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Teaching vs. Nursing
So with some changes that DH and I might be making in the next few months (moving back to WA and DH changing jobs, becoming a Police officer) I thought there is no time better than now to look into going back to school if I really want to make a career change. I am comparing information for the accelerated programs to get my Masters in Teaching or my Masters/Bachelors in Nursing. (They have a lot of fast track programs for people who have bachelors degrees in other fields already).
I know we have a lot of teachers and nurses on here and I am curious as to what you would have to say about your field of work, what type of work you do, and what you thought of the schooling programs to get there. Did you get your degree from a 4-year university, specialty program or go back to school after?
I am just trying to gather as much information as I can because I am interested in both. DH wants me to have flexibility to be home with the kids (when/if we have them) so he thinks teaching might be better so I have holidays/summer off, but with nursing you get flexibility of shifts.
Oh geez, this got long. Any advice or past experience would be appreciated. Thanks so much! Mimosas for all!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Teaching vs. Nursing
I am in neither field but hope to eventually be in teaching. They say not to count on summers off though. More and more schools around the country are moving to a year round program. It would still be nice to be a teacher if you have kids because you would pretty much have the same hours as they do even if you do go year round. I think its going to be whatever you have a passion for. It takes a special person to be a nurse and you can get burned out quickly if its not something you really really love. I think the same goes for teaching though too!
I am going to caution you about extremely accelerated nursing programs. I started an accelerated nursing program this summer....we were doing the entire sophomore year of nursing school in 2 months---NOT. EVEN. KIDDING. This was a program for people who already had a bachelors degree in something else. I left the program a couple of weeks ago because, well, I realized halfway through, although my grades were good the first half, I was not AT ALL prepared to walk into a patient's room and care for them---as we were going to be expected to do the next week.
I am now looking for another nursing program for people with a bachelors degree, BUT is a little longer-----this one had you getting your bachelors in like 13 months......that's WAY too fast (at least in my opinion). When I first started, I thought "YEAH...this is great....I'm going to have my BSN soooo fast..I'll just work my A$$ off." Unfortunately, it doesn't matter how much you work, there's just too much info and not enough practice in that short amount of time.
So, I'm looking at something closer to 16-19 month programs...doesn't sound like a lot more, but it could make all the difference!
I will also say I have already been a teacher--I'm changing careers after teaching for 5 years. I don't know what you have aspirations of doing with teaching or nursing, but with teaching I saw nothing in my future and I think that was MY problem. Some people love the idea of being in the classroom forever, or maybe want to be a counselor or administrator in the future--I didn't have those aspirations. However, I've always had a dream of being in the healthcare industry (why I didn't do it the first time around, I have NO IDEA). I can see myself in so many different areas of nursing down the road and that's why I know it's the right direction for me.....I can picture myself growing in the field...JMHO
I know that didn't really answer your question and that wasn't really what you were asking for, but just my two cents..he he
That is DEFINITELY the case! I know soooo many people I went to school with for teaching who are no longer teaching....UGH. It makes me sick to think I wasted a $120K education on a teaching degree......
Thank GOD there are still people like you who want to be a teacher because I could not stand it!!!!!
Thank you Amanda! That really helped. I have looked into quite a few programs and have gone back and forth between getting my bachelors in nursing and working on my masters later, or doing a slower longer program. I have found a masters program that is 15 months to get your RN and then another 21 months of part time school and part time working as an RN. I am doing LOTS of research but its always great to hear from people who are in it. But, its at a private college and would cost around $60k!!! I know you can get a ton of grants and scholarships at private schools but that numer alone is too scary to even think about trying to apply.
I totally agree with you about how you feel like there is so much you can do with nursing, but I think I would also really enjoy working with kids and making a difference. I just want to feel like I am helping others (not just reporting on the great things others are doing like I currently do working for a newspaper).
I have been a Spanish teacher for 7 years now. I went through a program at the undergrad level- but I know there are plenty of MA programs out there for people like you. I have my degree in Secondary Ed- which includes 6-12 in Illinois. I have mostly done HS, but also 2 years of middle school which was HELL ON EARTH. Now I'm entering my tenure year at a district I love that I also live in. I am also department chair there- which means I teach only 2 classes and the rest of the time I am like the liason between my teachers and the upper admin. I love the flexibility of my job, even though the pay could always be better
To reflect on what Esther said, I have heard some districts are looking into year-round schooling, but no one in Illinois that I have heard of is doing that (not any public schools anyways- magnet schools maybe). I know that for me, personally, if they went year-round I would be looking for a different career! Breaks in the school year are there for a reason- and the teachers and kids go crazy enough as it is with the current system we have. If we didn't have the same schedule I would hate to see what the classroom would look like! I personally think it is one of those things that will always be "looked at" but never implemented.
Hope that helped!
well I'm partial to nursing, but I think it all depends on what your personal interests are. Obiously you are a caring person for considering either choice. Neither are easy. Each has their own benefits and pitfalls.
I do work in nursing, but in education, which I love because its the best of both worlds. As a school nurse, you work light hours, have summers off, all the days students have off and weekends off. You get all the awesome parts of being a teacher, like changing students lives, connecting with their families and helping hem become the poeple they want to be. The down side is that I am the only medical professional around. I am constantly fighting w/ administrtaion to have policies that are standard practice in the hospitals be placed in effect. I have unqualified and uneducated staff working under me that put my licence and good name in the profession at risk daily. I also work at a charter school so I get paid crap and I don't have any benefits. That being said, most shcool nurses have a little more clout, get paid much more and have more security. I don't want to ba a part of a union, so I have to work for charter or private schools.
In the hospital and skilled nursing facility things are much different. And I would be working in one if I didn't need to leave the country every summer. Its fast paced, you usually work 3- 12's and have 4 days off. as a new nurse you get last pick of shifts, so you may be working nights at first, which really isn't bad at all especially after you get used to it. You need to be able to handle high stress situations and think quiclkly. You can't get too attached to patients or families- which in the end makes you a better nurse. In Skiled nursing facilkities (SNF's) you are often the last call, and have many other nurses working under you, so you need to be able to manage people effectivly.
With you MSN ( which I think personally is the best way to go) you have so many options. education, managed healthcare, healthcare systems, but you can also go into other areas such as specialized practices, teaching, public health... the list really goes on and on. and the other great thing I love about nursing, is that you are really able to change you carrer just by switching your practice. Which really isn't an option in teaching, or any other profession for that matter. Your earning potential is much higher in nursing over teaching as well. You also have more flexibility as to where you can live, your license from WA will work in 4 western states ( CA, NV, AZ and OR).
I have been working since 2006 as a school nurse. I didn't always want to be a nurse, but I did always want to work in healthcare. I couldn't imagine myself doing anything else now. Also, with a baby on the way, It's great to know what is going on w/ my body. I feel more informed when I leave appt.s w. my DR or NP and am more able to participate in my own health.
I do have to say, please don't become a nurse, just because you think it "seemed like a good idea", as I'm sure you wouldn't. But we have enough nurses that don't have their hearts in it. Choose education or nursing based on what really calls to and inspires you. each profession has so many opportunities right now that there's no reason to go into something your heart is not 100% in.
wow, that was long, but I hoped it gave you perspective. email me if you have any moree questions or want some school rec's
krissieward17 at yahoo dot com
K+S 9.18.9 | DD #1 age 2 | PG # 5 EDD 9.17.12
I feel ya about the $$. The program I was in was at a private university too.....I guess that's another that made me leave. I felt I was getting the short end of the stick...paying them private university tuition and then not learning as much as I should! HA!
Well, good luck with your decision...I definitely understand where you are. I'm looking at programs..probably won't be able to start until next Spring or Fall, but that's ok with me..he he
GL!
They're doing this in Memphis City Schools and the County Schools starting Fall 2010. It should be interesting to say the least! One of the positives here is that the kids won't be off so long in the summer to cause havoc in the city lol
This'll be my tenth year teaching elementary school. Let me give you my pros and cons:
Pros: summers off(HUGE bonus. love that time with my LO), holidays off, weekends off, good benefits, retire early, work with children, NEVER boring, a lot of fun, the career is always in demand
Cons: low pay (which includes spending A LOT of money out of pocket), work does not end when kids leave (a.k.a. bringing work home to grade or lesson plans to work on), tons of paperwork, the government is implementing programs like No Child Left Behind which is very difficult for teachers which is added stress, parents can be a PITA, when YOUR child is sick, you can't just leave, you have to find a sub, you spend more time with other people's kids then your own
Why do I do it? Because I LOVE it. It really does take someone special to teach. Not everyone can do it. From August until June, you are all about your job. Luckily, I have learned to balance it all but it is hard. If you have passion for teaching, I say go for it!
I got my bachelor's degree at a 4 year university and almost done with my master's degree.
I feel like there are such great points on both sides. I go back and forth from day to day which one I really want to do, and I won't do either until I am 90% sure (I am never 100% sure of anything). It just scares me because I am such an indecisive person. I know there are going to be good and bad things about each job, both are helping people in one way or another, both have good job markets, and both have a variety of directions you can take (different industries in nursing/different subjects, age groups, etc. for teaching)
What type of nurse do you want to be? There are many different tracts in that field and all are going to have different experiences. Nurse Anesthesiology is probably the highest paying nursing field and requires its own special masters degree. Nurse Anesthesiologist also pay high malpractice insurance. The hours are generally very set (depending upon the type of operating room you work in). Nurse Midwives get a lot of flexibility in their field and can do almost the same thing as a doctor in some states. Nursing programs can be tuff on students who don't already have a good biology background. The biggest thing you can do to help yourself early is learn anatomy and physiology. That class makes the students wine a lot because there is a lot of information and it is all memorization. We used to pity the person who had to teach that class to the nurses because their backgrounds were not usually strong enough to pick it up quickly. The med students usually came in already knowing that information so that was nice.
Teaching is another ball of wax. With a masters you can teach any grade up to the junior college level. I perfer to teach at the college level because the students already know more and you can get into a lot of detail. Plus, they are paying to be there so they are more serious. The downside to teaching college is that you don't know if you class is filled enough to teach until 2 weeks before so the money can be unstable with a Master's degree. However, you do get a lot of flexibility in when you teach.
I am a nurse. I have a bachelor's in nursing as well as a bachelor's in biology. I got the biology degree first and I thought, well, now what am I going to do with this. I could teach, but I would probably end up killing someone! So I went back to school for nursing. I like it for a lot of reasons mentioned above. The only piece of advice I would add to that PP said is to go work as a nurse before getting your masters, unless your only goal is administration.
For what its worth, I just asked a nurse friend who used to be a teacher, and she said definitely go for nursing.
Thank you ladies! All of your input is very helpful. Its nice to see all sides of the industries. My sister is a RN, and just got her Associates Degree in Nursing and so she has offered me some advice, but its nice to hear from others. I will make sure to let you all know what/if I decide.
pp brought up so many good points. I think after some more research and a little more time you will start to feel what feild is right for you. I think your doing everything right, just keep feeling it out.
K+S 9.18.9 | DD #1 age 2 | PG # 5 EDD 9.17.12