Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between instructor nurses and clinical nurse specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an instructor nurse and a clinical nurse specialist. Additionally, a clinical nurse specialist has an average salary of $77,086, which is higher than the $68,098 average annual salary of an instructor nurse.
The top three skills for an instructor nurse include BSN, professional development and MSN. The most important skills for a clinical nurse specialist are patients, BLS, and clinical practice.
| Instructor Nurse | Clinical Nurse Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $68,098 | $77,086 |
| Hourly rate | $32.74 | $37.06 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 50,341 | 268,303 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Nurse educators are instructors in the medical field. Usually, they are a registered nurse with additional education in the area of teaching. They serve as an educator, teaching different courses to nursing students. They also develop lesson plans and instructional materials such as syllabi or course outlines, assess student learning, and give exams.
Clinical nurse specialists (CNS) serve as experts in practicing nursing based on evidence in one or more specialty areas. These nurses use their advanced knowledge and experience in assessing, diagnosing, and treating patients. CNS is known to be called nurse educators for being assigned to conduct lectures in educational institutions due to their extensive effort to improve their craft. Additionally, their experience and expertise in a certain medical specialty qualify them to do case research.
Instructor nurses and clinical nurse specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Instructor Nurse | Clinical Nurse Specialist | |
| Average salary | $68,098 | $77,086 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $107,000 | Between $54,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | North Dakota | California |
| Best paying company | University of Mississippi Medical Center | Mayo Clinic |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Government |
There are a few differences between an instructor nurse and a clinical nurse specialist in terms of educational background:
| Instructor Nurse | Clinical Nurse Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between instructor nurses' and clinical nurse specialists' demographics:
| Instructor Nurse | Clinical Nurse Specialist | |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 12.3% Female, 87.7% | Male, 9.9% Female, 90.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 11.2% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 8.9% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 9% |