5. Experience: medsurg, volunteering overseas, camp nurse, oncology, PCU, ER. As I said, didn't look at teaching until after 20+ years

6. Yes! I work bedside in the ER, and teach parttime as adjunct faculty. Best of both worlds.