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The differences between clinical nurse educators and clinical instructors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a clinical nurse educator, becoming a clinical instructor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a clinical instructor has an average salary of $84,613, which is higher than the $76,107 average annual salary of a clinical nurse educator.
The top three skills for a clinical nurse educator include patients, BLS and professional development. The most important skills for a clinical instructor are patients, direct patient care, and clinical practice.
| Clinical Nurse Educator | Clinical Instructor | |
| Yearly salary | $76,107 | $84,613 |
| Hourly rate | $36.59 | $40.68 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 585,055 | 87,152 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
Clinical nurse educators are nursing professionals who are responsible for teaching their fellow nurses working in health care facilities about the needed skills and knowledge to provide the best care to their patients. These nursing educators need to develop educational programs for nurses in the clinical setting. They must conduct an assessment by having their nurses respond to an online survey that may help them meet the needs of each nursing unit. They must also collaborate with nurse managers to create customized plans that provide a personalized instructional approach for each nurse.
A clinical instructor is responsible for instructing and evaluating the clinical training of health sciences students. Clinical instructors identify each student's potential and areas of improvement to adjust the teaching approach as needed. They conduct lectures and training in the classroom and health care facilities, testing the students' knowledge by performing actual clinical duties and medical procedures under their supervision. A clinical instructor monitors students' progress, creating comprehensive strategies to enhance interactive learning. A clinical instructor must have extensive knowledge of the medical industry, as well as excellent communication skills to respond to the students' inquiries and concerns during training.
Clinical nurse educators and clinical instructors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clinical Nurse Educator | Clinical Instructor | |
| Average salary | $76,107 | $84,613 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $99,000 | Between $46,000 And $155,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Community Health Systems | OhioHealth |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a clinical nurse educator and a clinical instructor in terms of educational background:
| Clinical Nurse Educator | Clinical Instructor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between clinical nurse educators' and clinical instructors' demographics:
| Clinical Nurse Educator | Clinical Instructor | |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 10.7% Female, 89.3% | Male, 25.9% Female, 74.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 11.3% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 16% |