Nurse Educator without nursing experience.. (?)

MJB2010 · May 10, 2012

I think it would be very difficult to get an education position without any clinical experience. It does not sound like a good idea. Seems to me you might want to try to do the skills yourself before you try teaching them to someone else. I suppose you could teach lectures, but just because you can does not mean you should. Something to think about.

I would not want an instructor/proffesor that has no experience. I think you should try to get some experience while working on your Masters.

Morainey, BSN, RN · May 10, 2012

I would have to agree... at our school (can't speak for all), the professors were all clinical instructors. Believe me... you could tell which clinical instructors had years of experience on the floor, and which ones had been out of practice for awhile. I would imagine it would be difficult to teach student nurses with any degree of confidence if you haven't "been in the trenches", so to speak.

Andy Droid · May 10, 2012

teaching without experience?

No offence, but it sounds like it's not much of a step up from just handing everyone a text book, telling them to read it themselves, and walking away.

(pretty much) Everything you know is just what you got from the book, so you wouldn't be able to explain anything much beyond what's already written. (aside from second-hand story telling of your teachers stories of personal experience)

Jennerizer, ASN, RN · May 10, 2012

My first semester professor had approx 6 months floor experience before it overwhelmed her & she went running into the education dept for a job. Regardless, she was a good teacher even though she couldn't handle actual patient care. It's not for everyone.

Okami_CCRN, BSN, RN · May 10, 2012

Like others have said before me, It would be extremely difficult to attain a position as lecturer or clinical instructor at the collegiate level. However you could teach CNA classes at high schools and community colleges with a BSN if I am not mistaken.

bsnwnab · May 10, 2012

My first semester professor had approx 6 months floor experience before it overwhelmed her & she went running into the education dept for a job. Regardless, she was a good teacher even though she couldn't handle actual patient care. It's not for everyone.

I agree with everyone here. I was thinking only teaching lectures, but yes i love teaching more than direct patient care. But i guess generally they wont even hire me to begin with if i have no floor experience?

All4NursingRN · May 10, 2012

It's not a smart idea. A. It will be extremely hard to get an education position without experience, and B. it will be very hard to accurately teach if you don't have experience yourself. Nursing is a unique profession, based on hands on skill and EBP (evidence based practice) this is not like other sciences (biology, math, etc..) where you can just go to school and then teach it all back. Nursing is unique in that way.

Not to mention what if they want you to teach clinical? what then? I'd be embarrassed to have students on a unit and not know how to run anything more than they.

Is there a reason why you haven't given bedside nursing a go?

allnurses Guide · May 10, 2012

I cannot imagine trying to teach something I don't actually know how to do.

beckster_01, BSN, RN · May 10, 2012

There is a very steep learning curve when you graduate from your ASN/BSN program. The "clinical" experience that you will get during nursing school will barely scratch the surface for learning skills that are necessary as a nurse. When I graduated nursing school I had never inserted a foley, it took me 10 minutes to set up and prime IV tubing, changing a central line dressing was also a lengthy project. These were all skills that I mastered after I became a nurse. It is one thing to regurgitate rationale for procedures from a textbook, it is another to explain it from experience.

I can understand how some may enjoy teaching more than bedside nursing. As someone mentioned, bedside isn't for everyone, and we need our teachers! But you may have to put in a year or two first (perhaps while you get your MSN) in order to be viewed as qualified for a teaching job.

elkpark · May 10, 2012

Every job posting for a teaching position in nursing I have seen has required at least two years of clinical experience, often more, and, with just the minimum specified in the posting, you would not be a v. attractive candidate when competing with candidates who have much more solid clinical experience.

Also, students can quickly tell the difference (between instructors who actually know what they're talking about from real life experience and those who don't) and will have little respect for those who don't. I know that, when I was in school, I would have felt really insulted and cheated to have an instructor who was not at least clinically competent in her/his specialty area.

classicdame, MSN, EdD · May 10, 2012

Lack of experience does not automatically mean you cannot be hired in a teaching position, but it sure will limit your opportunities. As an Educator I will say that you do not know how to do everything a nurse does to teach theory and other topics, but it will be difficult for them to relate to you unless you have walked in their shoes.