Clinical Nurse Educator Career Overview

Duties and Responsibilities of a Clinical Nurse Educator

A clinical nurse educator is the registered nurse (RN) in charge of the educational program for student nurses completing their clinical training. The nurse educator may review clinical procedures, such as intravenous insertion and conducting diagnostic tests in a classroom setting; otherwise, the educator oversees or supervises the student nurses' ability to perform practical nursing procedures in a real world setting. Some nurse educators are hired by pharmaceutical companies, hospitals or home health companies to strictly provide patient and staff education. Although much of clinical nurse educators' duties are instruction, as a registered nurse they still are often called upon to use their nursing knowledge to attend to patient needs. Here are some duties as described by Monster.com job postings:

• 'The Clinical Educator will call on Internal Medicine, Family Practice and Rheumatology practices to promote an educational program for patients with Osteoarthritis. The Clinical Educator will educate the clinical staff about this patient program through one-on-one discussions and/or presentations.'- Innovex
• ' Responsible for assessing, planning, developing and implementing educational programs in collaboration with the Nurse Director, Clinical Educators and the Chief Learning Officer. Functions as a leader and change agent through direct and indirect patient care, consultation, clinical nursing research, program planning and education of patients, families and personnel.' - Our Lady of Lourdes Memorial Hospital

Job Requirements

In order to become a clinical nurse educator, an RN must obtain a Master of Science in nursing or MSN. These types of master's programs take approximately two to three years to complete and are usually undertaken after the RN has completed a bachelor's degree in nursing and has several years' experience in the field. Besides having excellent clinical nursing skills, an educator must have the ability to communicate, both orally and in writing, with a wide range of students and patients. Many hospitals provide tuition reimbursements for RNs who would like to obtain their MSN and become clinical nurse educators. Other typical job requirements may include the following as taken from jobs on Monster.com:

• ' Excellent organization, planning and prioritizing, drive for results, efficient time management, concern for quality, common sense and flexibility, attention to detail and accuracy, excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Knowledge of ICH-GCP and other regulations in force, ability to learn and apply SOPs. Good I.T. skills.'-Aerotek
• ' Current nursing license in good standing; Minimum 3 years clinical nursing experience; Excellent presentation skills.'- Innovex

Employment Outlook

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov) states that the overall job growth rate for the nursing profession is excellent, growing at a much faster than average rate for all other professions. Many clinical nurse educators are finding employment with home health care and assisted living facilities, which will continue to require additional educators as the nation's population ages. Although it is possible for some clinical nurse educators to find employment without a master's degree, applicants who do hold an MSN will find that they have the best prospects. The median annual salary for nurses is $52,330; however, nurses who work in educational roles and who also hold an MSN usually earn higher salaries than standard RNs.