Staring at a Career "fork in the road." Management or Education?

[Kphilli6]

I have two very different career opportunities in front of me and am looking for insight from others in the areas of Nurse Management or Education. Why did you choose to go into management? Is it worth it? What about teaching? As a faculty member or clinical instructor, does the job stay interesting?

About me: I started as a BSN in 2010 and have been working as a floor nurse in labor and delivery for just over three years. I now have an MSN in executive nursing but no formal leadership experience. I see myself as an informal leader with the desire to make change but lacking authority to do so. I am passionate about teaching, but decided against getting an MSN-Edu degree because it felt too limiting (can teach with the degree I have now AND manage).

First job: Director of Women's and Children's Department (L&D, PP, NICU, Peds) with five assistant managers (currently three vacancies). I have had a phone interview and three back-to-back interviews with other directors and the assistant manager who is also acting as interim director for W&C. I was asked to come in for another interview, this time with physicians and staff working in W&C. Traditional M-F schedule with alternating weekend call for the hospital covering other director's departments. I feel that this job will require many man-hours and higher stress levels but with the potential for greater reward.

Second job: OB nursing faculty at a university. They currently have both LPN and Associate nursing programs on an accelerated 5 week course schedule with three start dates per year. I would be required to teach an additional subject, probably med/surg, when there aren't students moving through the OB portion. I would have a traditional work week for lecture/lab but have 12hr clinical rotations twice a week, including weekends (40hrs total/week). The interview and test lecture went well, waiting on a background check before the official offer letter.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I think this decision is one that should be made 90% on the basis of what you heart says. Which type of work do you really want to do deep down inside? Also, which work environment will offer you the most support to help you transition into your new role? Which colleagues would you rather work with.

Personally, I am into staff development (Nursing Professional Development) -- which combines elements of both management and education. The combination suits me better that either a straight management or academic education would.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Agree with llg (as usual).

Just wanted to add a bit of a rant.. it just chaps my knees when people say that that don't need any additional education to teach... (underlying message... "it's so easy, anyone can do it")

Rant begins Education is a distinct discipline - with it's own specific body of knowledge and skills. And NONE of this is included in a generic MSN for "leaders". Actually, there was very little included in my own MSN-Edu or CNS coursework. Does anyone else think that this would be why our (nursing education) system is such a mess? I have been gainfully employed in workforce education (do not like to call it 'staff development') for a few decades. There is enormous waste an inefficiency due to our lack of strategic knowledge/skills in areas such as program evaluation (yes, this is a formal "thing") evidence-based instructional design, cognitive science, etc... rant over.

We need more young, talented, skilled and enthusiastic educators! C'mon on down!!!