How To Become A Registered Nurse Teacher: What It Is and Career Path

What is a registered nurse teacher and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Wendy Bowles PhD, APRN-CNP, CNE

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a registered nurse teacher. For example, did you know that they make an average of $32.82 an hour? That's $68,261 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 195,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a registered nurse teacher?

Wendy Bowles PhD, APRN-CNP, CNE

Associate Clinical Professor, Associate Dean for Baccalaureate Programs

To maximize your salary potential you should consider going back to school and pursuing your doctorate degree from a high quality, reputable institution. There are many programs that offer BSN to doctorate pathways and that will enhance earnings potential.

ScoreRegistered Nurse TeacherUS Average

Salary

5.3

Avg. Salary $68,261

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

10.0

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.44%

Asian 10.20%

Black or African American 11.05%

Hispanic or Latino 9.02%

Unknown 4.26%

White 65.02%

Gender

female 82.35%

male 17.65%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.1

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.8

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a registered nurse teacher

Explore registered nurse teacher education requirements

Most common registered nurse teacher degrees

Bachelor's

53.7 %

Associate

28.4 %

Master's

10.4 %

Complete relevant registered nurse teacher training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New registered nurse teachers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a registered nurse teacher based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real registered nurse teacher resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed registered nurse teacher usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed registered nurse teacher in most of states. 43 states require registered nurse teachers to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License url
Alabama	Degree required	State exam required	Registered Nurse (RN)
Alaska	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Nurse, Registered
Arkansas	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Registered Nurse (RN)
California	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Nurse, Registered
Colorado	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Registered Nurse

Research registered nurse teacher duties and responsibilities

Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
Care planning participation involving assessment and evaluation of patient needs, determine appropriate intervention to include, and evaluate plan effectiveness.
Provide maintenance and bag changes for antibiotics and chemotherapy via ambulatory pump.

Apply for registered nurse teacher jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a registered nurse teacher job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams