As a teacher, you play a valuable role in society. But if you’re always on a tight budget and educating more kids with fewer resources, your desire to change lives for the better might carry more weight in the nursing profession. And guess what? There’s never been a better time to make the switch from teaching to nursing.

So why trade your lesson plans for patient charts? In this post, you’ll discover the top three reasons why teachers change their careers to nursing, what teachers and nurses have in common, and how our ABSN program makes a 16-month transition into the nursing profession possible.

1. Earning Potential

Teachers don’t walk into the classroom expecting to become rich, but it’s sad to think they earn almost two percent less than they did in 1999 and five percent less than their 2009 pay. So it should come as no surprise that more and more teachers are leaving the profession for fields such as nursing. After all, those who transition from teaching to nursing are entering an occupation that the Bureau of Labor Statistics lists as having a median annual wage of $70,000.

2. Occupational Outlook

According to a recent Yahoo! Finance article, nursing is one of the fastest growing occupations in the nation. Furthermore, the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects registered nurse employment to grow by 15 percent between 2016 and 2026, a much faster rate than the average for all occupations. Elementary and high school teacher employment, however, is only expected to grow by seven and eight percent, respectively, during that same time period.

3. Diverse Opportunities

Nursing is easily one of the most diverse professions available today. While hospitals remain the largest employers of registered nurses, there are plenty of other job opportunities in a wide variety of settings to go around. In fact, you’ll find nurses hard at work on airplanes, cruise ships, and military bases. You could even go back to your roots by becoming a school nurse.

Nurses can also take a highly specialized career path, with more than 100 nursing specialties to choose from. For example, you could be an ambulatory care nurse, a burn care nurse, a dermatology nurse, a forensic nurse, a genetics nurse, a holistic nurse, an informatics nurse, or a labor and delivery nurse. Bear in mind, however, some specialties require more education and training than others.

The Transition From Teaching to Nursing

Teachers and nurses are professionals cut from the same cloth. Both serve to make a difference in the lives of others. While their skills sets are obviously very different, these professionals share many of the same personality traits and desired occupational qualities.

The best teachers and nurses, for example, have generous hearts and nurturing spirits. Not to mention, both of these professionals need to be good at problem-solving, decision making, communicating, and collaborating. They must also remain calm, cool, and collected when dealing with emotionally charged individuals such as upset parents or angry patients. So when you think about it, making the transition from teaching to nursing isn’t really that far of a stretch.

Keep in mind, however, nursing is not the kind of profession you want to enter into lightly. So before you endure the stress of nursing school, you really need to weigh the pros and cons of the profession. Sure, it’s a rewarding career path from a personal and financial standpoint, but are you up for working with blood, needles, bodily fluids, germs, illness and the like on a daily basis? And can you handle the pressure of knowing people’s lives are in your hands?

While you might need to complete a series of prerequisite courses (e.g., anatomy, physiology, chemistry, and microbiology) before entering the program, once your ABSN classes begin, your sole focus for the next four, full-time semesters will be on professional nursing study, which comprises:

• Core nursing courses that set the foundation of your education by focusing on the fundamentals and theories of the profession, from health assessment to drug therapy to ethical practice.
• Nursing labs that focus on basic clinical skills application, such as catheterization, nasogastric tube insertion, and wound care, as well as your use of clinical judgment in diverse nursing scenarios.
• Clinical rotations that provide you with real-world experience in diverse areas of nursing practice, from adult care to community health. You’ll also log 120 hours of concentrated clinical experience working under the guidance of a nurse preceptor.

It’s also worth mentioning that to keep pace with our rigorous ABSN curriculum, you must be willing to devote anywhere from 40 to 60 hours a week to your nursing education. But when you graduate, the curriculum will have prepared you to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN® exam) with confidence.

If you’re unfamiliar with the NCLEX, it’s an exam that every nursing school graduate must take and pass before they can legally practice the profession. It essentially tells the Board of Nursing in the state where you plan to work that it’s safe for you to practice as an entry-level nurse.

Your ABSN Program Options

When it comes to our ABSN program, you have the option to complete your core nursing courses online (via our Downers Grove location) or face-to-face in the classroom (via our Maywood location). But no matter which course delivery option you choose, you’ll receive the same quality 16-month nursing education taught by experienced, highly supportive instructors.

Ready to Make the Switch?

If you’re ready to make the switch from teaching to nursing or would like to know more about our ABSN program in Downers Grove or Maywood, Illinois, contact our admissions team today!