Medical diagnosis can be scary for the average person who finds themselves injured or with a chronic condition. Patients who work with a nurse educator can often get the direction and confidence that they need to more easily manage their injury or illness.
Overview
Nurse educators have a unique job of not only being a nurse, but also being a teacher for patients or other nurses. Most people who hold the title of nurse educator have worked as a nurse for a period of time before deciding to extend their education so they can begin to educate patients or nurses. Nurse educators can work in many different settings such as nursing schools, teaching hospitals, and beyond. Nurses who hold this certification can help to create lesson plans, actually teach courses, evaluate educational programs, and serve as a role model for students who are getting clinical experience.
Some nurse educators continue to practice in the role of a nurse while others have a completely administrative job and oversee the running of a practice. With experience nurse educators can manage educational programs for nurses, write or review texts, and even develop educational programs for working nurses.
Working Conditions
Being a nurse educator is very beneficial because you will not have difficulty finding a job. Nurse educators are in high demand because hospitals and nursing programs need experienced people to train future nurses. Nurse educators generally don’t have to work the long shifts that other nurses do, instead they may only work an eight or ten hour day. Generally they work at nursing schools, community colleges, and technical schools. Others will choose to work in health care settings as clinical supervisors or even staff development officers. Many times these people are on the cutting edge of clinical advancements because they are in touch with doctors as well as students.
The job of a nurse educator can be very demanding, but most find that it is very rewarding as they see patients or student’s progress and move through a disease or training. The average salary for a nurse educator is about $71,000 but this varies greatly depending on how much clinical and teaching experience one has, and where you are teaching.
Academic Requirements
Before you can become a nurse educator you must be a registered nurse with a valid license and many years, often five to ten, of experience. Most candidates have a Master’s degree in nursing but some programs require a doctorate. Others will also get a post master’s certificate or even a degree in education, but this is dependent upon the area of specialty.