NICU nurse becoming Nurse educator

llg, PhD, RN · Jun 27, 2014

If all you can teach clinically is NICU, then it will definitely limit your opportunites for an academic teaching career. That has been a major issue with my career. As a direct care provider, all I have ever worked is NICU -- and undergradate programs do not teach NICU as a clinical rotation. I have never worked peds ... maternity ... adult med/surg... community health ... etc. and that is the type of instructor that schools need. And being a clinical instructor is how new faculty members get their foot in the door of a school. While it may be theoretically possible to get a teaching job teaching classroom classes only (e.g. research, theory, etc.) that rarely happens at reputable schools in real life as those classes are usually given to the senior faculty who consider them desirable courses to teach.

You might be able to find something at the CNA or LPN level, but maybe not there either ... because they would prefer to have faculty who are strong in the general adult med/surg skills.

Another option is to become an NNP ... and after you get a lot of experience, you might be able to teach in an NNP program (but there aren't a lot of opportunities there.)

I am/was a NICU nurse who got an MSN, and then a PhD in nursing. I have made a good career for myself in Professional Development (Staff Development) -- first, doing NICU staff education ... now, working on hospital wide projects. I also teach an ocassional class on theory and/or research at a local university.

Good luck with whatever path you choose to take