Post job

Nurse educator vs nurse clinician

The differences between 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 nurse educator and a nurse clinician. Additionally, a nurse educator has an average salary of $67,983, which is higher than the $65,159 average annual salary of a nurse clinician.

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

Nurse educator vs nurse clinician overview

Nurse EducatorNurse Clinician
Yearly salary$67,983$65,159
Hourly rate$32.68$31.33
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs537,803596,073
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age4444
Years of experience22

What does a nurse educator do?

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.

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.

Nurse educator vs nurse clinician salary

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

Nurse EducatorNurse Clinician
Average salary$67,983$65,159
Salary rangeBetween $47,000 And $97,000Between $48,000 And $88,000
Highest paying CityJersey City, NJNew York, NY
Highest paying stateRhode IslandNew York
Best paying companyGradyHealthHealthpoint
Best paying industryPharmaceuticalEducation

Differences between nurse educator and nurse clinician education

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

Nurse EducatorNurse Clinician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Nurse educator vs nurse clinician demographics

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

Nurse EducatorNurse Clinician
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 10.7% Female, 89.3%Male, 10.9% Female, 89.1%
Race ratioBlack 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, 12.1% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 9.6% White, 64.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between nurse educator and nurse clinician duties and responsibilities

Nurse educator example responsibilities.

  • Achieve instructor level for both BLS and ACLS, supporting needs of nursing staff to maintain competency.
  • Demonstrate clinical competency and compassion in providing care, using technology, administering medications, performing procedures, and managing emergencies.
  • Provide nursing education and clinical expertise to novice nurses entering ICU setting.
  • Assist with maintaining staff certification in ACLS and BLS, advocate keeping current with unit specific certifications.
  • Involve in program development for the cardiology and cardiovascular surgery departments.
  • Develop standardized patient care plans for medical diagnoses and oncology patients for use with the hospital computerize documentation system.
  • Show more

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.
  • Show more

Nurse educator vs nurse clinician skills

Common nurse educator skills
  • Patients, 19%
  • BLS, 8%
  • BSN, 7%
  • Professional Development, 6%
  • CPR, 5%
  • Educational Programs, 5%
Common nurse clinician skills
  • Patients, 33%
  • Patient Education, 5%
  • CPR, 5%
  • Emergency Situations, 5%
  • Patient Outcomes, 3%
  • Educational Programs, 3%

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs