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Nurse educator vs nurse practitioner

The differences between nurse educators and nurse practitioners 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 practitioner. Additionally, a nurse practitioner has an average salary of $100,033, 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 nurse practitioner are patients, diagnosis, and home health.

Nurse educator vs nurse practitioner overview

Nurse EducatorNurse Practitioner
Yearly salary$67,983$100,033
Hourly rate$32.68$48.09
Growth rate6%40%
Number of jobs537,80327,912
Job satisfaction-2.67
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Master's Degree, 47%
Average age4443
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 practitioner do?

A nurse practitioner's role is diverse. It revolves around supervising nurses in a particular area and providing immediate care and treatment to patients through extensive knowledge and clinical experience. Among the duties of a nurse practitioner involves diagnosing and treating medical conditions, performing research and analysis through various tests, evaluating data and results, operating different kinds of medical equipment, and gathering samples from patients. Furthermore, a nurse practitioner must maintain an active line of communication and coordination among fellow health workers in a hospital or clinic.

Nurse educator vs nurse practitioner salary

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

Nurse EducatorNurse Practitioner
Average salary$67,983$100,033
Salary rangeBetween $47,000 And $97,000Between $62,000 And $161,000
Highest paying CityJersey City, NJRichmond, CA
Highest paying stateRhode IslandCalifornia
Best paying companyGradyHealthPace University
Best paying industryPharmaceutical-

Differences between nurse educator and nurse practitioner education

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

Nurse EducatorNurse Practitioner
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Master's Degree, 47%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Nurse educator vs nurse practitioner demographics

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

Nurse EducatorNurse Practitioner
Average age4443
Gender ratioMale, 10.7% Female, 89.3%Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%
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, 4.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 6.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 77.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage9%12%

Differences between nurse educator and nurse practitioner 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.
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Nurse practitioner example responsibilities.

  • Manage care of chronic pediatric patients in PICU.
  • Assess, diagnose and medically manage patients with various GI diseases and dysfunctions
  • Manage medical illnesses including diabetes, hypertension, thyroid conditions and asthma and other medical conditions.
  • Manage pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment of diabetes and provide prescriptions and education before discharge from the hospital.
  • Manage appropriate changes to individualize care plan to ensure cost and time efficacy in an outpatient physical medicine and rehabilitation office.
  • Document correctly the patients' information in electronic health record and observe HIPAA.
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Nurse educator vs nurse practitioner skills

Common nurse educator skills
  • Patients, 19%
  • BLS, 8%
  • BSN, 7%
  • Professional Development, 6%
  • CPR, 5%
  • Educational Programs, 5%
Common nurse practitioner skills
  • Patients, 29%
  • Diagnosis, 7%
  • Home Health, 5%
  • Diagnostic Tests, 5%
  • Acute Care, 3%
  • EMR, 3%

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