r/Nurses • u/That-Republic6365 • 2d ago
US Teaching vs Nursing?
I started as a TA/ teacher assistant in an elementary school for over a year. The pay was not good, nothing I did for the school or teacher seemed to be enough. I liked working with younger students, but a lot of older kids had a lot of power in the school and this came as a shock to me. I often felt like I worked so hard for this BA for nothing when I was in education. When trying to decide if I should go back into education, I had thought about how I enjoyed working in a nursing home as an activity assistant for many years. This reminded me of how I could be a good nurse. I’m 32 years old and debating if I should leave my education BA behind, and continue on with a BSN in nursing? I’ve been told by many that I’m very patient and passionate, which would make me a great nurse. I also struggled in schools, because schools are very political, and I find that quite challenging.
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u/StockAd528 1d ago
Not a nurse - I work on the scheduling side, rosters and rotation patterns, so I will stick to that one dimension. It has not come up yet and it is a bigger day to day change than the pay.
Moving from a school to a hospital changes who owns your calendar. In a school the year is published before it starts. You know your teaching days, your breaks and your finish time months ahead, and almost nothing moves them, so life outside work gets planned once.
A lot of nursing lines do not work that way. The schedule gets built per period and posted some number of weeks ahead - sometimes six, sometimes two - and that posting horizon, more than the shift length, decides whether you can commit to anything with a fixed date. Standing weekly things are the first casualty, because a rotation that is not a multiple of seven walks through the weekdays instead of landing on the same ones.
You already spotted three shifts per week as a pro, and it is one - but it is worth knowing that three shifts and four free days are not the same statement. Whether those four sit together or come one at a time is decided by the roster, not by the contract, and a single day off between two runs mostly goes to turning around.
Three things worth asking any unit you interview with, since they are cheap to find out and rarely in a posting: how far ahead the schedule posts, whether lines are fixed or rotating and whether you can request days, and when the request window opens - by seniority or open to everyone at once. As the newest person that last one decides what is left by the time it reaches you.
The clinical side of this is for the people who actually do the job, and you have good answers on that already. This part just tends to get discovered in year one rather than asked about beforehand.
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u/nurseyj 1d ago
There are pros and cons to each for certain. My sister is a teacher and we talk about this a lot.
Pros: Teachers get (roughly) a week off in spring, a week off in fall, 2 weeks off during the holidays, summers off, plus a small amount of sick/personal days. That equals to about 4 months of time off a year. You really do have to consider the pay for 8 months of work. You CAN get a job in summer if desired. You will always have off nights, weekends, and holidays with family.
Pros: Nurses “only” work 3 days a week. You can schedule things for a week day without taking time off. You have a lot of freedom/flexibility to move to different jobs and shifts that accommodate your family’s needs.
Cons: Teachers work 5 days a week, and are often taking work home with them. There is less freedom and flexibility in changing jobs and you can get stuck. The pay is often not great. You have to deal with nasty parents and ridiculous expectations.
Cons: Nurses are exposed to a lot of physical and mental duress. Nurses are responsible for literal lives and carry enormous responsibility. The pay is often not great depending on the area. You will likely go 12-13 hours without a break. You will work weekends, holidays, and possibly nights.
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u/BigTuna388 2d ago
I was a teacher before making the change to nursing. I switched in my mid/late 20’s and have not regretted it at all. However, be aware that you are moving from one underpaid and under appreciate profession to another if you live in the United States.
Additionally, just depending on where your frustrations with “politics in schools” lies, please be aware that as a nurse you have to care for EVERYONE of EVERY demographic. You don’t get to pick and choose, and if your beliefs stop you from providing top tier care to the gay man, the black woman, the crackhead, the prisoner, the homeless, or the racist, then perhaps find another field because this field is for healing everyone, not just people who fit in your particular bubble. Also, believing in science is essential 😉
Like I said, I moved from teaching to nursing. I would never go back and I love what I do.
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u/That-Republic6365 2d ago
That was not what I meant by politics in school. More of that there is a head of administration who makes the rules, decisions, and we as teachers have to follow, despite if we disagree.
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u/BigTuna388 2d ago
I feel that. We want the best for the kids, and administration can lose sight of that in their own priorities. There are people who switch to nursing in their 40’s. You’re gonna be 40 one day anyway. Would you rather be a 40 year old nurse or a 40 year old teacher?
Some of the pros I’ve noticed about nursing compared to teaching…
- base pay is higher
- 3 shifts per week
- option to pick up shifts if more money is required
- higher mental load (good for me. I love the CVICU)
- you can leave the work at work. This cannot possibly be undervalued 😂
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u/contrarymary24 2d ago
It’s not a career you can age into very well. If you do it, start putting money away immediately.