What is a Nurse Educator?
Essentially, Nurse educators are registered nurses (RNs) with advanced education who are also teachers to other nurses in either a full time or part-time capacity. Most nurse educators have an extensive clinical nursing background, and may continue to care for patients while taking on the role of teacher, whether as a faculty members in nursing schools, technical schools or in teaching hospitals. Those who no longer practice nursing must continue their education in order to stay current with the newest nursing methods and technologies; this keeps them on the cutting-edge of clinical practice.
Over time, and after a certain amount of experience, some nurse educators may move on to administrative roles, such as managing nurse education programs, writing or reviewing textbooks or developing continuing education programs for working nurses.
How to become a Nurse educator
There are a few steps that students interested in becoming a nurse educator will need to take; it is certainly a process:
- Obtain a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
- Take and pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN)
- Work as an RN to accumulate clinical experience in the specialty you are interested in teaching, whether this is cardiology, oncology, family health, pediatrics, or pediatric oncology.
- Obtain your Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)
- Possibly go from there to a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD)
- Take and pass your Certified Nurse Educator Examination from a professional organization
- Become a Nurse Educator, conduct research, write grant proposals, help maintain clinical standards in the nursing profession as you help to educate other nurses.
Potential Coursework for Masters In Nursing Education Programs
Typical Master of Science in Nursing Education programs offer coursework that focuses on the process for:
- Developing, designing academic nursing curriculums
- Learning theories
- Advanced nursing subjects
- Issues in Nursing education
- Assessment, measurement and evaluation
- Working with different learning styles
- Helping students
- Teach general courses
- Teach courses in an area of specialization such as pediatric nursing, geriatric nursing or nursing informatics
- Evaluate educational programs
- Oversee students’ clinical practice
- Serve as mentor/role model
- Leadership in Nursing Education
Potential Career Paths For Masters in Nursing Education Graduates
Nursing Instructors and educators (Post-secondary) demonstrate and teach patient care in classroom and clinical environments to nursing students. Some are engaged in primarily in teaching while others do a combination of teaching and research. The industries with the highest levels of employment in this field are[11]:
- Colleges, universities, professional schools
- Junior colleges
- General medical and surgical hospitals
- Technical and trade schools
- Business schools and computer and management training
Current Bureau of Labor Statistics data projects a 19% increase in employment for Nursing instructors and teachers, post-secondary between 2014 and 2024, with the Median 2014 annual wage set at $66,100[ii].
Typically post-secondary teachers are required to have a PhD, although a Master’s degree may be sufficient in some instances. So, in terms of why earn a masters in nursing administration, the answer for you may be that it serves as a springboard to your next academic graduate degree.
FUN FACT: Some of the job titles for Nurse Educators include: Assistant Professor, Assistant Professor of Nursing, Associate Professor, Clinical Nursing Instructor, Faculty Member, Instructor, Nursing Faculty, Nursing Instructor, and Nursing Professor, Professor[i]
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Ready to Search for Masters In Nursing Education Programs?
Perhaps nursing has always been your calling, and now you are ready to start sharing your wisdom with nurses, who like yourself when you started out need a positive role model. Or, perhaps your years of clinical experience has led you to identify a weakness in teaching curriculum that you would like to redesign. Why not review options for MS in Nurse Educator or Masters In Nursing Education Programs on GradSchools.com today!
Sources: [i] onetonline.org/link/summary/25-1072.00 | [ii] bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/postsecondary-teachers
