LoisLaneRN

To compare, I was making 75k/year as a bedside nurse, and I was and still am the primary wage earner in my family. I make 55k/9months as an instructor. I work the bedside PRN and bring in another 20k or so by working summers and occasional weekends. So I'm about even. However my retirement from the college is far superior than any bedside job I have ever held. There are pros and cons, just like with any other job.

We might mean the same thing. I believe NP programs are operating on the assumption that their students have 5+ years of solid nursing experience. When the reality is different. Too much focus on theory and research and not enough focus on patho, pharm, assessment.

I do not think you need to be strong in Chemistry to be a good nurse. You may be surprised that some programs no longer require chemistry. It is much more important that you understand anatomy and physiology well. As a high school student, I was under the impression nurses had to be strong in math and science. The reality is quite different. Nursing school is difficult, but in an entirely different way than a chemistry course is. I would not use chemistry to gauge your aptitude for nursing.

I agree that it is very difficult to fail a nursing student in clinical, unless they do something clearly unsafe and in direct violation of a policy. Most assessment in nursing clinical is subjective. Where people fail nursing is obviously in didactic content, and I will assume the same of med students. So the nightmare for an instructor is the rare student that is an excellent didactic student and is clueless in clinical. I think the days of the cut-throat nursing instructor are behind us. Colleges simply are not backing students being failed out without clear cut documentation. They want to retain students and avoid appeals or litigation. I will also add I do not know of anyone who has failed the clinical portion of an NP program. I do know those that have failed out before they reach clinical. I do feel graduate nursing education relies too heavily on RN experience and again, subjective evaluations.

I'm an instructor and I don't agree with the statement. In fact, as a former A student, it pisses me off, because I am also a very good bedside nurse. Certainly there are "book smart" students that can't apply their knowledge in clinical, but in my experience they are few and far between. The majority of my students that struggle in clinical are also C students. This makes sense because C is average and most students fall in the average range. I really hate the idea that nurses do not need a solid foundation of knowledge. Nursing goes far beyond the technical skills.

I am an instructor. I make 55k for a 9 month contract. Summers are optional and not guaranteed as we do not run clinical in the summer. As an adjunct (doing only clinical) I made approximately $40/hour. For the clinical hours only, not grading. This is a great second job, in my opinion. And it is a great way to "try out" being an instructor. First off, you never go into teaching for money. Ever. It has to be something you love. There are benefits. No weekends, no holidays, school breaks off. In some cases you may receive reduced tuition for your children. You are eligible for student loan repayment programs. It is by far the hardest job I have ever had. It is disheartening that most people discourage teaching. We need knowledgeable, competent, enthusiastic faculty and unfortunately the money is just not there.