Nursing or Teaching

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Hi Everyone,

I am about to reenter school and I am having a hard time deciding which career to choose. I believe nursing is an excellent career field with a ton of opportunities but working with and knowing nurses it seems like I could get burned out pretty quickly with bedside care. I am aware that there are other avenues in nursing but I am not 100% sure if it is the field for me. I have looked into many different career fields and I am now ready to make a definite choice. I am choosing graduate school and I want to become a special education teacher for middle school children. Having worked with individuals with disabilities in another position, it was really the last time I truly enjoyed going to work. The kicker is I finally found a school that would allow me to get a graduate degree is special ed without having a teachers license prior to enrolling. However the school is online. Having never taught and being unlicensed I am not sure how principals will look at a degree from an online college. The program is fully accredited by the NCATE and seems to be a great program. The school is Liberty University and I would have to do 3 (1) week intensives throughout the duration of my program. I guess my main question is for current and former teachers. Is the job market for special education still strong? Is getting an online education a disadvantage? Is Liberty University a respected school? Where is the best job market for special education? And if anyone teaches special ed, can you share your experience?

Thanks guys and happy holidays!!!!! :)

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Most states require student teaching time in a real classroom, and if this program doesn't have that, I would steer clear. A school is not going to hire someone who has no classroom experience, especially for such a difficult field as special-ed.

I would volunteer with a school special-ed program first to make sure that is what you want to do. Special-ed is a draining, sometimes dangerous field, which is why there are jobs available. If it's truly your calling, then good for you as these kids desperately need folks who will give them a quality school experience.

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Specializes in PACU, OR.

Sorry, I'm not quite sure what you're asking-do you want opinions from nurse educators, or are you asking our opinions about nursing people with disabilities?

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Blush000 by reading what you wrote...I believe you already made your decision on what career you want to follow..."teaching"! Go with a career that will make you happy and see yourself doing for the rest of your life. I have been a nurse for 2 years and already considering a new career. Don't get me wrong nursing is a great profession but unfortunately I don't think it's for me.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

If you truly want to go into teaching, you should inquire with schools & programs that you want to work with if they will accept an online degree from a private university without a bachelor's in teaching. You need to check with your dept of education for your state to ensure that this education will allow you to be licensed as a teacher. While there are "alternate" routes to teaching (i.e. bachelor's degree in science and then have a provisional license while taking the required education courses) you need to ensure your chosen pathway is acceptable. Just because something is accredited by one organization does not mean that it is acceptable in your state. (In my state a school must be accredited by a state dept of education to be acceptable (not just nationally accredited).

The same thing in nursing, not all states will accept online nursing degree programs like Excelsior, and once completed some prospective nurses find they are not eligible to sit for the NCLEX exam in their home state.

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I was a middle school teacher for 16 years before being a nurse. I did an entire year of student teaching for my graduate degree in education. Teachers I worked with with BAs in education did at least a full time semestor of student teaching in addition to a lot of field experiences leading up to that. Your most important references in entering the teaching profession as a new teacher are your cooperating teachers. If I were hiring a teacher I don't think I would even look at an applicant from an on line progam who didn't have a significant amount of prior experience, or a full internship. I think the on line programs might make sense for people who are already working in the field and advancing themselves, but not for new teachers. Depending on what your previous degree is in, there are other ways to enter teaching that would probably prepare you better, and certainly make you more marketable.

If you were the parent of a special needs child, would you want a teacher with an on line degree and limited practical experience as a teacher working with your child?

I don't know anything about Liberty University's on line program. What I do know about Liberty University doesn't impress me. It was founded by Jerry Fallwell (remember the "moral majority"? ) It sounds like a great place to go if you want to surround yourself with people who share the same religious faith and world view..... but I thought the best part about my university education was being exposed to a variety of different people and perspectives. I think you could do better.

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Liberty University is run by Jerry Falwell, a recently deceased televangelist (most likely as a tax haven for all the cash he raked in preaching on TV). The school is not respected, it's considered a joke by most. There are plenty of religious-based universities that are reputable, anything affiliated with the Catholic or Episcopal church certainly is. Just not this particular one.

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Thank you, I am not 100% stuck on the idea because nursing is still very appealing. The program is primarily online and I will have to do student teaching and an internship to complete the program. With it being NCATE accredited that simply means that once I graduate the degree should be recognized nationally and meets the high standards of the accreditation organization. It is similar to the ABA or APA. Here is a quick overview of the program:

Quick Facts

2010-2011 Tuition

  • $425 per credit hour (based on full-time enrollment)
  • $25 intensive fee

Program Delivery Format

Blended

Residency Requirements

3 on-campus intensives

Credit Hours

  • 36 total credit hours
  • Up to 6 credit hours can be transferred in from an accredited and unconferred degree

Internship

A 3-credit hour student teaching is a required part of the M.A.T. program.

Licensure

The Education Department will verify that students have completed one of Liberty’s Virginia state-approved licensure programs. Students should verify any additional licensure requirements with their home state.

Potential Career Fields

  • Special Education Teacher

I know if I become a teacher it will have to be special ed, and I completely understand the challenges of that field of work. I have yet to find an accredited graduate degree program within that field in Michigan for unlicensed students. So that is the only challenge.

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Specializes in critical care.

It definitely sounds like you are leaning toward teaching. Is there a reason you are looking only at graduate schools? I know in my area, most education programs offer post-bac teacher certification programs. You may end up with a second bachelor's degree or just the certificate, but you have to take all the same classes that the undergrad education majors take.

Also, have you considered occupational therapy? With O.T. you have the opportunity to work in schools, hospitals, homes, etc. It seems like a pretty great career, somewhere in between nursing and teaching.

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I have thought about OT but I see myself more as a teacher than as an OT. I actually think the career field is great and maybe down the line I may try it out, but for now I would rather be a teacher. I actually have to go to graduate school, rather than a post-bachelors program because I will be utilizing financial aid and financial aid is not typically offered for 2nd bachelors degrees :(

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There is also the consideration...become a nurse if you are passionate enough about that. There are schools that will allow you to slide right into a MS program, with education minor...whalla...teacher of nurses (teacher of CNA's, teacher of Health Aids, teacher of ....just about anything at a JC.

I am an MSN...didn't burn out from nursing...got bad feet and went back to to school. I will teach nursing because I have a ton of experience. But there are a myriad other things I COULD teach. And I can sub at any of my childrens' schools.

The MAIN reason, if you want an MS and to teach...there are government grants that will pay back your student loans if you agree to teach (at full salary) for a few years (at any school of nursing). I have gone that route and currently, there is a program ready to pay back 60k of my student loans. Another is paying back 35k. And that is pretty much all the loans I have.

Good luck with your decision...

PS...I have heard that Capella has one of the best programs and at about the same rates you are describing. I looked into distance ed and decided to go to face to face because there was a famous University nearby and I got accepted.

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Specializes in Correctional Nursing, Orthopediacs.

Just to let you know that teaching is alot of outside the job work. The decrease in jobs has also hit that profession. Depends were you passion lies. I like teaching but a room full of them ruined my patience. Like nursing alot better.

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