Education & Library
Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary
Also called: Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Clinical Nursing Instructor, Faculty Member
US median pay
$80,250
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
+17.1%
faster than average
Openings a year (US)
8,500
96,100 employed
Typical entry education
Doctoral or professional degree
Preparation 5/5 · Extensive preparation
What this job is
Demonstrate and teach patient care in classroom and clinical units to nursing students. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
What they do day to day
- Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory and clinic work, assignments, and papers.
- Supervise students' laboratory and clinical work.
- Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
- Assess clinical education needs and patient and client teaching needs using a variety of methods.
- Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
- Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as pharmacology, mental health nursing, and community health care practices.
- Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
- Demonstrate patient care in clinical units of hospitals.
- Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
- Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Instructing4.2/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.9/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.8/5
- Coordination3.8/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.6/5
- Time Management3.2/5
- Service Orientation3.2/5
- Systems Evaluation3.1/5
Knowledge
- Medicine and Dentistry4.6/5
- Education and Training4.5/5
- Psychology4.5/5
- English Language4.4/5
- Biology4.1/5
- Customer and Personal Service3.9/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 5 of 5 — Extensive preparation. Usually a graduate degree (master's, PhD, MD, JD) and extensive experience.
Typical entry education (BLS): Doctoral or professional degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.
Highest education of people in this job:
- Master's degree50%
- Doctoral degree36%
Who this job suits
Mostly Social
Helping, teaching and caring for people
Investigative
Ideas, research and solving problems
Artistic
Creating, designing and self-expression
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.