Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary
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.
- Median pay
- $80,250
- Doing it now
- 96,100
- By 2035
- Up 17.1%
- Usually needs
- Doctoral or professional degree
a year
across the country
8,500 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
- Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as pharmacology, mental health nursing, and community health care practices.
- Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
- Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
- Supervise students' laboratory and clinical work.
- Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory and clinic work, assignments, and papers.
- Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingSee 1,236 colleges that teach it
- Health Professions Education, Ethics, and HumanitiesSee 36 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Helping and teaching
Analytical and curious
Creative and expressive
Careers like this one
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- Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary$77,270
- History Teachers, Postsecondary$83,820
- Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary$80,260
- Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary$75,870
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $80,250 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.