Clinical Nurse Educator

Clinical nurse educators must be BCLS certified but may also need ACLS certification.  

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While some educational settings only require a BSN degree, most prefer you obtain an MSN or doctoral degree with an emphasis in education or additional graduate-level credit in acceptable education courses.  

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After obtaining your MSN or doctoral degree, there are two certifications you can pursue: Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) or Academic Clinical Nurse Educator Certification (CNEcl).

• Provide staff instruction in areas of clinical education, procedural care, or any newly identified need by the administration
• Provide input in staff’s performance evaluations
• Identify areas that would benefit from increased teaching to improve safety, compliance or accuracy of staff actions
• Arrange schedules for the education of staff and train others who will assist in teaching
• Document the entire process with timelines and design follow-up testing methods after training is completed

1. Complete an ADN or BSN program in nursing
2. Pass the NCLEX-RN exam and apply for your RN license
3. Have three to five years of clinical experience working as an RN in a specialty area
4. Apply and complete either an MSN or doctoral program to become a clinical educator
5. Apply for your Clinical Nurse Educator Certification (CNE) after meeting prerequisites.

National League of Nursing (NLN)

• Mission: “The National League for Nursing promotes excellence in nursing education to build a strong and diverse nursing workforce to advance the health of our nation and the global community.”
• Cost: $80-160, annually.
• Perks: Gain access to substantial savings and privileges at NLN meetings, savings on products and resources, free or substantially discounted access to premier NLN publications like the research journal Nursing Education Perspectives, and more.

Professional Nurse Educator Group (PNEG)

• Mission: “[T]o provide a learning community for professionals committed to improving health care and the organizations they serve through education.”
• Cost: No formal cost.
• Perks: Access to a community of professional nurse educators, collaboration among members, a forum for networking, exchange mentorship support, and more.