As an advanced practice nurse, I divide my time between working in journal publishing, practicing as a nurse practitioner, and teaching nursing. I can hear it now, "Why in the world would you want to take on three jobs?" I know it sounds daunting, and believe me, there are times when it can be challenging, but I know the reasons behind my busy schedule are not only sound, they are right for me.
Working part-time in clinical practice and in the university setting helps me give back to the profession I believe in, one that has given so much to me. And I also believe many of you out there in clinical practice today could have an extremely positive influence on the nursing world by also devoting a portion of your time to teaching undergraduate or graduate students.
Combining Your Talents
Now certainly, splitting time between clinical practice and faculty practice is not for everyone and is not easy. There are time constraints, scheduling difficulties, long distances, and other issues that will crop up when making the decision to add teaching students to your busy lifestyle. However, working with nursing and advanced practice students and reviewing basic and advanced clinical information or interesting case studies can be as rewarding as devoting your energies to patient care and healing. There is nothing more satisfying than hearing a student say, "I finally get it" after spending time on a challenging concept.
After almost 21 years in the profession and attending nearly 80 conferences, I have witnessed a thing or two about the giving nature of APNs and our strong desire to see nurses succeed in the healthcare arena. What better way to encourage a solid alliance of qualified, well-educated, confident cohorts than by offering your knowledge and experience to those willing to learn?
We Need You
The fact is, you are needed. Your patients need you and the nursing profession needs you. As everyone knows, there is a nursing shortage at crisis levels and it's projected to worsen. What you may not know is that the nursing shortage is intensified by the increasing deficit of full-time master's and doctoral-prepared nursing faculty. Although nursing school enrollment grew 16.6% in 2003, 1 a lack of qualified faculty, and therefore a limited number of slots, hampers these students' education. In addition, the nation's nursing schools turned away about 15,900 qualified applicants last year. 1
As nursing faculty, it is impossible to tell where your influence will stop. As a nurse, you are trained to impact patients' lives in a positive way. As an educator, you are not only a patient advocate but also a nursing advocate.
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