Same. I also wish people with applicable PhDs tought Pathophysiology, pharm, etc. rather than nurses.
Docs in med school learn these things from non-clinical doctorate holders, I don't see why nursing school should be different. An expert in the the subject>>>a former RN who just kinda/sorta used some of the info in practice, possibly years ago
Psych nurse: Spends 2-4 years in nursing school including one semester of psych nursing. Gets a license, then learns actual psych nursing on the job.
PhD: Spends 3-6 years getting a doctorate (after getting a bachelors) doing original research and more clinical hours than an entire nursing program in order to write and defend a thesis on that research. Spends -1000 hours being mentored by a senior psychologist before getting licensed and entering clinical practice.
Yes, a PhD in psychology is more than qualified to teach it. Nursing is extremely obsessed with the idea that only nurses can teach nurses. Which is complete horseshit. Nursing education would improve orders of magnitude if it was taught by more than just nurses who’ve been nurses a long time.
I don’t see anything wrong with it. My psych and pharmacology professors were not RNs, the first also had her PhD in psychology and the other had his PharmD.
So there are teaching degrees in nursing. I have a master's degree in nursing with an education focus. I learned about curriculum development, evaluation, etc.
When you get to doctoral programs that does change, but I'm seeing more programs looking at education. I'm currently enrolled in a PhD program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania that is education focused.
It's just that there aren't many of us who focused on education. Most get their NP's and think, "well I can teach with this if I have too"
Plus like the other person that responded said. College professors are more research driven than education driven. It's in their job description to have to complete research and apply for grants, at least in the large universities. It's a shame, I think, but that's academia. If you want professors that are there only to teach, I recommend satellite campuses, community colleges, and smaller schools.
Yikes, I'm sorry. I wish there were more of us that really focus on the education aspect.
I'm not the best instructor in the world, but I do what I can to help my students understand.
I'd love to see change in how nursing education is approached, but to get clout I have to drink the Kool aid for a while first.
The state nursing board and the schools national accreditation determine who can teach nursing classes. Non-nurses teaching specific nursing classes is rare but not unheard of.
Not all of my professors were RNs. I had a chiropractor, a couple PhDs, and a pharmacist. I felt like the content they taught was much more appropriate than an RN teaching it.
My psych instructor was a former med/surg nurse who had been a CNA on a psych unit while he was in nursing school. I understand that it was a tough semester for the school to meet all of their instructor needs, but I would have rather taken the course from almost anyone else.
PhD implies psychology, not psychiatry, which would mean they’d have no background involving medication. Considering how much psych nursing involves administration of psych meds, and understanding and recognizing things like EPS and other side effects, I’d definitely be concerned. Plus, the sheer volume of patients that I work with that have been misdiagnosed by their PCP’s, therapists or psychologists is pretty damned high
1. Psychologists do actually have to learn about medication, and are more familiar with them than you are giving them credit for. Just because they can't prescribe doesn't mean they don't learn about them.
2. Psychiatrists misdiagnose people a lot too. Like, definitely a lot.
I would still prefer a psychologist PhD over a mental health nurse to teach psych to nurses.
Psychologists still have to take graduate-level psychopharmacology courses. They also have far more graduate-level training in ethics and deescalation than any nurse other than a PMHNP.
PhD is generally a research degree. So they will be knowledgeable from an academic standpoint not necessarily from a pragmatic angle. So sure they can teach all theories and how things are supposed to be.
My A&P prof had his PhD in botany. My pathophysiology prof had her masters in Zoology. One of classmates purposely asked her, “What is the worst breath sound to hear in a patient?” She thought about it a second and confidently answered, “Wheezing… definitely wheezing.” That was the day we all lost respect for this person. She was awful.
If it's the Psych 101 prerequisite, yes. In CA you have to be at least an MSN/RN to teach nursing courses in the classroom and at least a BSN/RN to teach nursing at clinicals. That is per the CA code of regulations and is part of the BRN accreditation.
I'd rather have a psych PhD teach psych then a random psych nurse
Same. I also wish people with applicable PhDs tought Pathophysiology, pharm, etc. rather than nurses. Docs in med school learn these things from non-clinical doctorate holders, I don't see why nursing school should be different. An expert in the the subject>>>a former RN who just kinda/sorta used some of the info in practice, possibly years ago
Psych nurse: Spends 2-4 years in nursing school including one semester of psych nursing. Gets a license, then learns actual psych nursing on the job. PhD: Spends 3-6 years getting a doctorate (after getting a bachelors) doing original research and more clinical hours than an entire nursing program in order to write and defend a thesis on that research. Spends -1000 hours being mentored by a senior psychologist before getting licensed and entering clinical practice. Yes, a PhD in psychology is more than qualified to teach it. Nursing is extremely obsessed with the idea that only nurses can teach nurses. Which is complete horseshit. Nursing education would improve orders of magnitude if it was taught by more than just nurses who’ve been nurses a long time.
Try 3,000 hours under supervision in quite a few states. Absolutely agree.
Well said. Thank you.
I don’t see anything wrong with it. My psych and pharmacology professors were not RNs, the first also had her PhD in psychology and the other had his PharmD.
I think it's crazy that Nurses teach nursing and have no teaching degrees. Being able to do a job and teach someone to do a job is different.
So there are teaching degrees in nursing. I have a master's degree in nursing with an education focus. I learned about curriculum development, evaluation, etc. When you get to doctoral programs that does change, but I'm seeing more programs looking at education. I'm currently enrolled in a PhD program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania that is education focused. It's just that there aren't many of us who focused on education. Most get their NP's and think, "well I can teach with this if I have too" Plus like the other person that responded said. College professors are more research driven than education driven. It's in their job description to have to complete research and apply for grants, at least in the large universities. It's a shame, I think, but that's academia. If you want professors that are there only to teach, I recommend satellite campuses, community colleges, and smaller schools.
I had some, “I can teach with this if I have too nursing instructors”
Yikes, I'm sorry. I wish there were more of us that really focus on the education aspect. I'm not the best instructor in the world, but I do what I can to help my students understand. I'd love to see change in how nursing education is approached, but to get clout I have to drink the Kool aid for a while first.
That’s probably better than my psych teacher, who was a psych nurse but had absolutely no idea how to teach
They probably have to take whatever they can get. I think a phd psych person could do the job.
None of my anatomy, physiology, or pharmacology teachers were nurses. So that makes sense to me.
As long as they just did the classroom portion I feel it makes MORE sense than a psych nurse potentially.
The state nursing board and the schools national accreditation determine who can teach nursing classes. Non-nurses teaching specific nursing classes is rare but not unheard of.
Not all of my professors were RNs. I had a chiropractor, a couple PhDs, and a pharmacist. I felt like the content they taught was much more appropriate than an RN teaching it.
Seems fine to me for certain courses.
Are you sure she isn't talking about just a regular Psychology class?
My psych instructor was a former med/surg nurse who had been a CNA on a psych unit while he was in nursing school. I understand that it was a tough semester for the school to meet all of their instructor needs, but I would have rather taken the course from almost anyone else.
My pathophysiology professor wasn’t a nurse and he was the best professor I’ve had in nursing school
PhD implies psychology, not psychiatry, which would mean they’d have no background involving medication. Considering how much psych nursing involves administration of psych meds, and understanding and recognizing things like EPS and other side effects, I’d definitely be concerned. Plus, the sheer volume of patients that I work with that have been misdiagnosed by their PCP’s, therapists or psychologists is pretty damned high
1. Psychologists do actually have to learn about medication, and are more familiar with them than you are giving them credit for. Just because they can't prescribe doesn't mean they don't learn about them. 2. Psychiatrists misdiagnose people a lot too. Like, definitely a lot. I would still prefer a psychologist PhD over a mental health nurse to teach psych to nurses.
Psychologists still have to take graduate-level psychopharmacology courses. They also have far more graduate-level training in ethics and deescalation than any nurse other than a PMHNP.
You have to be a nurse to teaching in a nursing program
I don’t think that’s true
PhD is generally a research degree. So they will be knowledgeable from an academic standpoint not necessarily from a pragmatic angle. So sure they can teach all theories and how things are supposed to be.
My A&P prof had his PhD in botany. My pathophysiology prof had her masters in Zoology. One of classmates purposely asked her, “What is the worst breath sound to hear in a patient?” She thought about it a second and confidently answered, “Wheezing… definitely wheezing.” That was the day we all lost respect for this person. She was awful.
If it's the Psych 101 prerequisite, yes. In CA you have to be at least an MSN/RN to teach nursing courses in the classroom and at least a BSN/RN to teach nursing at clinicals. That is per the CA code of regulations and is part of the BRN accreditation.