Work experience before Nurse Education?

[danu3]

This may be obvious, but it is not obvious to me.

It seemed that if one want to go into Nursing Education, one would need a few years of clinical experience under his/her belt. One question is how many years of these expereince should one have before going for a Nurse Education program? If I am wrong on this, that is one can can straight into Nurse Education from a BSN, then I would like to know that too.

-Dan

[llg, PhD, RN]

I am speechless. So sorry this happened to you, llg. Their loss.

Thanks for the sympathy and support. That year was probably the worst year of my life. However ... the good news is that I landed on my feet. I found a good job working for a good hospital. After a couple of years, it turned into a great job with which I am very happy.

But ... I am one of those PhD prepared nurses who works for a hospital and not for a school of nursing. That's kind'a a lonely place to be, professionally speaking. My hospital colleagues don't quite know what to make of me ... and the local faculty members look at me suspiciously -- sometimes down their noses a bit, sometimes with jealousy. It's odd.

I was educated to be this great researcher and I don't have that opportunity in my current job. So, I have to deal with the fact that some people may think my advanced education is not being put to proper use. However, in my current position, I am able to develop and implement new programs that directly help individual nurses -- and that is very satisfying.

llg