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The differences between clinical education specialists and nurse educators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a clinical education specialist and a nurse educator. Additionally, a clinical education specialist has an average salary of $75,695, which is higher than the $67,983 average annual salary of a nurse educator.
The top three skills for a clinical education specialist include clinical education, patients and patient care. The most important skills for a nurse educator are patients, BLS, and BSN.
| Clinical Education Specialist | Nurse Educator | |
| Yearly salary | $75,695 | $67,983 |
| Hourly rate | $36.39 | $32.68 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 67,208 | 537,803 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A clinical education specialist is an individual who designs and administers continuing education programs for healthcare personnel to help them improve the delivery of patient care. Clinical education specialists are required to assess healthcare facilities to determine what type of education is needed and then design courses that will provide personnel with proper training and education. They must apply creative and innovative strategies in problem-solving to achieve the desired goals of the facility. Clinical education specialists must also maintain productive working relationships through mentoring and positive communication.
A nurse educator is responsible for teaching aspiring professional nurses, designing courses according to the curriculum, and organizing activities to practice and enhance the students' knowledge. Nurse educators manage clinical activities and observe the students' performance in actual training. They must have excellent knowledge of the medical industry, as well as its practices, to respond to the students' inquiries and concerns accurately. A nurse educator identifies the students' strengths and weaknesses, develop comprehensive lesson plans, and strategizing various nursing programs.
Clinical education specialists and nurse educators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clinical Education Specialist | Nurse Educator | |
| Average salary | $75,695 | $67,983 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $97,000 | Between $47,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Edwards Lifesciences | GradyHealth |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a clinical education specialist and a nurse educator in terms of educational background:
| Clinical Education Specialist | Nurse Educator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Duke University |
Here are the differences between clinical education specialists' and nurse educators' demographics:
| Clinical Education Specialist | Nurse Educator | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.0% Female, 76.0% | Male, 10.7% Female, 89.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.1% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |