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Discussion

400-level lecture class taught by a BSN educated nurse?

Is this a normal / common practice? Should I be concerned if this is going on at my BSN program? I'm a second degree BSN student, and still figuring out the differences in standards and conventions between nursing education and other academic disciplines. I know that in any other field, an upper-division course being taught by someone with only a bachelor's degree, without additional major qualifications (journalism class being taught by an editor of a big-city newspaper, for example), is highly frowned upon. Is this a red flag for my nursing program?

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    • Expert

    I'm surprised that flies with the school's general academic accrediting agency. I would guess they don't know about it. Is this possibly a temporary/emergency kind of situation, where another instructor left suddenly and they had to scramble to replace her/him? A "team teaching" situation?

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    Does the teacher have some extra qualifications?

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    people worry about dumb stuff. just work hard and learn. credentials aren't everything. I had a few teaches with PHDs that didn't know the difference between a vein and capillary.

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    Maybe the nurse is about to get his/her MSN? Does the degree really matter? They are nurses with a MSN degree and no RN experience (case and point: me, but I am looking...I am looking...).

    As to whether the nursing program is worth doing - look at the pass rate (for each class and NCLEX) from previous years, former students' experiences, and the grading system (i.e. what is a passing grade, what is a "A", "B", etc., how assignment/exams are done (Multiple Choice or subjective writing), etc.). And then ask yourself, "Is it doable for me?"

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    "people worry about dumb stuff. just work hard and learn. credentials aren't everything. I had a few teaches with PHDs that didn't know the difference between a vein and capillary."

    wait a minute...there's a difference? :D I knew there something funny going on.....

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    people worry about dumb stuff. just work hard and learn. credentials aren't everything. I had a few teaches with PHDs that didn't know the difference between a vein and capillary.

    It is easy to see the exceptions. I'd make a great nursing professor without going through a nursing graduate program first.

    It is also easy to see tons of less reputable programs looking to place abundant lower qualified (lower paid) warm bodies at the lectern who wouldn't shine so brightly.

    Standards exist for a reason. If we deviate, it should be deliberate and with good reason.

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    Does the Chancellors office know about this?

    What does your State Board of Registered Nursing list as minimal qualifications to teach?

    Is this Instructor the instructor - of - record” with the BRN?

    Does this particular college do co-teaching” or team-teaching”?

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    Nurse;9016081]Does the Chancellors office know about this?

    What does your State Board of Registered Nursing list as minimal qualifications to teach?

    Is this Instructor the instructor - of - record” with the BRN?

    Does this particular college do co-teaching” or team-teaching”?

    I would like to know his as well before formulating an opinion.

    This BSN nurse may have a post/baccalaureate certificate in teaching, maybe making them qualified to teach this course, in lieu of having many years in the specialty that they are teaching in.

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    • Expert

    It's not just about what the BON requires; there is the general academic accreditation of the school, also. The nursing program is held to the same academic standards as all the other departments of the school. The usual standard is that faculty need to hold a degree higher than the level of the course (so, min. MSN to teach in BSN programs), regardless of how many decades of valuable practical experience the individual may have. I wonder if the OP is at one of the proprietary schools -- they are often accredited by their own accreditation agencies that have lower standards than the agencies that accredit "regular," for lack of a better word, colleges and universities.

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