Salary For Clinical Instructor

[Ravensfan, BSN, RN]

I was asked to teach nursing clinicals at a community college this semester. The clinical coordinator contacted me this morning and classes start tomorrow. I haven't given my availability yet (need to make sure there are no schedule conflicts with my full-time job). It would be my first teaching job, so any suggestions or tips would be appreciated!

Also, how do clinical instructors typically get paid? Is it per hour or per semester? For those of you who teach or have taught clinicals, what is the average salary like? I've tried researching it, but I'm having a hard time finding the pay specifically for clinicals. Is the pay negotiable or is it a flat rate? I have been a nurse for 14 years.

Any info would help! Thanks!

[Closed Account 12345]

It really just depends! You probably won't find that pay is negotiable.

-I made $9,000 for the semester at one job (16 weeks, 9 hours per week).  That amounted to $62.50 per hour, which was unusually high pay for clinical faculty and was only possible because of a program grant.

-I worked full time for a program that paid its adjunct clinical faculty $30/hr. Years of experience and teaching weren't considerations, and graduate degrees were required. If you're thinking "wow, that's really low," you're correct. Adjunct nursing faculty are typically paid poorly.

-I made significantly more money as a hospital-based educator than I ever have in academia. Working as a hospital-based educator was also a very fun job that brought a lot of value to the organization.

If you're interested in teaching but want to make a living wage, look into staff development positions at hospitals.

If you're interested in teaching just because it's something you'd enjoy and would provide some extra pocket money, working as clinical faculty can be a great opportunity. 

[Ravensfan, BSN, RN]

Thanks, Closed Account 12345! This is exactly what I needed to hear.

Right now, I want to teach clinicals just to teach. It's not something I want to do full time at this point in my life. So maybe this will be a good opportunity to get my feet wet. I just don't want to get paid $10/hr when I could just work overtime at my job and make a whole lot more. I just have no idea what to expect. The clinical coordinator hasn't gotten back to me about salary yet.

[Mary Nolan-Pleckham RN, BSN, MSN, RN]

The schools I have worked for basically figure out an hourly rate for the clinical hours and then pay a lump sum for the school term. However, I always spent more hours off the clock - going in early to make assignments, staying late to speak with a student, planning and preparing post-conference activities, and grading care plans.

In the Chicago area, it's been around $50-55/hour for those hours.