How To Become A Health Science Instructor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a health science instructor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

David McMahan Ph.D.

The average health science instructor salary is $79,454. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an nursing major. It usually takes 2-4 years of experience to become a health science instructor. Health science instructors with a Basic Life Support for Healthcare and Public Safety (BLS) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 12% and produce 159,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a health science instructor?

David McMahan Ph.D.

Charles A. Dana Professor of Religious Studies, Franklin and Marshall College

Keep open to possibilities beyond the narrow range of what your diploma lists as your major or minor. Whatever job you get trained for today, in 10-20 years, it may be very different. Or it may not exist. Focus on obtaining and maintaining flexibility, critical thinking, creativity, and passion for learning. Being an interesting person is as vital as any credential.

ScoreHealth Science InstructorUS Average

Salary

6.2

Avg. Salary $79,454

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.8

Growth rate 12%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.28%

Asian 11.30%

Black or African American 7.09%

Hispanic or Latino 10.11%

Unknown 4.92%

White 66.30%

Gender

female 74.95%

male 25.05%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

6.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.9

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.0

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a health science instructor

Explore health science instructor education requirements

Most common health science instructor degrees

Bachelor's

49.8 %

Associate

21.2 %

Master's

18.5 %

Start to develop specific health science instructor skills

Skills	Percentages
Public Health	21.70%
Patient Care	15.21%
CPR	7.60%
Mental Health	7.16%
Medical Terminology	5.98%

Complete relevant health science instructor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New health science instructors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a health science instructor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real health science instructor resumes.

Gain additional health science instructor certifications

Health science instructor certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific health science instructor certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for health science instructors include Basic Life Support for Healthcare and Public Safety (BLS) and Medical Assistant.

More About Certifications

Research health science instructor duties and responsibilities

Utilize nursing process and critical thinking skill and manage flight medic activities in combat deployment environment.
Instruct students in anatomy and physiology.
Certify students, fellow nurses, and coaching staff in CPR.
Maintain all confidential student files, immunization records, malpractice insurance, and CPR compliance records.

Prepare your health science instructor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your health science instructor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a health science instructor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable health science instructor resume templates

Build a professional health science instructor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your health science instructor resume.