Question for all Nurse Educators

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in NICU.

Why did you decide to go into Nurse Educating? Do you still do patient care as well???

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I have moved back and forth between teaching and clinical practice throughout my career (since finishing my MSN). I've been practicing clinically (again) for a little over two years now since leaving my last teaching job (and am currently waiting to hear back from an application I submitted recently for a teaching position :)). I've also had clinical positions that involved some teaching (of grad students, med students, and residents).

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Specializes in Perinatal, Education.

I went into education because I love to teach. It was my favorite part of being a nurse and I love teaching nursing students. I was lucky enough to get a full-time position that includes lecture, lab, and clinical teaching. Unless I am laid off due to budget issues, I plan to keep this job until I retire (it is tenure-track). I am still very involved in patient care when I am with my students on the floor. We asses and pass meds. I am an OB nurse and enjoy being in L&D without the responsibility of being 'the nurse'. It is like playing.

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Specializes in NICU Level III.

I want to get my MSN in nsg edu but.. I'm not sure when I'll use it. I have far too much to learn still in bedside nursing. I basically just have the time to do it and might want it in the future (it IS an interest) so why not?

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Specializes in Perinatal, Education.

If you have the time and resources to get it now, Neonurse , go for it. The MSN has only a couple of courses (depending on the program) that are clinically focused. They will only help you with your current practice.

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If you have the time and resources to get it now, Neonurse , go for it. The MSN has only a couple of courses (depending on the program) that are clinically focused. They will only help you with your current practice.

I assume that you're speaking specifically of MSNs with a focus in education -- my MSN program (a CNS program) was almost entirely clinical, as are any of the advanced practice MSNs.

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Specializes in Perinatal, Education.

Yes, that's why I put depending on the program. I have an MSN with an education concentration. That also gave me a year of student teaching in a nursing program which I'm sure is different from a CNS program. To the OP, as you can see, there are a lot of options. The two clinical courses I had were Advanced Pathophysiology and Advanced Physical Assessment. Thery were both FNP classes and have been valuable to me as I teach students.

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I am glad I came across this post. I am also a neonurse (like that term) and I would like to go into teaching. I love teaching and would love to teach on tenure track, but am also thinking about teaching within hospitals with the neonurse to regular nurse transtion and working with nurses to be better preceptors. and of course teaching the general public and patients about healthcare. Thank so much.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

One caution to neonatal nurses thinking about becoming educators. Neonatal nursing is not taught in nursing schools very much. So, if you want to work for a nursing school, you'll probably have to teach other clinical specialties -- such as peds or OB.

To focus on teaching neonatal nursing, you should consider a career in Nursing Staff Development or a traditional CNS role. Those are roles that work for the hospital and teach staff nurses. As you are looking at Master's programs, look to see if they focus only on undergraduate education or whether they include staff development.

It's just something to think about. If you want to teach ... your specialty needs to be compatable with what nursing schools teach.

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