Clinical nurse educator vs nurse clinician

The differences between clinical nurse educators and nurse clinicians 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 nurse educator and a nurse clinician. Additionally, a clinical nurse educator has an average salary of $76,107, which is higher than the $65,159 average annual salary of a nurse clinician.

The top three skills for a clinical nurse educator include patients, BLS and professional development. The most important skills for a nurse clinician are patients, patient education, and CPR.

Clinical nurse educator vs nurse clinician overview

	Clinical Nurse Educator	Nurse Clinician
Yearly salary	$76,107	$65,159
Hourly rate	$36.59	$31.33
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	585,055	596,073
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

What does a clinical nurse educator do?

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.

What does a nurse clinician do?

A nurse clinician is a health expert who provides care and assistance to patients in hospitals, clinics, or similar establishments. Among their responsibilities include preparing equipment and documents, administering medication, monitoring the patient's condition, maintaining charts, and regularly reporting to physicians. In some establishments, they may also perform administrative support tasks such as answering calls and correspondence, preparing and processing documents, and organizing records. Moreover, a nurse clinician must maintain an active communication line with fellow medical staff to provide optimal services to patients.

Clinical nurse educator vs nurse clinician salary

Clinical nurse educators and nurse clinicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Clinical Nurse Educator	Nurse Clinician
Average salary	$76,107	$65,159
Salary range	Between $58,000 And $99,000	Between $48,000 And $88,000
Highest paying City	Richmond, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Alaska	New York
Best paying company	Community Health Systems	Healthpoint
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Education

Differences between clinical nurse educator and nurse clinician education

There are a few differences between a clinical nurse educator and a nurse clinician in terms of educational background:

	Clinical Nurse Educator	Nurse Clinician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Clinical nurse educator vs nurse clinician demographics

Here are the differences between clinical nurse educators' and nurse clinicians' demographics:

	Clinical Nurse Educator	Nurse Clinician
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 10.7% Female, 89.3%	Male, 10.9% Female, 89.1%
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, 12.1% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 9.6% White, 64.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between clinical nurse educator and nurse clinician duties and responsibilities

Clinical nurse educator example responsibilities.

Demonstrate clinical competency and compassion in providing care, using technology, administering medications, performing procedures and managing emergencies
Coordinate monthly certifications (CPR, ACLS, NRP).
Coordinate BLS HeartCode training and teach BLS - CPR to staff.
Teach CPR/BLS and ACLS to staff and lay people for certification.
Supervise four to six CPR instructors and provide annual performance evaluations.
Provide clinical nursing education in undergraduate and RN to BSN nursing program.

Nurse clinician example responsibilities.

Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
Provide high level nursing care for ER step down and ICU patients prior to transfer to critical care units.
Instruct ACLS and BLS classes.
Specialize care for telemetry and orthopedic patients.
Provide specialized nursing care to ICU medical cardiac patient populations.
Provide education regarding care of surgical patients as part of orientation to orienting telemetry nurses.

Clinical nurse educator vs nurse clinician skills

Common clinical nurse educator skills

Patients, 16%
BLS, 7%
Professional Development, 5%
BSN, 4%
Clinical Education, 4%
Educational Programs, 4%

Common nurse clinician skills

Patients, 33%
Patient Education, 5%
CPR, 5%
Emergency Situations, 5%
Patient Outcomes, 3%
Educational Programs, 3%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Clinical Nurse Educator
Clinical Nurse Educator vs Nurse Clinician

Updated January 8, 2025

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