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The differences between nurse educators and clinical nurse specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a nurse educator, becoming a clinical nurse specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a clinical nurse specialist has an average salary of $77,086, which is higher than the $67,983 average annual salary of a nurse educator.
The top three skills for a nurse educator include patients, BLS and BSN. The most important skills for a clinical nurse specialist are patients, BLS, and clinical practice.
| Nurse Educator | Clinical Nurse Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $67,983 | $77,086 |
| Hourly rate | $32.68 | $37.06 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 537,803 | 268,303 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
A nurse educator is responsible for teaching aspiring professional nurses, designing courses according to the curriculum, and organizing activities to practice and enhance the students' knowledge. Nurse educators manage clinical activities and observe the students' performance in actual training. They must have excellent knowledge of the medical industry, as well as its practices, to respond to the students' inquiries and concerns accurately. A nurse educator identifies the students' strengths and weaknesses, develop comprehensive lesson plans, and strategizing various nursing programs.
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.
Nurse educators and clinical nurse specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Nurse Educator | Clinical Nurse Specialist | |
| Average salary | $67,983 | $77,086 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $97,000 | Between $54,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | Jersey City, NJ | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | California |
| Best paying company | GradyHealth | Mayo Clinic |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Government |
There are a few differences between a nurse educator and a clinical nurse specialist in terms of educational background:
| Nurse Educator | Clinical Nurse Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between nurse educators' and clinical nurse specialists' demographics:
| Nurse Educator | Clinical Nurse Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 10.7% Female, 89.3% | Male, 9.9% Female, 90.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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 | 9% | 9% |