Youll Earn A Comfortable Income
Another reason to change from teacher to nurse is that nurses benefit from having competitive compensation rates, averaging $77,600 per year, as of May 2021 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is well above the average salary of $61,820 for high school teachers. With such a significant salary boost, it makes sense to spend 16 months going back to school to earn your nursing degree.
Is accelerated nursing school worth it? Discover whether a nursing degree is right for you.
In addition to the base income nurses earn, if you want to save extra income, you can generally pick up extra shifts and work overtime as desired. You can also choose a nursing schedule where you work at times when youll receive higher pay, such as night or weekend shifts.
How To Get A Masters In Nursing With A Non
Another option for people who have a bachelors degree and are looking to switch careers to nursing is a Masters Entry Program in Nursing . Through an MEPN program, you can earn your Master of Science in Nursing degree without being a registered nurse. With an MEPN program, you can apply your previous experience and college credits towards earning an MSN.
What Nursing Specialties Fit Your Goals
In the nursing field, there is a wide range of nursing specialties to choose from. But you must first become a registered nurse before becoming an advanced nurse practitioner When mapping out your path forward, consider your areas of interest to identify the specialties that align with your long-term career goals. Specialties such as community health offer opportunities to work in schools, health departments, and clinics, where community health nurses can give direct patient care and often experience a more regular schedule than that of hospital nurses.
Its important to research the unique nursing specialties available across the nation, and determine which ones fit with your goals.
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Nursing Is A Stable Profession With Ample Job Opportunities
The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that the healthcare industry is facing a major shortage of nurses. The job field for registered nurses is projected to grow at a rate of 15 percent between 2016 and 2026. That number does not even take into consideration the number of openings created as a result of retiring nurses, which will escalate as baby boomers move towards exiting the workforce.
Where Are Nps Paid The Most

According to the BLS, NPs enjoy a higher annual salary in California than in any other state, with an average of $145,970 per year. Within California, the metropolitan region that pays the highest annual salary is Vallejo-Fairfield, where NPs earn an average of $188,070 per year. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward and Salinas follow Vallejo-Fairfield with $177,800 and $155,310 per year, respectively.
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Stress And Emotions Management
Teachers often face stressful and emotional situations every day. Stress and emotion management skills become very useful when working in an emergency room as a nurse. Handling patient in serious pain and emotional family members require special skills to effectively redirect emotional energy and become more effective.
Training And Development Manager
Some of the Training and Development Managerpositions will require a masters degree, but most only require a bachelors degree in business administration, education, or a related field. Many nurses have worked as trainers and as development managers throughout their nursing careers. As a result, they possess many of the skills required for this nurse career change, especially for a role in a health care organization. Nurses have superior communication and collaboration skills and know how to work as part of a team. Critical thinking and problem-solving skills are also vital in this position.
The best candidate for the job will train and develop others while setting business goals and creating the plans for the company to reach those goals. To meet the needs of each organization, a training and development manager will also need to have excellent decision-making skills. They also need to determine which types of training are best for each organization they work within their new position.
Transferable Nursing skills: Communication, Critical Thinking, Decision Making, Detail Oriented, Instructional, Leadership Potential New Salary: $115,640Job Growth from 2020 to 2030: 11%
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Should I Be A Nurse Or A Teacher
While the day-to-day work of nursing and teaching may seem very different, the careers have more in common than you might think.
As a teacher, you may find yourself nursing concerns beyond the lesson plans and class assignments. As a nurse, you’ll be responsible for educating patients about health and wellness. In both careers, you’ll need patience, empathy and strong communication skills to understand your audience and tailor your message to reach them in the way they learn best.
Teaching really is a part of nursing, said Dr. Stacey Rosenberg, the undergraduate program nursing director at SNHU. In some ways, its a natural transition.”
When a patient is sent home with a heart or blood sugar monitor, its a nurse who shows them how to use it. When new parents give their newborn a bath for the first time, its a nurse who walks them through the process.
As nurses, we need to be able to provide patients and their families with education about health and wellness so they can manage their health care needs and make good health care choices, said Allen.
Alternative Careers For Teachers: 6 Opportunities To Leverage Your Existing Skills
Some educators step foot inside a classroom and know theyve embarked upon their lifelong callings. Maybe its the intellectual acrobatics required to engage the class in learning or the fulfillment in seeing students succeed.
But its not uncommon for educators to decide that in-class instruction may not help them achieve all of their career or life goals. You may feel compelled to enhance your impact in a different way. Perhaps youre feeling the burnout from teaching during a pandemic. Or maybe youre motivated to increase your earning potential.
Whatever the reason, there are some great career changes for teachers that will leverage all of the valuable skills and experiences youve gained. But before we dive into some of the jobs for teachers outside of education, lets explore how an educators skills are cross-functional.
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Job Duties And Responsibilities
Though both nursing and teaching roles focus on helping others, professionals in these careers each have their own specific set of duties they need to manage.
In nursing, the workload can be as challenging as it is rewarding. Multitasking is key, especially in high-pressure environments such as emergency rooms and hospital operating rooms. In general, nurses are expected to monitor and evaluate patients, using critical thinking to make decisions. Theyre in charge of improving patient outcomes, offering support to a variety of medical professionals as needed. Some of their responsibilities include analyzing a patients health needs, communicating findings with family members, coordinating patient care across a variety of providers, doing health-related tasks such as drawing blood and giving shots, and administering medication as needed.
Roles Of Nurse Educators
A nurse educator is an RN who works to teach other nurses and medical professionals.
Instead of dedicating their careers entirely to patient care, nurse educators are passionate about teaching and advocating for nurses. They offer leadership and guidance in both a professional and academic setting.
The World Health Organization outlines some of the core proficiencies of nurse educators .
Nurse educator roles according to the WHO are:
- Communication, collaboration and partnership
- Research and evidence
- Theories and principles of adult learning
Nurse educators also play a role in promoting quality nurse education, according to Global Health Education. An effective nurse educator is someone who is a passionate, lifelong learner who works to keep up to date with the changing techniques in technology, medicine and teaching.
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Dedication To Lifelong Learning
Both nursing and teaching rely on continuous learning. Lifelong learning can give nurses the problem-solving and critical thinking skills needed to resolve problems they may encounter while taking care of patients. When nurses know new procedures, policies and techniques, they may influence healthcare by:
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Reducing mortality rates
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Improving patient outcomes
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Creating strong collaborative relationships with coworkers and patients
When teachers have a lifelong learning mindset, they are willing to learn creative teaching methods. They can take professional development courses and collaborate with other educators to develop innovative ideas to achieve better student outcomes. In addition, teachers who engage in lifelong learning can set an example for their students, practicing what they teach. This can encourage their students to become lifelong learners, and effective teachers might share their experiences of working through the learning process.
What Are Good Second Careers For A Nurse Career Change

There are many good nurse career changes, including home health care managers. Home health is a growing field, and many nurses have already opted to start their businesses. They have hired their staff of nurses and aides to fulfill the needs of patients all over the country. Another nurse career change that is growing in popularity is obtaining their doctorate in nursing and becoming a nurse practitioner. Some nurse practitioners have even opened up their practices or urgent care centers. Many works within a physicians office yet can see their list of patients and provide care to them since a doctor is nearby to sign off on certain things as needed. Promising second careers for nurses can be a wide range of positions, including fitness instructors and nutritionists. Some nurses have even decided to open their health food stores or restaurants.
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Is It Time To Make A Nursing Career Change
In an era where education is literally in the palm of your hand, making a career change is easier than ever. Once youve identified what you want to do after nursing, you can enroll in an online course and get the professional credentials you need to get started.
For example, a database management bootcamp will prepare you for a position as a clinical manager in a matter of months. To build your network and get closer to starting your alternative career to nursing, start researching today so you can make the decision thats right for your future.
What Do You Want To Teach
If you’ve made the decision to teach, you will need to decide the subject that you want to teach and begin the process by applying for a Florida Temporary Certificate in that subject. The Bureau of Educator Certification will only evaluate your eligibility in the subject/s you request on your application form.
Need help choosing your certification/teaching subject? The information below can help you make that decision.
- List of certification subjects .
- Subject Area Examination information. For most subjects requiring only a bachelor’s degree major, a passing score on the appropriate Subject Area Examination will qualify you for a Temporary Certificate in that subject.
- Florida school district certification staff. Each Florida school district has trained certification specialists in their personnel office. If you are seeking employment with a Florida school district, certification staff can assist you with employment and certification information.
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You Can Still Help Kids
If youre a teacher, you likely have a passion for children. Influencing the younger generation in a positive way is something you can also do as a nurse. There are countless pediatric specialties nurses can enter, working in a pediatric hospital, clinic or public health setting. Pediatric nurses build strong bonds with their patients and with the childs families. With nursing, you get to focus more on individualized care for children rather than having to manage 20 children at once. Rather, you can focus attention on just a few pediatric patients who youre closely monitoring and caring for.
Nurses also may act as advocates for children by ensuring they have healthy home lives. Nurses protect kids and keep them safe while also giving them the support they need to bounce back from challenging health situations. This is especially important in public health settings where BSN-prepared nurses have a unique role in supporting family development and safety.
Nurses can make a major difference in the lives of children. Kids often remember their nurses years later because of the impact they made. Nurses make it possible for children to grow up and live their lives. Its hard to find a higher calling than that.
Determine The Educational Requirements
So you have your nursing degree, and probably years of experience in the field. Your next question is probably something like: Is my degree enough to earn me a teaching position?
Well, the answer to that depends mainly on what kind of teacher youve decided to become.
As a minimum, middle and high schools require that teachers possess a bachelors degree in order to teach. While these degrees are sometimes in education, they dont necessarily have to be.
On the other hand, if you want to teach within the medical industry or at the university level, typically youll have to obtain some kind of graduate degree that designates you as a teaching specialist.
The educational requirements for some of the more common teaching professions in nursing include:
The reality is that not all teaching positions have the same educational standards. For example, many secondary school positions would be more than satisfied by your bachelors in nursing. At the same time, college-level or clinical education settings will likely expect you to pursue a more advanced degree.
In other words, if youre not interested in going back to school to earn an advanced nursing degree, then your options will likely be limited to secondary school programs.
Regardless, now that you have an idea of the educational requirements of your dream job, youre ready to take the next step: obtaining what teaching credentials you need.
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How To Change From A Nurse To Teacher
The Indeed Editorial Team comprises a diverse and talented team of writers, researchers and subject matter experts equipped with Indeed’s data and insights to deliver useful tips to help guide your career journey.
If you’re a nurse considering changing career paths but still want to make a difference in the lives of others, you can become a teacher. Working as an educator may be a good second career for you, especially if you have a passion for teaching. Understanding the differences between a nurse and a teacher can help you decide if you have what it takes to become an effective educator. In this article, we discuss what a nurse and teacher are, explore the career paths from a nurse to a teacher and learn how to change from nursing to teaching.
What Are Some Alternative Careers To Nursing
There are a variety of alternative careers available to nurses, but the decision on what to pursue is up to the individual. Nurses may leave one career and immediately step into another one that allows them to continue using their nursing skills . Other options may require additional schooling and training . Regardless, most nurses have the skill set and experience to successfully find an alternative career.
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Get Started Today At Ecpi University
Are you interested in transitioning into a nursing degree? If you already hold a bachelors degree, you might be eligible to join a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. Here at ECPI University we offer this program at an accelerated pace. For more information on how to get started, connect with a friendly admissions representative today.
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Where Do Nurse Educators Work

The term “educator” makes it sound like nurse educators only work in academic settings when they actually work in a variety of different environments.
According to the Nurse Journal, nurse educators work in settings such as:
- Businesses – Coaching wellness and health seminars, leading CPR and first aid programs and instructing professional development courses
- Colleges and universities – Teaching classes and running clinical educational experiences for students
- Medical centers and hospitals – Creating professional development programs for nurses, facilitating training for staff and designing educational initiatives to improve patient care.
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Nursing And Teaching Require Many Of The Same Skills
Though the jobs themselves could not be more different, both share many key soft skills, not the least of which are compassion, problem solving and patience. Of course, these attributes likely come easy to you if you decided to become a teacher. And they are vital for a successful nursing career.
Equal in importance is the ability to communicate and educate effectively. Much of the time, the task of educating patients and their families on their condition/diagnosis, medications, prescribed lifestyle changes and overall health falls to nurses, and that can be a tall order. For example, you could teach a patient about the home management of diabetes one day or about the importance of hand hygiene the next. It requires someone who can explain concepts in a manner that is easy to understand.