I want to become a part-time nurse and a part-time professor at a college?

Editorial Team / Admin · Jul 6, 2009

Hello and good luck with your plans.

You will probably need a Doctorate in order to be a Professor at the university level as well as a nurse Educator/Professor at the university level.

SiennaGreen · Jul 6, 2009

It's possible that you can teach Religion courses w/a Master' degree.

I would caution you that getting a nuring degree and then going p/t is not a eay as it might sound. School itself might take 3-4 yrs-even for the ADN. Plus, everyone has told me that when you graduate is when the real learning begins...if you wanted to go p/t, I would imagine that you would need to work f/t for a period of time to get ahead of the curve.

At which point you go back to grad school to do Religion? Why is it again that you want to pursue the nursing thing? I think it's totally doable as long as you recognize the long term prospects and the time frame associated.

llg, PhD, RN · Jul 6, 2009

I think it is entirely do-able ... but maybe more complicated and more demanding than you imagine. Working as a nurse part time is not a problem. Once you get your ADN and get some work experience in the field, a lot of hospitals hire plenty of nurses on a part time basis.

However ... getting qualified to teach at the college level is no small thing. You will need to get an advanced education in religion and establish yourself as an expert in that field. Getting those credentials and establishing yourself as an expert in religion and a good teacher may be more difficult than you think. But once you establish yourself as an expert in that field (which may require a lot more than simply getting a Master's Degree) ... you could work as a religion instructor and pick up an ocassional shift as a nurse.

Good luck to you. You probably have a long road ahead of you to get where you want to be.

corphee · Jul 7, 2009

It sounds as though you are very ambitious - which is a good thing to be sure! I can speak a little to the academia side of your goals - my parents were both college professors, so I grew up around that career field. To become a professor at a university, you will need to receive your PhD (4-5 years beyond the BA in religion), and you usually need to have a solid CV to be hired. (A CV is like a cumulative list of the publications or seminars you have compiled... essentially a resume for all of your academic and research accomplishments.) Alternatively, you can become a professor at most community colleges or smaller schools which sometimes only require a Master's (2-3 years beyond the BA in religion) in your field. Either way, being a part-time professor is grunt/dirt work, at least at the entry level. Part-time professors are usually called adjunct faculty, hired on by the university or college to stifle costs. The pay is horrible; adjuncts generally receive no benefits, and are somewhat removed from the college community, so there tends to be little career support or development. Because of the amount of tenure-track full time professors at most colleges, adjuncts are also the first to have their jobs cut. (Some colleges have even been quoted, appallingly, as referring to their part-time faculty as "disposables.") In essence, become a part-time professor is not generally ideal, and most adjuncts just use it as a stepping stone to a full-time position somewhere in academia. (Unless, of course, you become an expert in your field and write several prestigious papers and books! Then universities will be clamoring to have you teach a class or two for them! :specs: ) Of course, this isn't a hard and fast rule. There are certainly exceptions, but higher education tends to be a very difficult career field to navigate and is designed unlike any other.

It sounds like you are very devoted about what you want to do, and of course it can be done.

I would look into becoming an Instructor at a community college where good educators are always needed, and they would be more flexible about your schedule with regards to nursing (and probably only require a Master's.)

If education and nursing are two field you really want to pursue, just work on trying to get the best grades you can and don't give up. Talk to counselors and career services at your school - they can help a lot. I'm sorry if I bombarded you with too much info (I ramble a lot ).

Good luck to you!

llg, PhD, RN · Jul 7, 2009

I am glad that corphee mentioned the "benefits" issue. That's important. Most part-time employees have get very few benefits -- such as health insurance costs, retirement plans, paid vacation, etc. Working 2 part time jobs, you might find yourself working "full time" or more between the two of jobs, but not getting full time benefits anywhere -- and really lose a lot financially.

You might be better off planning to work 1 job full time and the other job on just a very part time basis. Either be a full time nurse for a hospital and teach an ocassional class as an adjunct instructor (which is what I do ... I teach nursing) -- or work full time as a faculty member and then work ocassional shifts as a nurse (which is what a couple of friends of mine do and seems to be a little easier). You would get full time benefits (health care, retirement, disability, dental, paid vacation, etc.) at your full time job.

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Jul 10, 2009

Autumn_sky,

You seem to have a clear idea of the direction in which you want to go and I am guessing that your spirituality is a major part of your life. Have you given any thought to pursuing a career path that would integrate the two rather than trying to satisfy both aspects via different jobs?

I would suggest that you explore a congregational or parish nursing as a potential career. Faith-based schools offer these graduate degrees. Some larger churches in my area employ full-time nurses in these positions. Their jobs include a lot of community health type activities, including teaching about health care practices as well as conducting assessments/screening. They are also involved in counseling & participate in helping parishioners with end of life care decisions.

Might be worth exploring. . .

bananabubbletea · Jul 19, 2009

I like your plan, I think its smart because you have two careers. I know some people probably think you are crazy but its a very smart move to make. I personally am 1.5 yr from getting certified to teach so I am going to do that and get an Lpn (eventually RN) and might do both. This economy scares me and when the next recession rolls around I want to be super prepared!

gaia1214 · Jul 20, 2009

OP...I have a master of theological studies from Harvard, and am now career-changing into nursing full-time because jobs teaching religion are HARD to get. PLEASE do not kid yourself that you can teach in a college or university setting and "do some nursing" on the side. I'm sorry to be tough-love about it, but unless you pick a joint MDiv/MSN program like they have at Vanderbilt, and work harder at interweaving the two, you're going to have a very tough time. It sounds like you're thinking of the nursing piece as more of a money generator than anything else, and I suspect nursing is just too hard for that kind of approach. Just my :twocents: .