MSN Educator - Opinions Please

[drsrn]

I've been an RN since 1995 and have worked in hemodialysis for the past 23 years. I only have a few months experience working in the hospital setting and that was 18 years ago. I recently completed an RN-BSN Program. Now, I've been accepted to an MSN Educator Program. I really want this higher degree for my own self-satisfaction. I also enjoy patient and staff education. At this point, I have no desire to become a clinical instructor. I keep reading articles about how imperative it is to be proficient in all areas of med-surge nursing to get an MSN Educator degree. Although I consider myself to be an expert in nephrology nursing, many of my med-skills are not current. I haven't inserted an NG Tube or Foley in many, many years. In my mind, being an excellent med-surge nurse should not be a requirement for an MSN Educator degree, especially since in today's world, nurses are employed in a variety of outpatient settings, not just hospitals. What are your thoughts?

[Silly_Sally_RN]

While I have a background in Med/Surg, I don't feel it is necessary to have this as your background to go to school for your Masters in Nursing Education.

I graduated with my Master's degree in December. Some of my classes were general such as Pharm, Health Assesments, and Ethics. A bulk were on how to THINK like a teacher - creating lesson plans and objectives, learning how to write test questions, understanding the different types of learning styles and teaching methods to meet these various learning styles, etc. My classmates had a variety of different educational experiences. Some were in more of a managerial role, some worked the floor (Onc/ED, etc.), and some already taught for a school. We drew on our experiences when creating lesson plans. For example, I wrote a lesson plan about Code Blues. Your background can help guide you when you have to create lesson plans.

When I started my program, I thought I wanted to teach nursing students. During school, I found a clinical nurse educator position within my facility. I love my job and can't imagine leaving to teach at a school right now. Kudos to you for seeing how important nurse educators are in all sorts of areas!

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

I completed an MSN education program with only OR experience. I work in staff development specific to the OR. As long as what you end up teaching is what you know, I see nothing wrong with it.

[chuva09, BSN, MSN, RN]

Hi! Do have a hard time looking for a preceptor before?