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Nurse educator vs staff nurse

The differences between nurse educators and staff 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 staff nurse. Additionally, a staff nurse has an average salary of $68,342, 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 staff nurse are patients, BLS, and CPR.

Nurse educator vs staff nurse overview

Nurse EducatorStaff Nurse
Yearly salary$67,983$68,342
Hourly rate$32.68$32.86
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs537,803699,636
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 44%
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 staff nurse do?

Staff nurses are registered nurses who are usually assigned to work in a care home, a company, or in a clinical setting. They advise the physical assessments of patients, employees, and residents. They also handle the checking of vital signs, providing basic medical procedures, giving first aid, and, if possible, providing over the counter medication. Staff nurses provide medical attention to the people in their place of assignment. They help pave the path to their patients' full recovery. Staff nurses are expected to be patient and have good interpersonal skills.

Nurse educator vs staff nurse salary

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

Nurse EducatorStaff Nurse
Average salary$67,983$68,342
Salary rangeBetween $47,000 And $97,000Between $42,000 And $109,000
Highest paying CityJersey City, NJBurlingame, CA
Highest paying stateRhode IslandCalifornia
Best paying companyGradyHealthWashington Hospital Healthcare System
Best paying industryPharmaceuticalHealth Care

Differences between nurse educator and staff nurse education

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

Nurse EducatorStaff Nurse
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Nurse educator vs staff nurse demographics

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

Nurse EducatorStaff 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, 11.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between nurse educator and staff 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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Staff nurse example responsibilities.

  • Manage and further help stabilize elective and urgent care surgical patients in their post-operative/post PACU admission to the floor.
  • Accomplish extensive critical care course with EKG interpretation and yearly critical care medication exam.
  • Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
  • Participate in discharge planning including teaching family members and patients wind care and medication administration process after discharge.
  • Provide direct nursing care to patients in a variety of settings with an emphasis in critical care and PACU settings.
  • Prepare patients for surgery and endoscopy procedures including initiating intravenous lines, physical assessments and administering medications.
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Nurse educator vs staff nurse skills

Common nurse educator skills
  • Patients, 19%
  • BLS, 8%
  • BSN, 7%
  • Professional Development, 6%
  • CPR, 5%
  • Educational Programs, 5%
Common staff nurse skills
  • Patients, 28%
  • BLS, 9%
  • CPR, 6%
  • Acls, 5%
  • Acute Care, 4%
  • Direct Patient Care, 3%

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