Is 2 years in ICU enough to teach med surge? I want to work in pediatrics.

[caitiecait]

I have been a nurse for a year and half and have worked in a medical/neuro ICU. I am studying for my CCRN and hope to take and pass it by January. I also will be starting school for my MSN in nurse education in Feb. While caring for adults has been a wonderful learning experience that will make me a better educator, I am begining to feel empty. My dream has always been to work with children. Do you think after 2 years of adult ICU experience, that if I want to work in a PICU or NICU enviroment that it will harm me in the future when I want to get a teaching job? Do you think 2 years of adult ICU experience would be enough to teach med surge? I am also ok with teaching peds but I feel like the bulk of nursing school is med surg, physical assessment, and pharmacolgy all of which I would love to teach. So nursing instructors what do you think? Stick with critical care, or work in PICU or NICU and maybe PRN ICU and follow my dream?:heartbeat

[Moogie]

As far as Liberty's program goes, I really like the advanced courses. I know pharmacology is always changing but I think it is always good to know the ins and outs of your drugs. But one thing you mentioned that I think this program does, is those advanced courses are not just for the nurse educator they are also based for the CNS program, and I wonder if it will be more of teaching you how to diagnose and prescribe meds all of which a nurse educator can not do. I also wonder if those courses are a waste of time because no other MSN nurse educator program requires those classes. AHH my head is spinning now!!

I didn't feel pharmacology was a waste of time in my original program but I do agree with you that it was frustrating to have the focus be on prescribing medications. The program I'm attending next month requires two semesters of pharmacology for the NP, CNS and CRNA tracks; those courses are also pretty specific for each specialty. For example, any students specializing in mental health (either NP or CNS) take courses specific for the pharmacology of psychotropics.

Again, I was rather frustrated with my original program because I felt that, while the core classes were useful and provided a solid foundation for advanced nursing practice, they seemed more geared to the NP and CNS students. In contrast, the first course in the nurse educator focus curriculum in that particular program was so generalized that it probably should have been a core class for the NP and CNS students as well. There was a lot of focus on patient education, which frustrated me because I thought there should have been more information specific to student education. In retrospect, I don't think I would have been satisfied with that particular program and I might not have been as well prepared for a career as an educator had I remained at that school.

Not every program is right for every person. If you get into a program and find it isn't for you for whatever reason, it isn't the end of the world. It is a pain in the backside to try to transfer credits or to have to start over, but I think it's better to have to go through those hassles than stick it out in a program that doesn't meet your needs.