Career & application guide

Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary

Get to know the work, the skills that matter, and how to prepare your next application.

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What do nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary do?

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.

This describes a U.S. occupation, not a live vacancy. Individual employers may use different titles and requirements.

Job titles to recognize in your search

O*NET reports these titles for this occupation. Compare the responsibilities in each posting before treating titles as equivalent.

  • Assistant Professor
  • Associate Professor
  • Clinical Nursing Instructor
  • Faculty Member
  • Instructor
  • Lecturer
  • Nurse Educator
  • Nursing Instructor

Core tasks to compare with a job posting

  • 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.

Prepare an application for this occupation

  1. Check the employer’s requirements, location, schedule and any licenses against your situation.
  2. Choose two or three tasks above that match the posting and your actual experience.
  3. Build a resume evidence worksheet using the skills and software relevant to that employer.
  4. Practice explaining your contribution, decisions and results before an interview.

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