Is this realistic to consider?

KYCNM · Jan 2, 2008

Need more information to give you an answer because I'm not sure what your question is. Is it "Do I have time to give notice?" That answer is no, because I am sure they plan on your joining the faculty at the beginning of the semester.

I also need information on what your educational preparation for this position is. . . Master's? Doctorate?

RAIZIE · Jan 2, 2008

I am master's prepared and have spent almost 19 years as a CNS in MCH.

I was a clinical adjunct in a community college program while attending grad school and am eager to return to nursing education at the BSN level, but......

Assuming they offer me the job (interview is Friday) they would want me to give my notice and start teaching several weeks into the spring semester. I would have to do all my lecture prep as I go while doing clinicals and everything else. I don't know if that would be realistic or if I'd be setting myself up for failure. My strong preference would be to start in the fall, resign my current job before the summer and have several months to prepare lectures etc.

From those of you who are doing this, how many hours a week does one actually put in as full-time faculty?

I am also interested in any input as to important questions I should be asking at the interview. (I have a whole list but want to make sure I've thought of all the important stuff)

Thanks!

KYCNM · Jan 2, 2008

OKAY, I have more information to answer your question.

I have been a nurse educator full or part-time since 1974. You are wise to approach this with some hesitation because your first semester teaching can be brutal. You need to know if the course is one taught by one faculty member or by a team. If it is a team, content usually is divided up and each individual is responsible for their part. That can be a real problem if the topics have already been assigned.

Full time teaching can easily eat up 40 hours a week. Today's students prefer to be entertained while they are being educated. I have spent hours preparing an active learning experience only to be unable to use it in the classroom because the students did not come to class prepared to discuss the assignments, but wanted someone to just "tell them what they need to know to pass the test".

A few questions you might think about are:

What type of support will you have as you move from the CNS role to the nurse educator role?

Will you teach in the classroom and clinical area?

How many clinical groups will you be teaching?

How many hours will you be teaching?

Are you also expected to take committee assignments?

RAIZIE · Jan 3, 2008

Looks like my questions are on track for the most part, but the "team teaching" concept is a new one for me. Definitely something to ask!

What I know so far is that I would be lecturing 3 hours a week and have 2 clinical days. I assume it is 2 different groups of students. In addition are office hours (3 scheduled, 3 by appointment) and I'd need to be available for "meetings". That's about all I know.

I definitely plan to ask about orientation/mentorship as "I know what I don't know."

What is your experience with control over your schedule from semester to semester? Do you have input into your lecture hours and your clinical sites? (One of the things that appeals to me about this program is that most of their sites are Magnet hospitals- exciting because I have been working in a smaller community hospital.)

And, of course, I'll need info on salary and benefits. (My current ones are rather excellent.)

BTW, what courses do you teach? Strictly OB or any other areas?

KYCNM · Jan 3, 2008

We are a small program (180 students). Teaching schedules are set sort of collaboratively, but there are limitations. For example, our sophomores take health assessment and introduction to the discipline in the first semester. While they have had anatomy as a prerequisite, they take physiology concurrently and that class meets certain days along with the lab. That and other courses that are pre or corequisites limit the times that we can teach health assessment. The same goes for many other nursing courses.

As far as clinical sites, your nursing program will have contracts (I am assuming) that define the role of the nursing instructor and students while they are in the clinical setting. There will be a different contract for each facility. If your program has a contract with a facility, then you may have access to the units at that facility. Here, we choose what facility we want to take students to for a variety of reasons (some facilities are more nursing student friendly than others or the faculty member might work prn at a facility). While working prn for a facility may be a source of income, it can also be a source of conflict for the faculty member (someone might ask you to circulate a C/S which you normally do when you are "on duty"), however when you are there with students [even if you are itching for them to see you in action], you would be "serving two masters" and could find yourself in a undefensible position, legally.

You may find your salary is not comparable to your CNS salary. I am not sure what the going rate for faculty in NY is, but in our area, master's prepared people earn less than $50K. Benefits at an educational facility vary.

My own teaching assignment includes being responsible for the health assessment course fall (with one or two clinical groups), teaching a community clinical group, and teaching nursing research to the RNs in the RN-BSN program. In the spring, I teach the mother-baby content of our combined maternity/peds course, one or two clinical groups and a one hour research utilization course to the RNs. In the summer, I teach a combo course called health and wellness (health promotion, teaching/learning, nutrition and pharmacology).

Hope this is helpful. . .

RAIZIE · Jan 4, 2008

Thanks so much - you have given me a good view into faculty life.

I'll let you know what happens tomorrow - & I'm SURE there will be more questions!

BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN · Mar 12, 2008

I know this thread is old, but I'm curious to know what happened??? Did you take the job?