MSN, Bedside, and The Babies

[Tait, MSN, RN]

So for the past three years I have been busy. I completed my RN to MSN-Ed and had two children. I decided to put school and family together, and remove work for now. Of course this lapse is now biting me in the butt, as well as not having any technical faculty experience as I apply for educator jobs.

Long story short, I have the opportunity to go back to bedside in a PCC Unit on night shift. While this will mean dramatic changes for how my family operates as far as day care and interaction with my children and husband, I have been told by HR that they "grow their own" and I will have the opportunity to move into an educator role at some point.

I have done nights before, and cardiac is my wheelhouse, however my husband is worried about the extra "day" of sleep involved in flipping. I am hoping that I will transition to precepting pretty quickly since I have five years of complex m/s and cardiac experience under my belt, as well as four years of new grad/new hire precepting experience. I also intend to see what the structure is in the hospital for nurse advancement into senior level nursing and then educating. My goal is to become a new graduate educator in the hospital setting and create a research project situated around new graduate nurses, stress in the first two years of practice, and retention.

I do believe this position might give me the in I need to move along this pathway.

I guess my question is, has anyone else gone in at a different level to achieve their long term goals? Would you share your stories with me?

Tait

[Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN]

Sorry, I can't really give you meaningful feedback. I'm just an ADN who has decided not to pursue further education, career work horse. But it is good to see you back around here!

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Congrats! You've managed to accomplish a lot.

I'm a nurse educator - with a large health care system. MSN is entry-level for nurse educators in my organization. BSN for unit-based education coordinators. All of my educators began at the unit level. They are required to become AHA instructors (BLS, ACLS, NRP, etc) in the programs appropriate to their clinical area. This is a great place to start. They also work with the educators to perform administrative functions to support education services such as data collection, skills checkoffs, content development (with SMEs or literature searches). They serve as super-preceptors, helping to coach and assist new preceptors as well as ensure that new nurses complete all their orientation 'stuff'.

If you're interested in new grad transition, there is very little that hasn't already been well-researched. Rather than reinvent the well-worn wheel, take a look at the NCSBN Transition to Practice model that has been underway for a few years. https://www.ncsbn.org/363.htm They have concluded the demonstration sites and will be coming out with final program recommendations soon. Frankly, I think that they are missing some components - such as awareness of regulatory impact on nursing practice (core measures, NPSGs, etc) but it is probably going to be adopted as a national standard.

[Tait, MSN, RN]

Thank Hou! Now one area I am particularly interested in when it comes to NGs is debriefing, PTSD, and mentoring. I would love to get a PhD in counseling and then go on to be a hospital based RN counselor (experience on the floor + counseling expertise) to help RNs with managing challenging emotional situations, both at work and at home. I would also like to see this for all levels of hospital personnel, but my particular interest lies in RNs. This position could also include creating educational classes on stress management, life work balance, etc. Honestly I think taking this position is a step in the right direction, as well as an opportunity to refresh my bedside skills and gain experience in a slightly more critical care arena than I am used to.