Lecturing in Nursing

[PG2018]

Friends, I have had an interest lately in teaching - not clinical rotations but lectures.

Truth be told, I'd be a horrible clinical instructor for nursing students. Having little to no hands on abilities, I've got a headful of book knowledge and often push the envelope as a practitioner. I like physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, and areas related to mental health, psychiatry, neuroscience, healthcare policy, and advanced practice. I have a schedule I can do close to whatever I want with. I've so far been a university affiliated mentor to a master's student and a year long preceptor to a psych NP student although I'll admit the mentee never needs anything.

All this bring said, how could one go about getting lecture experience? We're still at a point in my state where doctoral trained nurses are just about nil and often masters prepared nurses are teaching masters students. What research and dissertation work I've seen from most has been quite loose in connection to healthcare.

[BirkieGirl]

Well, since you have been helpful to me with questions lately, I'll be more than happy to answer! I think some of the best lecture experience that you can get is working with small groups such as chapters of Sigma Theta Tau, groups of students who may be volunteering for events, local ANA chapters, and even speaking to NON nursing classrooms like social work, health science etc.

Speaking to these groups about topics that are passionate to you certainly help to get some baseline lecturing experience, and also something to beef up your resume.

The NLN also offers a CNE exam that requires that you have a MSN with focus on education, or different options for NON education-based MSN. That title seems to hold a lot of clout when teaching.

A third option is to actually connect with ANYBODY that you know in a teaching role and volunteer to come to their classroom to speak about your specialty and the options involved with it. This is a good option if you have colleges or universities near you that offer an 'intro to nursing' type class. Plus, it offers you the chance to connect with the faculty in that particular classroom as a contact person who may give you some info about upcoming openings for lecturers.

You MAY want to consider teaching a clinical rotation for Psych and Mental Health! That's a topic area you know WELL. It would also get you in the door with a nursing program. Teaching clinical groups isn't hard, per se, just takes a little time each week when you actually have to be present for a few hours. When I taught a clinical psych rotation, the students would work with their client and then we would debrief as a group each week after their rotation. the only 'thing' that I made them do outside of the actual hours, was to research the meds and write up med cards every week. Pretty easy peasy.

Putting yourself out there in these various situations is going to get your name known to educators. It is generally through who they know, that they find people to enter into vacancies in their programs. If you are interested in being an adjunct faculty, getting yourself known to the full-time faculty members is going to help you exponentially.

[BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN]

Usually, most educators start out teaching clinical (often as an adjunct, to get their foot in a door), then transition to lecture/theory. I'm sure it's not impossible, but you'll definitely need to find some comparable experience.

In your facility now, do you have the ability to work with an educator, in any way? Perhaps, offer your services in your area of expertise to educate the staff on new/updated trends in your specialty?

Also you could consider becoming certified as a BLS, ACLS (or similar) Instructor.

The big thing with lecturing nursing students is being able to relay relevant, real clinical application. Even the 'sciences' like pharm and patho are easier for students to understand if there is a story or clinical application behind it. I am sure you can offer this (can't tell exactly what you do now, but I'm sure it can be brought in- don't sell yourself short!)

The NLN also offers a CNE exam that requires that you have a MSN with focus on education, or different options for NON education-based MSN. That title seems to hold a lot of clout when teaching.

You need to have about 500 hours of documented teaching experience to sit for the exam... and it is not easy. Very theoretical.

[PG2018]

Hi just to update the previous poster, I'm in an office as a solo provider in an organizational practice. We have some therapists and administrative employees, but the corporate element is out of state. We have no nurses, inpatient, residential, etc.

[Bumex, DNP, NP]

PsychGuy,

I actually am in my first semester teaching at a rather large school of nursing. I am teaching a lecture class and lab for this semester and two lectures for the next two semesters. So it is possible!

[PG2018]

PsychGuy,

I actually am in my first semester teaching at a rather large school of nursing. I am teaching a lecture class and lab for this semester and two lectures for the next two semesters. So it is possible!

Care to talk about how you got there? I may need to wait and teach NP students, lol.

I'd actually like to have my own course but limited and not to include fundamental, acute, or chronic nursing disease management. The basic nursing stuff is gone for me. Example, no idea (or concern) how much tube feeding to give or what bandages go on what wounds or how a chest tube drain gadget works or those surgery drain deals.

I'm an -ology and business guy.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

With the current shortage of qualified faculty, schools are definitely recruiting to fill vacancies. However, accreditation standards require that faculty have formal education in the discipline (of education). They can waive requirements for a semester or so to fill essential positions, but those individuals usually have to be actively engaged in obtaining the necessary credits.

Teaching experience is very important. Lectures are not one-way presentations intended to show off the knowledge of the sage on the stage, they should actually be a structured conversation with the students. Lots of give-and-take. Deliberate actions to trigger student reflection, intrigue their curiosity and launch critical discussion. In order to get more information about this, I'd recommend just about any text by Stephen D. Brookfield. I'd also highly recommend getting a copy of McKeachie's Teaching Tips - it's a wonderful, compact reference for just about any situation that might arise in Higher Ed.

Most schools require several documents as part of the application process. If your alma mater's process for obtaining transcripts is unwieldy, you may want to go ahead and do this ahead of time.

Best of luck to you.

[PG2018]

With the current shortage of qualified faculty, schools are definitely recruiting to fill vacancies. However, accreditation standards require that faculty have formal education in the discipline (of education). They can waive requirements for a semester or so to fill essential positions, but those individuals usually have to be actively engaged in obtaining the necessary credits.

Teaching experience is very important. Lectures are not one-way presentations intended to show off the knowledge of the sage on the stage, they should actually be a structured conversation with the students. Lots of give-and-take. Deliberate actions to trigger student reflection, intrigue their curiosity and launch critical discussion. In order to get more information about this, I'd recommend just about any text by Stephen D. Brookfield. I'd also highly recommend getting a copy of McKeachie's Teaching Tips - it's a wonderful, compact reference for just about any situation that might arise in Higher Ed.

Most schools require several documents as part of the application process. If your alma mater's process for obtaining transcripts is unwieldy, you may want to go ahead and do this ahead of time.

Best of luck to you.

I used to teach chemistry and physiology. I've never spoke of that here on AN. I have teaching experience with AP high schoolers but alas no collegians. My old license hangs framed in my mother's living room. Her childhood goal was to become a teacher.

I take some offense at the unilateral slight. I like to be informed as well as inform. I experienced an exceptional lack of legitimacy in my nursing prep and would like to share what I know in attempt to both augment my own skillset and elevate the profession. Much of my postings here reflect my perception of the base nature of nursing.

[random_nurse12]

I teach and hire in a community college. I have also taught in BSN programs.

The schools I have taught at prefer the FT faculty in lecture and the adjuncts in clinical. It is rare to see an adjunct in lecture. This is obviously very location dependent. We have a serious shortage of MSN faculty here, let alone discussing doctoral prepared nurses. There is no provision in my state that the faculty member must have a degree in nursing education. Any MSN will do and many NPs teach.

The most obvious places for you to teach would be in mental health nursing and I would think pharmacology. However most faculty do start out as an adjunct clinical instructor before moving to the classroom.

I think you may want to consider adjunct in a BSN program, or a RN-BSN completion program. It sounds like you are more interested in the business/policy side or health promotion. ASN programs and the first 2-3 years of BSN programs are heavily focused on medical-surgical nursing and the knowledge needed to pass NCLEX.

[PG2018]

I teach and hire in a community college. I have also taught in BSN programs.

The schools I have taught at prefer the FT faculty in lecture and the adjuncts in clinical. It is rare to see an adjunct in lecture. This is obviously very location dependent. We have a serious shortage of MSN faculty here, let alone discussing doctoral prepared nurses. There is no provision in my state that the faculty member must have a degree in nursing education. Any MSN will do and many NPs teach.

The most obvious places for you to teach would be in mental health nursing and I would think pharmacology. However most faculty do start out as an adjunct clinical instructor before moving to the classroom.

I think you may want to consider adjunct in a BSN program, or a RN-BSN completion program. It sounds like you are more interested in the business/policy side or health promotion. ASN programs and the first 2-3 years of BSN programs are heavily focused on medical-surgical nursing and the knowledge needed to pass NCLEX.

Sure, pharm, physiology, pathophysiology, psych, and policy are my interests. I feel like most nurses I've met would feel uncomfortable in this set of coursework, and ironically those are my only interests.

I have actually been offered consideration for two positions as adjunct faculty in a practicum setting. Unfortunately, it's never been made clear until the end that it's a practicum assignment in a medical surgical setting. Although I feel reasonably comfortable practicing primary and urgent care in addition to psychiatry, I have neither the skillset or desire to know/do med-surg. To be certain, I had faculty who obviously felt the same way. I can easily handle 30+ patients in my office in a day, but I'd flip out if I had to deal with floor nursing. It pains me thinking about it.

So perhaps NP education is a better path for me should I choose to pursue it.

[nursej22, MSN, RN]

My prerequisite A&P and micro were taught by a wonderful masters prepared RN at a community college, where most of the students were pre-nursing.

In grad school, some of my courses had guest lecturers for certain topics, like a nephrologist for acid/base, a psychiatrist for psych meds, etc.