Changing Careers from
Teacher to Nurse

Your Question:
I would like to know what would be the best/most efficient way of making the career shift from teaching to nursing?

I am currently a teacher of the hearing impaired. I have a Bachelor of Science in Deaf Education and a graduate certificate as an auditory-oral specialist. I have been working in the field for over 6 years but for at least 5 of those 6 have dreamed of becoming a nurse. I would like to specialize in working with children. I myself was a very ill child and feel a strong calling to 'give back' to the profession.

Sincerely,
Adrienne

My Answer:

Adrienne,

Thank you so much for writing Become-A-Nurse-Now! It sounds like you have already made your decision to become a nurse and I hope that I can help you some.

The fact that you already have a Bachelors of Science will be helpful in your transition from teacher to nurse. Anyone with a B.S. should look into programs known as BS to RN or accelerated BSN programs. You can find out more about the accelerated BSN program here.

In a nutshell, I like these programs because they give you credit for the work you already did in school. They are intense programs and can take anywhere from 1.5 to 3 years depending on the school. As always, I encourage everyone to talk to the school of their choice to find out that school's specifics.

If that type of program doesn't seem feasible to you (for example if you want to work while going to school), you may want to consider getting your associate degree and later taking the extra classes needed for the bachelors degree. Click Here for the associate degree info.

As far as working with children goes, you are referring to becoming a pediatric nurse. Regardless of what type of nurse you want to become, every nurse gets the same education. You will just need to apply to a pediatric floor after graduating and passing the NCLEX.

Be aware that sometimes pediatric jobs can be hard to come by. Working as a nurse assistant while you are in school on one of those types of floors can help you later get hired as a nurse there!

Good Luck and hope this was helpful!

Shannon