How to Become a Nurse Educator & More: Program Length, Job Outlook, Scope of Practice & Career Guide for Nurse Educators
If a career that blends teaching and nursing sounds appealing, consider becoming a Nurse Educator. Although it takes a great deal of dedication, time, and effort, taking the leap of faith and switching from a career in patient care to a career in education can be both rewarding and meaningful.
If you’ve ever thought about becoming a Nurse Educator, you can learn everything you wanted to know about planning this career change. We will explore what makes the Nursing Educator such a significant and desirable profession, what it takes to become a Nursing Instructor or Teacher, and what this job implies. We will also explore working environments and highlight the primary responsibilities of a Nurse Educator.
What Is a Nurse Educator?
A Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) is a highly trained professional responsible for educating and mentoring future nurses. Their role extends beyond teaching; they help shape the next generation of nursing professionals by fostering clinical competence, critical thinking, and compassionate patient care.
Nurse Educators typically hold advanced academic degrees, such as a Master of Science in Nursing Education (MSN Ed) or a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) with an education focus. Their extensive clinical experience allows them to effectively train students in both theoretical knowledge and practical skills, ensuring they are well-prepared for real-world nursing challenges.
Career Outlook for Nurse Educators
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the overall increase in employment of Nurse Educators (including Nursing Instructors and Teachers) has been 18% throughout the decade. This is much faster than the increase for all occupations (4%) and educational instruction and library occupations (2%).
The job market growth represents 16,100 new jobs for Nurse Educators, bringing the overall employment to 105,900 jobs at a national level by 2033.
How to Become a Nurse Educator?
Becoming a Nurse Educator requires passion and commitment. Aspiring nurses who wish to enter the educational field have to undergo a lengthier, more time-consuming, and more expensive academic path, but the result – significantly higher compensation, a less stressful working environment, and career options that don’t involve direct patient care – make it all worth it.
Here is a list of the steps you need to take to become a Nurse Educator:
1. Earn Your BSN Degree
Earning a BSN is the first step. Choose an accredited college to avoid job interview challenges. Before enrolling, verify national and regional accreditation and ensure you fulfill the list requirements. Then, you will also have to pass the NCLEX-RN® exam to become a Registered Nurse and start practicing in clinical settings and educational environments alike.
2. Get Hands-on Clinical Experience
Nurse Educators need at least three years of clinical experience to build expertise and effectively train future nurses. Working in hospitals, clinics, or long-term care facilities helps bridge the gap between theory and practice, ensuring they can teach real-world nursing skills.
3. Earn Your MSN Degree
Nurse Educators must have a Master of Science in Nursing Education (MSN Ed) to get the job. You can find MSN programs that prepare educators in both online and classroom settings. As an aspiring Nurse Educator, these programs will help you gain competencies in community nursing and global health trends, health promotion, disease prevention, leadership, policy, ethics, informatics, statistics, pharmacology, and other key nursing educator concepts.
4. Consider Getting a Doctoral degree
Although an MSN will allow you to work in most educational environments, if you want to pursue work in more advanced academic settings, like higher university levels, you might need a doctoral degree in nursing, such as a DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) or a PdD (Doctor of Nursing Philosophy).
If you want to advance your career or you are just embarking on your educational journey, Nightingale College offers you the most accessible and flexible learning programs. If you aspire to become a Nurse Educator can choose the Master of Science in Nursing Education (MSN Ed) Program, an option designed for BSN-prepared nurses who aspire to fulfil teaching positions. The program combines online instruction and supervised on-field experiences to deliver flexible, quality education and ensure academic accessibility.
Enroll in the MSN Ed Program and achieve your desired career!
How Long Does It Take to Become a Nurse Educator?
The path to becoming a Certified Nurse Educator typically takes 6 to 10 years, depending on your prior education and whether you pursue your degrees full-time or part-time.
First, you will need to earn a BSN, which usually takes four years. After passing the NCLEX-RN and gaining 1 to 3 years of clinical experience (2 to 5 years are recommended), you can enroll in an MSN program with a focus in education, which takes an additional 2 to 3 years to complete. Some may also choose to earn a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Doctor of Nursing Applied Practice (DNAP) or a PhD in Nursing, which can take another 3 to 5 years but is not required for all roles.
Accelerated bridge programs can shorten the timeline for those who are already practicing nurses. Additionally, many pursue their graduate education while working, which may extend the process.
Additionally, you will also need to acquire some certifications, such as the Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) credential from the National League for Nursing, which is typically pursued after completing your graduate education and gaining some teaching experience.
Learn more about how long nursing school is and which academic routes are most advantageous for your career aims.
Scope of Practice: What Does a Nurse Educator Do?
The primary goal of a Nurse Educator is to educate the future generations of nurses. Generally, as a Nurse Educator, you can choose whether to teach general nursing classes or specialize in specific areas of nursing, such as pediatric nursing, geriatric nursing, or informatics. Nurse Educators must have a thorough knowledge of all nursing fields and a drive for lifelong learning as nursing evolves.
In addition, you can also choose to specialize in specific student levels including teaching in ADN, BSN, or MSN degree programs. However, to train more advanced students, such as learners pursuing a Master’s Degree, you will most likely have to get a Doctoral Degree, such as a DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) or PdD (Doctor of Nursing Philosophy).
Nurse Educator Duties and Responsibilities
While the core of your job as a Nurse Educator is guaranteeing students receive quality healthcare education in the nursing discipline, to do so, your tasks will range from developing curricula to advising, evaluating, and teaching students, either through lectures or via lab and clinical work. From holding lectures to helping a nervous student insert a catheter for the first time, it will all involve a set of responsibilities.
Here is a list of the primary duties and responsibilities expected of a Certified Nurse Educator:
- Develop programs: Design, evaluate, and update nursing curricula while staying current on industry trends.
- Teach and advise: Share knowledge, assess progress, and adapt teaching methods for optimal learning.
- Oversee clinical practice: Provide feedback to refine students' skills.
- Engage in research: Conduct studies, write peer reviews, and present findings.
- Lead in education: Advance to roles like Dean of Nursing to shape programs.
- Mentor future nurses: Guide and inspire students and staff.
- Enhance nursing skills: Train staff to adopt new practices and improve patient care.
- Strengthen the workforce: Build a skilled and capable nursing team.
Where Can You Find Work as a Certified Nurse Educator?
Certified Nurse Educators are in demand across a variety of settings, with the most common employers including colleges, universities, and community colleges, where educators teach undergraduate or graduate nursing students. Roles in these settings may involve classroom instruction, simulation lab facilitation, clinical supervision, and curriculum development. Many Certified Nurse Educators also work in nursing schools within large academic health centers or teaching hospitals.
Outside of academia, Nurse Educators are also employed in clinical settings, including hospitals, long-term care facilities, and outpatient clinics, where they provide ongoing training, orientation, and professional development for nursing staff.
Finally, CNEs are increasingly finding opportunities in online education, continuing education programs, and corporate healthcare organizations, where they help develop training materials, lead virtual simulations, or oversee quality improvement initiatives. Research and government jobs are also available depending on your experience, education, and available opportunities.
Why Become a Nurse Educator?
Investing time and money into becoming an MSN-prepared Nurse Educator has some very pragmatic benefits:
- You will have an active role in addressing the ongoing nursing shortage.
Nurse Educators are crucial in mitigating the national nursing shortage at faculty and practitioner levels. According to the Nursing Shortage Factsheet from the AACN, U.S. nursing schools turned away 65,766 qualified applications from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs due to insufficient faculty personnel. By becoming a Nurse Educator, you will help bridge this gap and ensure more students can enter the field.
- You will fulfill a critical role in nursing education.
The demand for Nurse Educators is exceptionally high, and a significant portion of the faculty workforce is nearing retirement. A report by the American Journal of Nursing (AJN) estimates that over 4 million Nurses will retire by 2030. This shortage will leave a substantial gap in nursing education, making it essential for new Nurse Educators to maintain a strong and capable workforce.
- Nurse Educators have considerably more job flexibility.
Compared to bedside nursing, a career in nursing education offers greater control over work hours and job flexibility. Many Nurse Educators work in universities, technical schools, or hospital-based programs, avoiding the demanding 12-hour shifts of clinical nursing. This career path is ideal for those seeking a balanced, fulfilling role while staying active in nursing.
- Find meaningful work in shaping the next generation of nurses.
As a Nurse Educator, you will be satisfied with shaping future nurses and improving healthcare outcomes. Your role will go beyond technical instruction—you will instill critical thinking, compassion, and expertise in the next generation of healthcare professionals.
- You can advance your career and earning potential.
Transitioning into education can be financially rewarding. While reducing the stress of bedside nursing, an MSN degree and a faculty role can also lead to higher salaries. This career shift allows you to continue making a meaningful impact while improving your financial stability.
Nursing education is more of a career rather than a job. If you possess leadership skills, charisma, a drive for continuous learning, and a passion for teaching and want to share your expertise with other aspiring nurses, this may be the perfect career track.