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Nurse educator vs registered nurse

The differences between nurse educators and registered nurses 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 registered nurse. Additionally, a registered nurse has an average salary of $73,349, 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 registered nurse are patients, BLS, and CPR.

Nurse educator vs registered nurse overview

Nurse EducatorRegistered Nurse
Yearly salary$67,983$73,349
Hourly rate$32.68$35.26
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs537,803646,159
Job satisfaction-2.75
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Associate Degree, 46%
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 registered nurse do?

The primary responsibilities of a registered nurse involve caring for a variety of patients, from ill and injured to those who are healthy and wanting to stay that way. Nurses have different specialization and work with particular patients, such as newborn babies or those who are suffering from particular medical conditions. They work on different settings which includes hospital, outpatient facility, rehabilitation center, nursing home, dialysis center, home healthcare agency, and other offices. They can administer medications, wound care, and other aids or treatment plan. They also conduct medical tests, interpret the results, and monitor patients' recovery and progress.

Nurse educator vs registered nurse salary

Nurse educators and registered nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

Nurse EducatorRegistered Nurse
Average salary$67,983$73,349
Salary rangeBetween $47,000 And $97,000Between $45,000 And $117,000
Highest paying CityJersey City, NJSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateRhode IslandCalifornia
Best paying companyGradyHealthNORCAL Ambulance
Best paying industryPharmaceuticalHealth Care

Differences between nurse educator and registered nurse education

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

Nurse EducatorRegistered Nurse
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Associate Degree, 46%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Nurse educator vs registered nurse demographics

Here are the differences between nurse educators' and registered nurses' demographics:

Nurse EducatorRegistered Nurse
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 10.7% Female, 89.3%Male, 12.3% Female, 87.7%
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, 11.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 9.0% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between nurse educator and registered nurse 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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Registered nurse example responsibilities.

  • Manage patient care for individuals with multiple diagnoses including COPD, diabetes, stroke and cardiac issues.
  • Organize and manage regular clinics involving external physicians, including ophthalmology, ENT, Med/Surg, orthopedics, and podiatry professionals.
  • Manage surgical recovery patients including vascular, ENT, GI urological and neurological cases, coronary bypass surgery patients.
  • Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
  • Provide care for cardiac patients in arrhythmia critical care unit, providing patient education and monitoring telemetry
  • Re-Cover surgical patients immediately after heart and vascular surgery until transfer out of ICU.
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Nurse educator vs registered nurse skills

Common nurse educator skills
  • Patients, 19%
  • BLS, 8%
  • BSN, 7%
  • Professional Development, 6%
  • CPR, 5%
  • Educational Programs, 5%
Common registered nurse skills
  • Patients, 24%
  • BLS, 10%
  • CPR, 6%
  • Acute Care, 5%
  • Acls, 5%
  • Home Health, 4%

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