Nursing Educators, please tell me more about how you like what you’re doing. How did y’all start to get where you’re at currently. I’m interested in this field of nursing but I’m trying to get advice and more information on how to start.

Hello,

I've been a Nurse Educator at a hospital for a little more than 6 years and I love it. It's not only about what I do, but my supervisor is wonderful (supportive, ethical, respectful, etc.) and my department co-workers are great (team players, experienced, approachable, etc.). I also have a little experience in being a professor at a local university.

I knew I wanted to be in the training and education department from the first moment I started at the hospital 16 years ago. I like teaching, I like mentoring, but I also realized that staff respect teachers who know what they are talking about. I spent approximately 5 years on the floor, and another 5 years in QI. On the side, I was working hard to learn more, get better, be useful, be helpful, and network. When the opportunity came up to join the department, I felt I was ready knowledge wise, mentally, physically, emotionally, etc. I was joining the department for the right reasons.

At my organization I've heard people wanting to join the department because of higher pay, Monday-Friday, and higher status, but they currently hate their job. Their negativity is already palpable before they even became part of the team. This way of thinking drags the entire team down.

Steps I'd recommend for being a quality educator is:

1. Evaluate who you are, what you want, be realistic, and open to what others say about you. Being a quality educator is challenging.
2. Get real world experience. At least 3 years, but the more the better. There is a huge difference between real world experience and book smart. Find the medium, best of both worlds.
3. Get more education/degrees on your resume and please actually use what you learn thoughtfully. It sets you apart from others. I have my BSN, MSN, and BC. Aiming to get an NP one day.
4. Role model. Be useful and helpful. Staff respect you more (a.k.a. will listen to you more) if you can empathize and understand what they are going through.
5. Network. This is hard for an introvert like me, but I did it thoughtfully and invested in the little connections I have. The people I connected with have become lifelong colleagues. If it's in you to schmooze and create superficial connections, that's alright too, but the lifelong connections are the ones who usually got your back when things go bad.

My apologies for the lengthy reply but hope this helps you all.

Nursing is a rewarding career with a heart of someone that love to care and share their time with others in need of proper treatment and care modalities.
A step at a time does it with proper time management.
Start a program that works for you.
Some people start from CNA school and work their way all the way to Doctorate level.

I love everything about nursing and enjoyed it.

I was a single Mom raising 2 children. I always knew I wanted to be in the medical field, but I wasn’t sure where I wanted to be. I started out taking a medical assistant course but my instructor told me he thought I should be a nurse. He felt I was capable of being an amazing nurse and learning a lot. I also took classes as a massage therapist. Eventually I went to community college for my Associates of applied science as a Licensed Vocational/Practical Nurse. I love being an LPN because we have more time to dedicate to patients than an RN. Don’t get me wrong I would love to pursue my BSN but I don’t have the money. As an LPN I started managing group homes for disabled adults and children, but I wanted more. I found my calling working in Hospice. It’s very demanding of your time but very rewarding to provide compassion, empathy and an amazing quality of life to dying patients. I worked in hospice for eight years but in the last two years transitioned into wound care. I am now a full-time wound care LPN supervisor where I live, and I work per diem as a hospice nurse. I absolutely love what I do, and would not change it for the world. Working in healthcare is not all about the money and anyone who wants to go into nursing/healthcare because they want to get paid a lot should really reconsider what they want to do because we need compassionate, empathetic nurses, and not mediocre nurses looking just to get paid.

I started my career with 20 years of med/surg nursing in the hospital where I learned more skills than most nurses ever get exposed to. Then, due to the what I consider a deterioration of our medical care system, I began teaching a certification class for nursing assistants for the state of Oregon. (I have an associates degree RN). This experience was one of the most rewarding jobs I ever had. Since we nurses could not do our jobs without our CNAs, educating adults on how to be a real "nursing assistant" to really assist a nurse was fun, challenging and worthwhile. I run in to my students now and then, several who have gone on to nursing school and they always thank me for the start that made them what they are today, employable and a precious resource.

Working in a nursing home, the administrator was married to the director of our local RN program. I started teaching classes to CNAs in the facility, got offered a part time job teaching CNA courses, ended up being full-time to a professor of Nursing. Informatics coordinator, expert in nursing pharmacology and nursing math. I loved teaching but you have to be very knowledgeable in the classroom and in practice. We learn habits nursing students do not need to learn for NCLEX. Stay up with EBP. Has challenges but all careers do, makes it worth it.

I was always interested in Nursing education, and had considered going back to school for my MSN. However, I stumbled into the opportunity to teach at a local small Nursing school with just my BSN. I'm currently teaching LPN clinical, and I have also taught RN labs and simulations. It's not quite as enjoyable as I had expected. Sometimes students aren't as interested in learning as I was as a student, and it can be frustrating. I love the students who are really enthusiastic and interested, but I'm kind of glad I didn't go back to school for Nursing education based on my experiences.

I would consider myself a nursing educator though not in the hospital or university settings. I work for a medical device company educating other associates and hospital staff on how to best use products, the workflows, the safety features, the impact to patients, etc. I just applied. No real education background. I have a tech background which helped some.

I think a traditional path would be to get a masters in nursing with an education focus and work as a CNS or adjunct faculty. The way in to colleges is typically through being an adjunct professor picking up classes here and there, often at multiple schools. However there is an insane need for more nurses now and more nurse education so I would think opportunities should be popping up all over if you are interested in the college or university route.

I have always liked education, even as a bedside nurse. I liked training new nurses into critical care, as well as other specialty areas, and became a preceptor. Start there, but I firmly believe you need to have some solid bedside experience behind you first, in whatever specialty you choose. As an ADN nurse I offered to teach things like CPR, or inservice classes whenever there was a need. Often this was done voluntarily, but I saw it as a need especially when we lost our nursing education dept.
As time went on, I always wanted to stay being a nurse, but wanted to be open to more possibilities. I accepted new challenges - like I became a Risk Manager. I then asked myself where did I want to be in my golden years. After 25 years as an ADN, I decided to enrich my career by getting my BSN then my MSN in Nursing Education. Once I graduated in applied to be adjunct faculty at 1 college & 1 university initially, but kept my FT job. I was blessed to become a Director of Education at two diverse facilities, but always wanted a FT position as Nursing Instructor. When that opportunity presented itself, I grabbed it! I now am PT Faculty & PT lecturer, writer & consultant. A perfect fit to allow me the flexible lifestyle that I want at this time of my life!
Good Luck!!

The hospital I was working at needed a nurse educator. I have a background in education and had a master degree in nursing. EASIEST interview ever. Just retired out of that position.

I love being able to help new nurses or students. Please you stay up to date with new ebp and keep bedside skills. I start of preventing and then got offered a per firm position clinical instructor position at a local community college. Soon after my my hospital had an opening for educator.

I did this for about 4 years. As a mere MSN prepared instructor it was clear I was second their for most things.

One of my relatively rare expertise area was informatics w practical experience. That is what got me in.

Students were all top 10% of their class and were in their first competitive academic environment so shall we say they kept me on my toes.

Because of other skills and experiences, after 9/11 I did end up as the emergency prep coordinator for the SON and was on the university committee. Did some regional and national presentations since few in nursing had that expertise. I as a mere mortal created a Trauma Emergency Preparedness tract for acute care NPs. That is still being taught at the university.

Again as a mere mortal my name shows up on in meeting minutes but nowhere in the program itself.

It required am MSN in nursing education

First get the expected academic level. Then start applying.

DA Powell, RN-nurse since 1979, still working
Give Home Health Nursing a try even if is part time. Yes, there is usually lots of travel within a metropolitan city. The work involves General Health Evaluations, Medication set ups, maybe wound care and more intensive assistance to clients depending on the level of expertise of the nurse. Keep doing online CEU's, research health topics, read journals, join a nursing specialty, professional association.

If you are interested in nursing but are not sure about it, perhaps get a job in a hospital where you have patient interaction. That way you will see if you like doing that on a daily basis , and depending on where you are working you can pick up some information on how things run on the floor. How many pts. a nurse is assigned, length of stay etc. .. then if you like it perhaps they will pay for you to continue your education. Or give

Nurse educators usually ‘educate’ a new nurse to the area where they will be assigned.
An employee orientation for the time when they are just starting. They do inservices on new equipment, new procedures etc. they are usually seasoned ICU nurses and have a lot of knowledge and experience.

Most new nurses should start on a MedSurg floor and build up their experiences. Then you can branch out to a specialty and that really has infinite possibilities. Travel, research or any other specialty leadership, case management etc.

Most educators have experience in nursing and as nurses we teach so it’s an easy crossover. Look at your local school to see if they’re hiring. Complete an application and interview will be set up. Our school district has an opening. I love what I do. Mix of teaching and clinical’s and the joy of seeing them graduate makes it worth it!

Obtain as much experience as you can as fast as you can ,be through in your work and be the best you can. Learn from others who have the same desire and you will do it

Nursing has such a diverse number of roles. In the hospital setting you can choose between medical surgical nursing; neonatal intensive care, adult critical care; mother baby; labor and delivery, psychiatric nursing, etc.
There are professional nursing roles such as phone triage, case management; oncology, nurse navigation,etc.

I became a nurse at 40 and have done multiple roles; it is a great field; highly rewarding and pays well.

Becky A RN, MSN

First of all. Have an attitude about caring for people. It is useful to have an interest in biology and chemistry. The field of nursing is very flexible. initially you will be in direct patient care. Later on you might choose management either way you will always impact patients.

As one of the answers given, I am not a formal educator. I would like to be one. Each day I have always done some education for my fellow nurses. At most of the facilities as nurses we help with orientation in orienting the new nurses to our unit. Along with that my facility has a OR nurse internship program, an as a seasoned nurse on the unit I have worked with these nurses on the unit.

I was a teacher and college professor way back before I became a nurse, so I knew that I liked the teaching aspect. Throughout nursing school, people wanted to be in my study groups (though whether that was because we all worked to teach each other and be able to break the concepts down to explainable bites or because we always had snacks you might have to ask them). I went directly into MH nursing from nursing school and loved the patient education aspect, as well as working with the nurses. As I moved up in my career and started to have some physical challenges, I started an MSN Nurse Educator program with an eye to teaching clinicals and for a pre-licensure program. I found a position with the insurance side of an IDFS as a Nurse Educator, but it was really more about the software and EMR. I picked up a PT clinical and didactic gig with a pre-licensure program since I missed the students and patient education aspects. Now, I am in a Clinical Nurse Educator role but am also the Student Placement Coordinator for my network. I love working with the students and seeing their passion, but I also get the ability to help the onboarding nurses and Nursing Professional Development side through teaching other things like BLS, CPI, nursing grand rounds presentations, and so on.

I like dealing with policy and research, so I tend to be a go-to person for committee membership. I like this since it gives me touchpoints for a lot of different aspects of nursing. It also means that I am active in my professional organization, and until my most recent job change (which also included a cross-country move) sat on the state board for that professional organization. I think that if you want exposure and networking, with LOTS of opportunities to learn and find mentors to help even more, participation in a professional organization is key.

If you want to find out whether you like the education side of nursing, volunteer to teach. You could be a skills champion and refresh fellow floor nurses on skills for regulatory compliance. You could do some research and do a poster or podium presentation for a professional organization. You could get involved with hospital-based committees like Ethics, Quality Improvement, or whatever fits your interests. Or you could pick up a clinical group or offer to teach (or co-teach) a didactic lecture for a nursing instructor- pick something that you already know well. Think about what part of teaching is your passion- is it prelicensure students? Is it patients? Is it nurses already working on the floor? Is it new nurse residents? Also think about whether you think you would like to teach the same material consistently or teach different topics. A Nurse Educator position working with new nurse residents is likely to have more variety than a Nurse Educator position on a clinical unit, and both of those Nurse Educators are going to have a very different type of schedule and expectations than an instructor in a nursing program.

I started out doing part time with a nursing school. Found I love teaching so I not work full time teaching. I did clinical at first, then I did a few labs and lecture. I love the simulation lab so I am now a simulation lab coordinator. Love my job

If you are a people person and you love helping others, you will thrive. Money will follow when you love what you do and get really good at what you do!

Caring has been my passion, especially the sick, nursing is good for people that are patience, because if you don’t have that, it will be so difficult for you to interact with your patients and family members.

It depends if you want to teach students or professional.staff.

When I started in.education, I got my foot in the door by teaching all the clinical I could. If you do adjunct work with multiple schools, you can make it work. I would teach 2-3 2day clinical per week. Between clinicals I tutored. I kept asking to teach an intro course. Currently you have to have a bsn to teach lpn's and an MSN to teach rn's. However, this can be waived potentially for clinical teaching.

If you are.interested in teaching other nurses, then your degree level will vary.on.the position. The VA has a PBNR program, post baccalaureate nurse residency for new nurses, which is a great way to basically teach clinical continuously as your full time job. Otherwise, if you have a lot of experience in.a certain area, get certified and look for a clinical Educator in.that specialty within the hospital system. I am PMHRN-BC certified and am.applying right now for a position.as the nurse Educator for a 96bed inpatient facility. In this job, my boss would be the HR director with a dotted line to the DON. I would do on-boarding new hires as well as have the opportunity to look.around the facility to identify areas of weakness, and develop a plan to shore that uo. Find an area of great strength in 1 unit, learn from it, bring one of those staff members and co-present.

Finally.you can.do.education.as.1-off presentations, basically CEU type for 1hr. I am also WCC, and in.my.ho.ecare agency, I develop and teach.a series.of wound courses. This is a great way to.show nurses and bosses you know your subject and are a great presenter.

I personally love doing many things in nursing. All I ask of a job is that is allows me to have a positive impact on client outcomes and quality of life.

Try different things, dip.your toe in. Do you lime the process of actually developing the curriculum, or presenting it? Or both? Do what makes you happy and that you can leave with a feeling of satisfaction, MOST days.

please excuse typos... in.the car on my phone waiting for a client. Thanks!

Derek Wood, MS, RN, PMHRN-BC. WCC

Do you want to work as an in hospital clinical educator or as a Nursing School instructor. The roles are VERY different. I started as a adjunct clinical instructor while I finished my MSN. Started as a hospital clinical educator. While the job has some benefits ( especially pay). I went full time where I had been doing clinicals. Would never look back now. The longer I do it the more I see the impact I have made in peoples lives and the profession.

IN NY, you are required to have an MSN. At that point, you might as well be a nurse practitioner