I can't believe this!!!

[raindrop]

I am trying to figure out what to do with my life. I love teaching, so I have been thinking of getting a MSN in Ed as soon as I am done with my ADN to BSN program in a few months. I have 5 years of bedside nursing, and the one thing that I love about bedside nursing is being a preceptor and helping the students. But I am a very discouraged. It will cost me another 25k-ish in tuition to get my MSN, and I doubt if I will be able to work full-time during the entire 20 month program. So, when I estimate, it will cost me in total, around 38k to graduate from this program. I am OK with that because I want to teach. But, I am not happy with what educators make. Seriously. Nursing is probably the only profession where a higher education doesn't matter on the pay scale. In fact, it looks like a new grad with a ADN makes close to the same as a MSN in Ed. It is absolute nonsense. For this reason, I am thinking of getting out of nursing, and pursuing a MS in Speech Pathology. I can still teach as a SLP, make a differnece in lives, and get paid fairly for it.

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

some employers will help pay for tuition. I suggest you work in the field before you make a commitment financially. Speech therapy is great too, especially good around stroke centers and many hospitals are getting stroke certification from AHA

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

The difficult with obtaining and retaining nursing instructors is the pay scale. I've been a nurse 18 years and can't take a $20-30,000/year cut in pay when I'm 51.