Postsecondary nursing instructors teach various aspects of patient care in classrooms and in clinical settings. They're teaching includes demonstrating patient care in hospital and clinics. Some instructors combine teaching with research. They teach undergraduate and graduate students subjects such as community healthcare, mental health nursing and pharmacology. Often, they supervise their students internships and research work.
The instructors need good communication and organization skills. They must stay current with the latest technologies and information by attending professional conferences and reading literature. In addition, some nursing instructors are involved with recruiting students.
Responsibilities
- Prepare course materials
- Supervise the students' clinical and laboratory work
- Discuss with colleagues teaching and research topics
- Offer students advice regarding academic issues
- Provide career advice
- Maintain office hours to assist students
- Moderate classroom discussions
- Evaluate students' work and provide grades
- Revise the course content and methods of instruction
- Maintain student records
Job Characteristics
Typically, full-time nursing instructors have flexible work schedules. Depending on the education setting, some instructors have classes at night and during the weekends, especially at community colleges and schools that have a large number of working adult students. Some of the instructors teach on a part-time basis.
Most colleges require their instructors to teach nine months per year. They're usually required to teach in classrooms from 12 to 16 hours each week and attend meetings. Most instructors provide office hours to assist students, which typically include three to six hours of their time each week. Beyond classroom time and office hours the instructors can mostly choose when they work and how much time to allocate to their various tasks.
Employment Outlook
In 2006 there were approximately 46,000 nursing instructor positions. In 2006, the median earnings for postsecondary nursing instructors was approximately $57,500. The middle 50 percent earned from $43,800 to $70,200. The wages for postsecondary nursing instructors vary by the type of school, the location and the school's ranking. In general, instructors at four-year colleges earn more than those teaching at community colleges.
Some instructors earn additional income from non-teaching work such as providing consultation services to government agencies and pertinent industries. In addition, the growth rate for the profession is expected to be faster than the average for all other types of employment.
Education, Certification, and Licensing
A master's degree is required for employment as a postsecondary nursing instructor. Some colleges and universities prefer to hire instructors with doctoral degrees for full-time teaching positions.
Resources
Major Employers
Colleges, universities, professional schools and junior colleges are the major employers for postsecondary nursing instructors.
Schools for Postsecondary Nursing Instructors are listed in the Browse Schools Section.
