What does a clinical educator do?
A clinical educator is primarily responsible for devising training programs for nurses and other health workers. They mostly coordinate with different departments and conduct skills assessments to determine areas that need improvement, develop various methods to make operations more manageable, and even organize certification programs. A clinical educator may also treat and handle patients, manage schedules, produce progress reports, and maintain an extensive record of all documentation. Moreover, as a clinical educator, it is essential to implement the medical facility's policies and regulations.
Clinical educator responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real clinical educator resumes:
- Develop and manage customer training materials and deliver in-service and technical training programs for new and existing customers.
- Provide case management with physicians recommendations and assistance navigating insurance such as Medicare, Medicaid and manage care.
- Demonstrate clinical competency and compassion in providing care, using technology, administering medications, performing procedures and managing emergencies
- Provide education within the community for cardiac health, CPR and ACLS.
- Provide ACLS and BLS classes for staff, physicians, and community groups.
- Design and present annual mandatory competencies, OSHA, and CPR classes to current professional staff.
- Evaluate, examine and treat patients with a wide variety of orthopedic and neurological conditions in an intensive inpatient rehabilitation setting.
- Provide CPR training for new hires and existing staff.
- Review and write policy and procedure for the oncology unit.
- Educate staff on standards and regulations for CMS and TJC.
- Create dozens of PowerPoint slide decks complete with evidence-base clinical trials.
- Monitor TB and BLS expiration and renewals, ensuring compliance with these requirements.
- Coordinate and educate nurses new to ICU critical-care classes and facilitate schedules with preceptors.
- Assess and evaluate progression of nurses' orientation in the ICU in collaboration manager.
- Deliver oncology and medical/surgical lectures to nurses, nursing assistants, therapists, and ancillary staff.
Clinical educator skills and personality traits
We calculated that 15% of Clinical Educators are proficient in Patients, Patient Care, and Excellent Interpersonal. They’re also known for soft skills such as Compassion, Detail oriented, and Emotional stability.
We break down the percentage of Clinical Educators that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 15%
Gained experience with medical equipment-Treating acute cardiopulmonary patients
- Patient Care, 10%
Helped to identify documentation requirements and design documentation systems to support best practice guidelines in patient care processes and work flow.
- Excellent Interpersonal, 10%
Demonstrated an organized approach to work, possessing excellent interpersonal skills.
- BLS, 7%
Certified PALS instructor for hospital, and taught basic first aid and BLS to first time parents and NICU/FMC parents.
- Educational Programs, 5%
Assist in the coordination and implementation of all educational programs pertaining to Medical/Surgical areas including unit based and mandatory yearly competencies.
- Professional Development, 5%
Ensured orientation, professional development, continuing education and competencies met regulatory requirements and supported the delivery of high quality care.
Most clinical educators use their skills in "patients," "patient care," and "excellent interpersonal" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential clinical educator responsibilities here:
Compassion. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a clinical educator to have is compassion. Their role and responsibilities require that "registered nurses should be caring and empathetic when working with patients." Clinical educators often use compassion in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "rewarded certificate of appreciation for comforting compassion for a dying patient. "
Detail oriented. Another essential skill to perform clinical educator duties is detail oriented. Clinical educators responsibilities require that "registered nurses must be precise because they must ensure that patients get the correct treatments and medicines at the right time." Clinical educators also use detail oriented in their role according to a real resume snippet: "oriented all new patient care services employees upon hire. "
Emotional stability. This is an important skill for clinical educators to perform their duties. For an example of how clinical educator responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "registered nurses need emotional resilience and the ability to cope with human suffering, emergencies, and other stressors." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a clinical educator: "evaluated patients overall physical and emotional status to develop a specific rehabilitation plan. ".
Organizational skills. A big part of what clinical educators do relies on "organizational skills." You can see how essential it is to clinical educator responsibilities because "nurses often work with multiple patients who have a variety of health needs." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical clinical educator tasks: "developed educational programs, coordinated the content with the organizational goals, objectives, policies and procedures. "
Critical-thinking skills. Another crucial skill for a clinical educator to carry out their responsibilities is "critical-thinking skills." A big part of what clinical educators relies on this skill, since "registered nurses must assess changes in the health status of patients, such as determining when to take corrective action." How this skill relates to clinical educator duties can be seen in an example from a clinical educator resume snippet: "implemented and created critical-thinking focused curriculum for social studies courses from grades 7-9. "
Communication skills. While "communication skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to clinical educator responsibilities. Much of what a clinical educator does relies on this skill, seeing as "registered nurses must be able to communicate effectively with patients in order to understand their concerns and evaluate their health conditions." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of clinical educators: "utilized organizational and communication skills to assist clinicians in achieving maximum patient outcomes. "
The three companies that hire the most clinical educators are:
- QuintilesIMS111 clinical educators jobs
- Fresenius Medical Care North America Holdings Limited Partnership43 clinical educators jobs
- Fresenius Medical Care Windsor, LLC43 clinical educators jobs
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Compare different clinical educators
Clinical educator vs. Registered nurse case manager
A registered nurse is responsible for providing medical services to patients, assisting doctors in hospitals, clinics, and other health centers. Registered nurses' duties include monitoring the condition of admitted patients, operating medical equipment, responding to patients' inquiries, assisting on physical exams and medications, keeping medical records, and observing strict hygienic standards. A registered nurse must display strong communication and organizational skills, as well as the ability to multi-task, attend to patients' needs, and adjust to different conditions.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between clinical educators and registered nurse case manager. For instance, clinical educator responsibilities require skills such as "bls," "educational programs," "professional development," and "clinical education." Whereas a registered nurse case manager is skilled in "discharge planning," "care coordination," "quality care," and "utilization review." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Registered nurse case managers earn the highest salaries when working in the pharmaceutical industry, with an average yearly salary of $72,809. On the other hand, clinical educators are paid more in the health care industry with an average salary of $58,543.On average, registered nurse case managers reach lower levels of education than clinical educators. Registered nurse case managers are 15.8% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 2.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Clinical educator vs. Nurse
Nurses are medical professionals assigned to a specific department in the hospital and provide their trusted department services. Nurses are in charge of taking patients' medical histories, getting vital signs, preparing patients for checkups or procedures, explaining upcoming practices, answering any questions, and communicating any concerns to the assigned doctor. Nurses should ensure that patients follow the medical advice given to them. They also assist patients in completing administrative requirements, such as filling out forms, validating details, and endorsing payments.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, clinical educator responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "excellent interpersonal," "educational programs," "professional development," and "clinical education." Meanwhile, a nurse has duties that require skills in areas such as "quality care," "discharge planning," "emergency situations," and "vital signs." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, nurses earn a lower salary than clinical educators. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, nurses earn the most pay in the government industry with an average salary of $63,263. Whereas clinical educators have higher pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $58,543.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Nurses tend to reach lower levels of education than clinical educators. In fact, they're 13.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Clinical educator vs. Registered nurse supervisor
A Registered Nurse Supervisor oversees a team of registered nurses in a hospital or clinic, making sure that all operations are efficient and up to standard. Moreover, they are responsible for the daily management of nurses, such as when it comes to evaluation, development, and assigning schedules and patients. Aside from supervising and ensuring that everything is running smoothly in their field, they also have to communicate and coordinate with physicians and even families of patients. The responsibilities of a Nurse Supervisor is challenging; this is why they must be proactive and excellent at communication.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a clinical educator is likely to be skilled in "bls," "educational programs," "professional development," and "clinical education," while a typical registered nurse supervisor is skilled in "resident care," "customer service," "quality patient care," and "good judgment."
Registered nurse supervisors earn the highest salary when working in the professional industry, where they receive an average salary of $78,568. Comparatively, clinical educators have the highest earning potential in the health care industry, with an average salary of $58,543.When it comes to education, registered nurse supervisors tend to earn lower degree levels compared to clinical educators. In fact, they're 14.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 2.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Clinical educator vs. Registered nurse charge nurse
A registered charge nurse is responsible for supervising nurses' workflow in a particular department or area, ensuring every patient gets the proper care that they need. A registered charge nurse has the discretion to direct tasks, arrange schedules, and monitor patients, such as in the aspects of admission and discharge. Furthermore, a registered charge nurse must maintain an active line of communication and coordination among nurses, physicians, and other personnel involved as the conditions in a hospital can be unpredictable.
Types of clinical educator
Updated January 8, 2025
