Are you interested in finding out what an RN clinical educator does? Are you an RN who is looking for a career change or who likes to teach? If so, you will want to learn all about the RN clinical educator job description.
What is an RN Clinical Educator?
An RN Clinical Educator is responsible for providing continuing education for nurses and other medical staff to complete requirements or to update clinical nursing skills as new methods and technology become available.
Other names for an RN Clinical Educator are CNE, RN Clinical Nurse Educator, Clinical Nurse Educator, Nurse Educator, or Nursing Professional Development Specialist.
RN Clinical Educator Job Description
RN clinical nurse educators organize, schedule, and present continuing education for nurses via in-person seminars or classes, hands-on demonstrations, and virtual learning, such as webinars or podcasts. Teaching methods vary depending on what type of information they are disseminating.
You will be primarily working with other medical educators to train LPNs and RNs who are taking continuing education courses. When scheduling continuing education, you will often collaborate with hospitals, clinics, or other medical facilities’ administrations to ensure that continuing education classes are available to all who need them.
Other duties and requirements of RN clinical educator jobs include staying up-to-date with your own continuing education requirements and working within government parameters to meet any and all nurse educational standards. In the U.S., each state has its own specific requirements to earn a nursing license and permission to practice as a nurse in that state. States also control the number of continuing education credits you need for your license and how often you need them.
You can research your state’s nursing continuing education requirements online by visiting websites for organizations like NetCE.com, AAACEUS.com, the CDC, the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), or the state government website for the state in which you want to work, like this one for California.
Although nursing students are encouraged to earn a BSN, the reality is that the nursing field has many levels of education in practice. As an RN Clinical Educator, you may find that you have to work with nurses who have a range of educational and experiential levels. Your ability to work with this diverse group is critical.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the need for registered nursing jobs will grow nine percent through 2030. All of these nurses will need continuing education.
If this job sounds interesting to you, you need to enjoy learning and teaching other people. You need to be organized, professional, patient, and compassionate in order to deal with administrative details for the state and any organization you work with as well as resolve any student issues.
RN Clinical Educator Job Qualifications
What kind of qualifications do you need to be a successful RN clinical educator? Qualifications include:
- A Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from an accredited school
- Certification to practice as an RN or APRN
- Experience working as an RN or APRN
- A Master’s Degree in Nursing is preferred
- BCLS certification and possibly ACLS certification
- A current state nursing license (you may need an additional license to teach as an RN Clinical Educator)
- Excellent skills in communication, interpersonal interactions, and educating
- Excellent skills in organization, research, and mentoring
- Able to stand for long periods at a time
- Flexibility to teach when nurses are available to learn – might be evenings or weekends
RN Clinical Educator Responsibilities
When you become an RN clinical educator, you will be responsible for a wide range of tasks and duties.
You will primarily educate nurses with varying levels of education and experience so they can fulfill state continuing education requirements as well as research and update methods of training/education to keep nurses current with new developments in their field.
You will need to be comfortable collaborating with the administration or education department to plan, organize, implement, and test nursing students, as well as with nurse managers, and preceptors, and possibly managing the preceptorship.
As mentioned previously, you will be responsible for a number of administrative tasks as well such as developing written policies and procedures for healthcare facilities, creating educational programs for nurses in a clinical setting, and advocating for the educational program’s implementation. You might also oversee educational program budgets, assist with recruiting efforts, and perform other duties as assigned.
Where Can I Find RN Clinical Educator Jobs in California?
If you feel you have the requirements and passion to be a successful RN Clinical Educator, Apply to be a part of the five-star nursing team at Eisenhower Health’s award-winning medical facilities in the breathtaking Coachella Valley, California.
Originally posted on 26/8/2022