Volunteering as a TA?

Specialties Doctoral

Published

Specializes in Emergency/Urgent Care.

Just wanted to run an idea by individuals whom are in the same field as opposed to family members or friends. I'm currently in a DNP program, and started actually quite recently as I'm not even a semester into it yet. One factor that had particularly drew me to my program was the fact that it includes a graduate certificate in post-secondary education. With this being said, along with being a clinician I would really like to teach at the undergraduate level in the future for a variety of reasons which could make it's own post. Thus, this brings me to my question: Would it be silly to ask local colleges to volunteer as a TA in the classroom?

In my undergraduate nursing program, along with a professor there was a TA in the lab portion which helped students with understanding lecture materials as well as actual nursing skills. This is what I would like to be doing for a few reasons. One being that I genuinely like to teach, however another would be gaining experience which could perhaps translate to increased teaching opportunities and connections. But, essentially I'm just a bachelor's prepared nurse at the moment and I don't know if I'd really be qualified if that makes sense? Also, the argument of time constraints with graduate school is there as well. Just wondering what other people in the field think about this.

Thanks for reading everything, I know it's a lot.

Specializes in research.

Do you have the opportunity to apply for a teaching assistantship at your own school? Lots of schools will accept students for teaching assistantships as part of your financial aid package. You also may be able to take a course through your nursing school or though another department at your school, like public health, that is a course on teaching or a teaching residency or something along those lines. Often those are aimed at PhD students I think, since many will be going into academia and teaching, but I would think you'd be able to take the class too. If none of those options work for you, I don't see why you couldn't ask other colleges if you could be a volunteer TA. I'm not sure that's really done, but it couldn't hurt to ask. You may be able to be a lecturer at a local community college too, or a clinical instructor at a community college or even your own school. I don't think that those positions necessarily require advanced degrees, depending on the program and on how much experience you have. A nurse I worked with a few years ago had her BSN (no graduate training) and she was a clinical instructor for a health assessment course. I think you have lots of possibilities if you do some research! Good luck!

Specializes in Psychiatry, Community, Nurse Manager, hospice.

With the shortage of clinical and academic instructors, I do not think volunteering is necessary. You should be able to get some credit and a stipend in the very least. But I fully and wholly encourage you to go ahead and seek out those opportunities.

Specializes in Pedi.

You should get paid to TA. Our TAs when I was in my undergraduate program were students in the doctoral program.

Adjunct clinical faculty are needed pretty much anywhere

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