What is a Nurse Educator?
A Nurse Educator is a Registered Nurse who had an advanced degree in nursing.
This advanced degree allows them to teach across many platforms, including colleges and universities.
Nurse Educators must work in a hospital setting, clinical settings, as well as in classroom teaching.
Consider a Nurse Educator a mix between a professor and a nurse, they will do both jobs, oftentimes at the same time.
As a Nurse Educator, you will assist students on their journey to becoming Registered Nurses.
Duties
A Nurse Educator has many roles, throughout the day you can see a Nurse Educator working in a hospital setting or teaching in a classroom.
Some of the duties that you may experience as a Nurse Educator are:
- Designing curriculum
- Develop classroom studies
- Teaching
- Advising students
- Write grant proposals
- Overseeing clinical practices
- Engaging in scholarly work
- Documenting outcomes
- Speaking at conferences
Salary
The average salary for a Nurse Educator in the United States is around $83,000 a year.
In many states, including Washington DC, you can make more than $100,000 a year as a Nurse Educator.
However, in some states, it’s possible to make as little as $41,000 a year as a Nurse Educator.
The difference in salary can depend on the size of the university or town that you practice, as well as how long you’ve been working as a Registered Nurse and a Nurse Educator.
The more experience you have in nursing, the better you will be at advising prospective Registered Nurses.
Annually National Average Salary: $87,090
Average Annual Salary by State
| State | Avg. Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $82,490 |
| Alaska | $94,990 |
| Arizona | $75,190 |
| Arkansas | $68,370 |
| California | $101,770 |
| Connecticut | $93,090 |
| Delaware | $89,730 |
| District of Columbia | $107,570 |
| Florida | $88,970 |
| Georgia | $74,340 |
| Hawaii | $97,820 |
| Idaho | $83,570 |
| Illinois | $83,400 |
| Indiana | $80,740 |
| Iowa | $73,820 |
| Kansas | $71,980 |
| Kentucky | $76,450 |
| Louisiana | $73,790 |
| Maine | $83,270 |
| Maryland | $85,580 |
| Massachusetts | $90,830 |
| Michigan | $83,140 |
| Minnesota | $83,060 |
| Mississippi | $75,670 |
| Missouri | $76,520 |
| Montana | $85,630 |
| Nebraska | $83,670 |
| Nevada | $86,640 |
| New Hampshire | $80,760 |
| New Jersey | $99,990 |
| New Mexico | $74,280 |
| New York | $99,170 |
| North Carolina | $82,550 |
| North Dakota | $83,460 |
| Ohio | $74,930 |
| Oklahoma | $67,400 |
| Oregon | $109,570 |
| Pennsylvania | $82,980 |
| Rhode Island | $76,580 |
| South Carolina | $85,470 |
| South Dakota | $69,190 |
| Tennessee | $80,260 |
| Texas | $104,640 |
| Utah | $78,430 |
| Vermont | $80,530 |
| Virginia | $80,180 |
| Washington | $85,680 |
| West Virginia | $78,680 |
| Wisconsin | $79,410 |
| Wyoming | $73,570 |
| Puerto Rico | $72,110 |
Annual Average Salary: Top 5 States
The top earning state in the field is Oregon, where the average salary is $109,570.
These are the top 5 earning states in the field:
* Employment conditions may vary by location.
How to Become a Nurse Educator
Step 1 Earn a Bachelor's Degree
The first thing that you are going to have to do to become a Nurse Educator is to earn a Bachelor’s of Science degree in nursing.
This can be done at many colleges and universities around the country, just make sure that you earn an accredited degree.
A typical Bachelor’s degree in nursing can take around four years to complete.
If you are interested in this area of study, you can expect to take classes like:
- Public Health
- Anatomy
- Emergency Care
- Psychology
- Nursing Research
- Nursing Assessment
- Statistics
And the list goes on!
Most Bachelors degrees require an internship and clinical classes in order to earn a degree as a Nurse.
Step 2 Become Registered
After you earn your degree, it’s time to take the tests to become a Registered Nurse.
This can be done at nearly any hospital or university in the country, the test that you are going to want to take is called the NCLEX-RN exam.
This exam will grade you on your knowledge of nursing and the medical field.
Many aspiring nurses decide to volunteer in hospitals or doctors’ offices to gain experience before attending the exam.
This way, they can show off their medical knowledge with hands-on demonstrations.
The exam can take up to two hours to complete, but some of them can be taken online in your own home.
You must be a Registered Nurse to work in the United States.
Step 3 Gain Experience
Of course, the next logical step is to start working as a Nurse.
Whether you already had a job lined up before you graduated and took your NCLEX-RN exam, or you are on the hunt for employment, it’s important to gain the experience you will need in order to work as a Nurse Educator.
At this point in your career, you probably aren’t sure if you want to be a Nurse Educator or not, but to gain the most knowledge it’s advised to work in several different areas of the hospital.
Some of the areas that you can gain experience in are:
- Obstetrics
- NICU
- ICU
- Labor and Delivery
- Emergency Room
- Surgery
- Pediatrics
A Nurse Educator will want to have hands-on practice with every situation that can happen in a hospital.
This way, he or she will know what to do when advising and mentoring new nurses.
Step 4 Earn a Master's Degree
After maintaining employment for several years, and having the knowledge of nursing and the medical field, you may be ready to earn a Master’s degree.
Most Nurse Educators have at least three years of experience under their belt before attending a Master’s degree program.
Earning a Master’s degree in Nursing can take some time, but after two years, you can work as a Nurse Educator.
Most Master’s degrees in nursing require a lot of lab time, clinical time, as well as hands-on experience in the field.
If you are interested in pursuing a Masters degree, you can expect to take classes like:
- Nurse as Scholar
- Population Health
- Professional Transitions
- Advanced Practice Nursing
- Physical Assessment and Diagnostics
- Advanced Nursing in Primary Care Adolescents
- Advanced Nursing in Primary Care Older Adult Patients
There are also specializations that Nurse Educators can get into, some of them include:
- Pediatric Nursing
- Cardiology
- Oncology
- Nursing Education
- Psychiatric Mental Health
Recommended Programs
Education
Every Registered Nurse in the United States must have some form of education.
However, in order to work as a Nurse Educator, you must earn a Master’s degree in nursing.
After obtaining a Bachelor’s degree, which can take around four years, a Master’s degree is next on the agenda.
A Master’s degree can take around two years to complete.
During a typical Master’s degree in Nursing program, prospective Nurse Educators will have classroom time, clinical time, and lab time.
It’s important that a Nurse Educator has knowledge in all areas of nursing, so some of the classes that are available in a Masters degree program include:
- Advanced Physiology
- Advanced Concepts of Health Assessment
- Management of Major Health Problems
- Implementing the Educator Role
- Facilitating Student Learning
It is possible to take a Master’s degree in Nursing online, however, it is not advised as you will need to attend in-person clinicals and lab work.
If you do take classes online, see which hospitals or other facilities you can connect with to do an internship or work clinicals.
There are many things that you can do with a Masters degree in Nursing, and if you are looking for some other ideas for careers, you may be interested in:
- Patient Educator
- Facility Development Director
- Medical Textbook Editor
- Community Health Services Manager
- Military Nurse Educator
Attending a Master’s degree nursing program can be difficult for those who are not 100% ready to become Nurse Educators.
Don’t forget that you will be responsible for mentoring and advising new and prospective nurses in a clinical and classroom setting.
This means that you must possess a solid clinical background, strong communication skills, and understand cultural competence.
There is a growing demand for Nurse Educators, so having the knowledge and understanding of the medical field is very important.
Career Video Overview
Certification
Although it is not legally required to become certified to work as a Nurse Educator, there are some hospitals that look down on Nurse Educators who are not certified.
One of the certifications that are popular in this field is the Certified Nurse Educator credential by the National League of Nursing.
This certification requires that you take an exam, to qualify for this you must:
- Have an active and unrestricted nursing license
- Have a Masters degree in Nursing
- Have completed nursing education courses to the most advanced level
This certification is good for five years, and after it must be renewed by taking the exam once again.
Some of the areas that the exam covers may include:
- Facilitating Learning
- Curriculum Design and Evaluation of Program Outcomes
- Facilitate Learner Development and Socialization
Testing may be different in some areas.
Every exam has 150 questions, and 20 of them are not scored.
You will not know which questions will be scored when you take the test.
It is possible to earn certification as a Certified Academic Clinical Nurse Educator as well.
This certification is a little different than the Certified Nurse Educator credential.
While it still requires all of the same qualifications as the other certification, this award allows a Nurse Educator to work solely in clinical facilities as an educator.
This certification also requires that you take an exam.
Some of the topics that are covered on this exam are:
- Function within the Education and Healthcare Environments
- Clinical Expertise
- Effective Clinical Assessment and Evaluation Strategies
- Interpersonal Communication and Collaborative Relationships
In order to be a great Nurse Educator, you should definitely think about earning one of these certifications.
The use of certifications shows that you are competent and confident in your knowledge of the field, which looks great to future employers.
Typical Training Program Length: 4+ Years
Certifications don’t have a specific training period because the exam can be taken whenever you want.
However, it does take about two years to work toward a Master’s degree, which is what you will need in order to take one of these exams.
Master’s degrees in nursing can be broken up into many different majors, depending on what your interested in and which type of Nurse Educator you would like to become.
Job Outlook
It seems that those who are interested in becoming Nurse Educators should have no problem finding employment in the next decade.
This career is estimated to grow around 20 percent within the next ten years.
Students will continue to seek higher education, and Nurse Educators are skilled in providing that education.
It is likely that most colleges and universities will hire Nurse Educators for part-time employment over full-time, but it’s important to ask about your work hours before accepting a job offer.
Within the healthcare services field, the aging population will increase the number of Nurses needed, which will provide more jobs for Nurse Educators.
10-Year Employment Growth Rate: 20%
2024
2034
That's a higher than average projected growth of 13,800
Should You Become a Nurse Educator?
Overall Satisfaction: High
It seems that most Nurse Educators are very happy with their careers.
Nurse Educators that work for fewer hours and have more freedom in their schedule tend to have a more satisfying career than those who are overworked and overstressed.
Many Nurse Educators that work for private corporations also reported higher satisfaction levels in their careers.
Educators can teach rural, major universities, private universities, and much more.
Average Salary: High
On average in the United States, a Nurse Educator can expect to make around $83,000 a year.
Those that are just starting out, or that work in smaller populations, can make much less, at around $41,000 a year.
With education, experience, and certain specializations, it is possible for a Nurse Educator to make over $100,000 a year.
Nurse Educators that work in California can make up to $101,000 a year, while Nurse Educators that work in Iowa only make around $80,000 a year.
Job Growth Outlook: High
There will be no shortage of Nurse Educators in the near future.
It seems that the growth for this career will rise around 20 percent within the next decade.
This means that there will be more opportunities for Nurse Educators across the country.
Nursing is a very lucrative career, and Nurse Educators are needed to advise these prospective nurses.
The aging baby boomer generation and the use of technology in the medical field will require more education in nursing as well.
Time to Complete Training: 4+ Years
In order to work as a Nurse Educator, you need to possess a Master’s degree in nursing.
Most Master’s degrees take around 2 years to complete, however, you will need a Bachelor’s degree before earning a Master’s.
A Bachelor’s degree takes around four years to finish.
Plus, you are required to have experience as a Registered Nurse in order to work as a Nurse Educator.
This means that it can take anywhere from 6-10 years to become a Nurse Educator.
Personal Skills Needed
It takes a strong person to be a Nurse Educator.
Those that are knowledgeable about nursing and have a passion for the field make the best Nurse Educators.
Some of the personal skills needed for this career include:
- Passion for the role
- Motivation
- Energetic and charismatic
- Critical thinking skills
- Organization skills
- Compassion
- Empathy
- Patience
- Flexibility
- Physical strength
- Great communication skills
Nurse Educators will spend their time doing many different tasks, so it is important that they are knowledgeable in all parts of nursing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average salary of a Nurse Educator?
As a Nurse Educator, you can expect to make around $83,000 a year in the United States.
Those that are just starting out as a Nurse Educator might make a bit less, lowest at around $41,000 a year.
However, for Nurse Educators who have a lot of experience or who work in large populations, the salary can be up to or even over $100,000 a year.
It all depends on where you work, and how much you know.
How long does it take to become a Nurse Educator?
Since you have to know a lot of information and have a lot of hands-on experience as a Nurse in order to work as a Nurse Educator, it does take some time.
Typically, it can take up to ten years to work as a Nurse Educator.
Out of those ten years, you will typically spend 6 years in school, and 4 years working to gain experience.
What does a Nurse Educator do?
A Nurse Educator can be considered a teacher, but they are also nurses and are very knowledgeable about the medical field.
A Nurse Educator has worked for many years as a Registered Nurse and now wants to educate others on how to nurse.
They may work in classrooms, in clinical settings, and even in labs in order to help prospective nurses learn everything that they can.
What is the demand for Nurse Educators?
There will always be a demand for Nurse Educators as long as there are nurses.
This is because they are the ones who know the most about the career, and teaching it to others is how the knowledge is passed along.
The demand for Nurse Educators is expected to grow within the next decade, and that means more job opportunities for people like you.
How much does it cost to become a Nurse Educator?
The average Bachelor’s degree in the United States can cost anywhere from $15,000 to $30,000 depending on the school that was attended.
A typical Master’s degree program can range anywhere from $20,000 to $40,000 in itself.
This means that it can cost between $30,000 and $100,000 to become a Nurse Educator.
Discover Additional Medical Careers
Nursing & Patient Care
Certified Nursing AssistantWorking as a Certified Nursing Assistant is an entry-level role that will give you hands-on experience when you are ready to take the next step in your medical career.
Dental HygienistDental hygienists take care of cleaning teeth to promote hygiene and help avoid cavities and gum problems.
EMTTrained emergency medical technician that arrives at the scene to provide medical services such as resuscitation.
Home Health AideHome health aides provide home care to individuals who require assistance in their day-to-day living.
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)Licensed Practical Nurses provide basic nursing care to patients and work with Registered Nurses and Doctors.
Nurse PractitionerA Nurse Practitioner can diagnose, treat, counsel, and prescribe medications to patients in hospitals or doctors’ offices.
Patient Care TechnicianPatient care techs work directly with patients helping them with daily activities and assist the medical staff by measuring and monitoring the patients' vital signs among other tasks.
Physical Therapist AssistantPhysical therapist assistants provide physical therapy services to patients and aide to physical therapists.
Professional Recovery CoachA professional recovery coach is a life coach who works with someone during their addiction recovery process.
Registered Nurse (RN)Registered Nurses provide hands-on patient care in various settings, mainly hospitals, and clinics.
Allied Health & Clinical
Dental AssistantDental assistants help dentists to provide patient care, keep records, and care for the dental equipment.
Dialysis TechnicianDialysis technicians maintain and monitor dialysis equipment, and also act as primary caregivers for patients undergoing dialysis treatment.
Medical AssistantMedical assistants support the work of physicians, nurses, and other health professionals.
Medical TechnologistMedical laboratory technologists collect bodily samples and conduct tests to analyze those samples.
NutritionistAs a Nutritionist, you’ll be tasked with creating meal plans, counseling, and understanding dietary restrictions for all types of clients.
OpticianOpticians are technicians and salespersons at the same time who spends most of their day talking to customers, reading prescriptions written by doctors, and dispensing glasses and lenses.
Pharmacy TechnicianPharmacy technicians provide patients with medications through prescription or over the counter.
PhlebotomistAs a Phlebotomist, it will be your responsibility to take blood samples from patients and send them to the lab for further testing.
Sterile Processing TechnicianA sterile processing technician is a healthcare professional who is responsible for preparing, sterilizing, maintaining, packaging, and storing medical tools and equipment used in surgical and other medical procedures.
Surgical TechnologistSurgical technologists – also known as operating room techs – prepare operating rooms and assist doctors and nurses during surgical procedures.
Imaging & Diagnostic
MRI TechnologistMRI Technologists use a machine to scan the body and create a detailed image of the inside for doctors to analyze.
Respiratory TherapistRespiratory therapists treat and care for patients who experience breathing difficulties.
Ultrasound TechnicianUltrasound technicians aid physicians in monitoring and diagnosing patients through the use of ultrasonic imaging technology.
X-Ray TechnicianX-Ray Technicians are medical imaging professionals who use technology to visualize the inside of our bodies.
Healthcare Admin & IT
Healthcare AdministratorHealthcare administrators – also known as healthcare executives or health services managers – are responsible for the planning, direction, and coordination of medical and health services.
Medical Biller and CoderMedical billers and coders manage, organize, and code various health information data.
Medical Office ManagerMedical Office Managers are unseen masters of controlled chaos, juggling the needs of healthcare professionals while keeping the non-clinical side of the office humming.
Medical TranscriptionistMedical transcriptionists go over voice recordings to convert them into written texts.
Patient Access RepresentativeThe work involves helping people to orient themselves to the space and everything that is going on.
Registered Health Information TechnicianRegistered Health Information Technician (RHIT) help store and verify accuracy of health records as well as analyze patient data.
Animal Care
Dog GroomerDog groomers attend to grooming dogs, usually at dog salons or big pet-related chain stores.
Veterinary AssistantVeterinary Assistants work closely with Veterinarians to handle routine animal care.
Vet Office ManagerVeterinary office managers work to make sure that the daily operations run smoothly and efficiently at veterinary hospitals or veterinary clinics.
Veterinary TechnicianVeterinary Technicians assist veterinarians as well as diagnosing and treating animals, mostly in private clinics.
