Looking for that clinical educator job

[nursejcarrie]

Good morning everyone! I just needed somewhere to vent......I'm not sure what I am doing wrong, but I have been unable to find a clinical educator job in the hospital. I completed my MSN with a concentration in Education in April of this year. There have been at least 2 open educator positions in my facility; I applied for both without success. I even had a meeting with a person in HR about what I was looking to do now in my career. This person took my interest and concerns back to the Director of Nursing Education; I was basically told that, while my enthusiasm for education is evident, I didn't have enough educational experience to be able to effectively perform the job. And then the organization hired someone from OUTSIDE our facility for the position.

The kicker is that I am currently a part-time clinical instructor for one of the 4 year universities that are local to my area. I teach BSN students who are having their first experience in the hospital setting. I haven't been doing it this long, I just started this position in August of this year. It was mentioned that I need to keep teaching in this position to show that I am adequately prepared for the clinical educator position. WTH?!?

The problem is: there is no requirement in the job description that states you have to have educational experience. Truth be told, I met ALL of the requirements for the position. Plus, I have been an employee of my facility for almost 10 years now. And I know for a fact that most of the educators have come from the floor, with NO education experience what-so-ever. There was even an educator that stated how much she didn't like nursing students, but yet she had been a clinical educator for multiple years.

What am I doing wrong? What makes me so damn unhirable? I am starting to think that I need to give up on this dream but I am still not that ready to give it up.

Any suggestions of what I can do to improve my chances of being hired, or making myself appear as the best candidate, would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[JaxJax5423]

glad you have a place to vent! What is keeping you from applying at another facility as an educator? in your 10 years have you ever worked on special projects for the hospital (ie: trainer, preceptor, super user..etc). If not, participation in those activities help to show commitment and education experience.

Good luck

[cjcsoon2bnp, MSN, RN, NP]

To the OP,

I'm sorry to hear that you are being passed over for these positions. I think that being a clinical instructor (CI) is a great start to getting educator experience. To be honest, you have been an employee at this facility for 10 years and have been passed up for 2 educator positions and that seems a bit odd to me. If it were me, I would start looking for educator positions elsewhere because it seems like if your current employer is not willing to give a 10-year employee with an MSN the opportunity to advance into an educator position then you are not likely to see much career movement in the future with this organization. I hope I'm wrong about this but I doubt it.

Best of luck!

!Chris

[nurse2033, MSN, RN]

I would apply elsewhere and continue to apply there. Do you have other credentials like specialty certifications? I would look at resume building (you can never have too strong of a resume), but also interviewing skills. That is the time to sell yourself even if they have doubts about you when you go in. Unfortunately your current employer knows all your weaknesses as well as your strengths. Sometimes they can't see past that, but a new employer doesn't have that viewpoint. As a resume builder, did you know you can publish an article here (on this site), and put on your resume? I've done it. Good luck!

[llg, PhD, RN]

It sounds to me as if there is some particular factor working against you -- and if you want to work as an educator in that hospital, you are going to have to figure out what that is and address it. For example, have you been active as an educator as a staff nurse (preceptor, serving on a unit-based committee that does education, etc.)? Have you been active in other types of work such as Shared Governance, unit-based committees, quality improvement, etc.? That type of engagement shows your commitment and gives current leaders a chance to see how you perform outside of the basic patient care-giver role? It also helps develop your skills as a leader, team player, and change agent -- which can be considered very important in promoting someone to a higher level position -- just as important as educational credentials.

How are your political / interpersonal relationships with the leaders on your current unit and elsewhere in the hospital? Could there be anything there holding you back?

How are your interview skills? Are you saying or doing things in the application process that is turning the hiring manager away from you?

Is there someone who can give you some honest, knowledgeable feedback as to what is preventing you from being selected?

[nursejcarrie]

One of my goals for the new year is to become a Certified Nurse Educator. I think that there is something that happens when I interview for the positions. However, the last interview that I had in this facility, I felt it went VERY well, and I still didn't get the job. And when I applied for the last educator opening, they didn't even contact me for an interview.........

[nursejcarrie]

Chris, I agree with you about not seeing the potential for career movement. I am definitely feeling that right now. I think it may be the ideal time to start looking for a job outside of the area. My husband and I have always talked about moving to the Delaware shore......maybe now is the ideal time to make it a reality!