SOC 25-1072.00Bright outlook

    Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary

    Demonstrate and teach patient care in classroom and clinical units to nursing students.

    Median pay
    $80,250
    Growth
    +17.1%
    Much faster than average
    Openings a year
    8,500
    Typical education
    Doctoral or professional degree

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $48,800
    Median
    $80,250
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $129,500
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    77,960 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Nursing instructors and teachers teach patient care to nursing students in classrooms and clinical settings. This career offers a median annual pay of $80,250, with the highest earners making more than $129,500.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary do

    Job Zone 5: Extensive preparation

    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.

    Most need a graduate degree, such as a master's, PhD, MD or JD.

    What the work is like

    These educators spend their days training and teaching others how to care for patients. They work in both classrooms and clinical units, demonstrating proper medical procedures and helping students develop practical skills. To succeed, instructors must constantly update and use relevant knowledge in biology, medicine, and psychology. They gather information, solve complex problems, and make critical decisions regarding student progress and patient safety.

    This role requires strong communication skills, including instructing, speaking, active listening, and writing. Educators must organize, plan, and prioritize their work while keeping detailed records. Because this is a social occupation, instructors rely on empathy, cooperation, and strong interpersonal relationships to support their students. They also need to be dependable, highly attentive to detail, and cautious when demonstrating clinical procedures. Working with computers is a regular part of the job for managing course materials and student records.

    How to get there

    Entering this field typically requires a high level of formal education. Most professionals need a graduate degree, and the typical education required to enter the occupation is a doctoral or professional degree, such as a PhD. Students preparing for this career often major in registered nursing, nursing administration, nursing research and clinical nursing, or health professions education, ethics, and humanities.

    Depending on the location, some states list a license for this work. Additionally, voluntary credentials can help educators demonstrate specialized expertise. Examples of certifications in this field include the Academic Certification in Biofeedback, the Academic Certification in Neurofeedback, and the LIUNA Instructor Certification.

    Pay and outlook explained

    In 2025, the median annual pay for these postsecondary teachers was $80,250. The lowest 10 percent of earners made less than $48,800, while the highest 10 percent earned more than $129,500. There were 77,960 people employed in this profession. Between 2025 and 2035, employment is projected to grow by 17.1 percent, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. This growth is expected to result in 8,500 job openings each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    32 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    65 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    38 / 100
    Social (S) · strongest
    100 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    19 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    36 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code SIA. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Training and Teaching Others
    99
    Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    93
    Getting Information
    92
    Assisting and Caring for Others
    91
    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    90
    Working with Computers
    90
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    88
    Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
    87
    Documenting/Recording Information
    86
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    82
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Instructing
    • Learning Strategies
    • Speaking
    • Active Listening
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Writing
    • Active Learning
    • Critical Thinking
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Monitoring

    Knowledge

    • Medicine and Dentistry
    • Education and Training
    • Psychology
    • English Language
    • Biology
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Mathematics
    • Therapy and Counseling
    • Sociology and Anthropology
    • Computers and Electronics

    Abilities

    • Oral Comprehension
    • Oral Expression
    • Written Comprehension
    • Speech Clarity
    • Written Expression
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Inductive Reasoning
    • Near Vision
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Speech Recognition

    Work styles

    • Dependability
    • Attention to Detail
    • Cooperation
    • Empathy
    • Social Orientation
    • Cautiousness
    • Integrity
    • Intellectual Curiosity
    • Achievement Orientation
    • Self-Control

    Also called

    Adjunct Clinical Nursing Instructor · Adjunct Instructor · Adjunct Nursing Instructor · Advanced Nursing Professor · Assistant Professor · Associate Professor · Clinical Instructor · Clinical Nursing Instructor · Clinical Nursing Professor · Continuing Education Instructor

    Career pathway

    From your interests to nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary$80,250 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1
      California State University-East Bay

      Hayward, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $139,123
      4 yrs after
      $150,921
      Median debt
      $18,751
    2. 2
      San Francisco State University

      San Francisco, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $145,008
      4 yrs after
      $150,102
      Median debt
      $13,331
    3. 3Dominican University of California logo
      Dominican University of California

      San Rafael, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $128,516
      4 yrs after
      $149,622
      Median debt
      $26,243
    4. 4Sonoma State University logo
      Sonoma State University

      Rohnert Park, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $134,423
      4 yrs after
      $143,886
      Median debt
      $12,500
    5. 5University of San Francisco USF logo
      University of San Francisco USF

      San Francisco, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $120,438
      4 yrs after
      $143,356
      Median debt
      $25,000
    6. 6Pacific Union College logo
      Pacific Union College

      Angwin, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $126,952
      4 yrs after
      $140,542
      Median debt
      $29,584
    7. 7California State University-Monterey Bay logo
      California State University-Monterey Bay

      Seaside, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $127,203
      4 yrs after
      $134,489
      Median debt
      $6,375
    8. 8Pacific College-California logo
      Pacific College-California

      Costa Mesa, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $132,148
      Median debt
      $32,611

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work. Showing 12 of 23.

    • Adult Health Nurse/Nursing
    • Clinical Nurse Leader
    • Clinical Nurse Specialist
    • Critical Care Nursing
    • Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing
    • Family Practice Nurse/Nursing
    • Forensic Nursing
    • Geriatric Nurse/Nursing
    • Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing
    • Nurse Anesthetist
    • Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery
    • Nursing Education

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    1 state lists a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What are some common job titles for this career?

    People in this profession are often called clinical nursing instructors, adjunct instructors, or assistant and associate professors. They may also work as continuing education instructors or advanced nursing professors.

    What are the primary subjects these instructors need to know?

    These educators must have deep knowledge in medicine, education and training, biology, and psychology. They also benefit from understanding therapy, counseling, sociology, and customer service.

    How fast is this field growing?

    The occupation is expanding rapidly, with a projected employment growth of 17.1 percent from 2025 to 2035. This expansion is expected to create 8,500 job openings on an annual basis.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.