With 2.7 million working registered nurses nationwide, the nursing students make up over 50% of all health care students in the country today. And still, even though thousands more nursing students apply annually for admission to nursing schools than have in prior years, many students are placed on waiting lists because there are not enough nurse educators available to teach those students.
It is estimated that in 2020, the shortage of nurses will grow to 800,000 registered nurses (RNs) in the US. By training to be a nurse educator, an RN would be able to put a dent in this situation and will also make a good career move forward. Registered nurses are already assuming teaching roles with their patients on a daily basis; they advise on issues such as managing injuries and illnesses, administration of medication and diet and exercise. They also train new nurses and new staff in the facilities in which they work.
With this background in teaching, the fact that most registered nurses will not be ready for retirement after age 60 but may also not want to be directly involved in patient care, and the nurse educator shortage increasing daily, the choice to train for a nurse educator qualification should be an easy one for an RN who is looking for advancement and change.
Nurse educator jobs primarily involve work in universities and colleges where the degrees offered are Bachelor's and Associate programs in nursing. Some instructors are involved in Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) courses; yet others work with health care facilities and are involved with clinical education.
The nursing Master's degree (MSN) is the nurse educator certification required to teach the Bachelor's degree level at any accredited university, as well as to fill the nurse educator jobs in health care agencies and in hospitals. A registered nurse who has clinical experience and holds a Bachelor's degree in nursing will qualify as a clinical instructor. Additionally, pursuing an online teaching degree, such as a PhD in nursing education, can help you advance in the field. Nurse educators have a choice of working as full time members of the faculty, with the usual benefits of retirement and tenure; they also have another option of teaching part-time and remaining involved with patient care in the hospital or other health care facility.
The MSN qualification is open to registered nurses with a minimum of three years experience in a health care field. This qualification can be attained while the student is working his full time job; in this instance, he will only need to invest a few hours a week on school work. Several universities have accredited online nursing programs available, and will work with students’ local health care facilities to provide any hands-on training that may be necessary.
For students who do not already hold RN degrees there are options, such as fast-paced RN to BSN programs, that will allow a student to work on both degrees in just a small amount of the time and at only one half of the usual cost, and still they do not have to leave their jobs to complete the program. These programs are especially effective when taken through online universities, since the student can take advantage of the flexible scheduling that these schools offer.
Training for a nurse educator qualification gives the interested candidate many options for variety in nurse educator jobs, flexible work schedules, opportunity to educate the eager minds of new nurses, and the opportunities for distance learning and other teaching opportunities.
While the nation's schools are greatly challenged to find new educators to staff their faculty and to support the fast growing demand for nursing education, at the same time that difficulty presents opportunities for employment for nurse educators and also job security for a long time to come.
