High School

If you are interested in becoming a nursing instructor, take classes in health and the sciences to prepare you for a medical career. Since nursing instructors begin as nurses themselves, you need to take classes that will prepare you for nursing programs. Talk to your career services office about course requirements for specific programs, but plan on taking biology, chemistry, mathematics, and English courses to help build the strong foundation necessary for nursing school.

Postsecondary Training

Most nursing instructors first work as registered nurses and, therefore, have completed either a two-year associate's degree program, a three-year diploma program, or a four-year bachelor's degree program in nursing. Which of the three training programs to choose depends on your career goals. As a nurse, you should also have considerable clinical nursing experience before considering teaching.

Most universities and colleges require that their full-time professors have doctoral degrees, but many hire master's degree holders for part-time and temporary teaching positions. Two-year colleges may hire full-time teachers who have master's degrees.

Certification or Licensing

To practice as a registered nurse, you first must become licensed in the state in which you plan to work. Licensed R.N.s must graduate from an accredited school of nursing and pass a national examination. In order to renew their licenses, R.N.s must show proof of continued education and pass renewal exams. Most states honor licenses granted in other states, as long as scores are acceptable.

The ideal candidate for a nursing instructor has a solid background in both teaching and nursing. The teaching need not be in nursing directly; candidates may have related experience teaching biology, health, home economics, nutrition, or recreation and fitness. Similarly, the candidate's nursing experience may be as a nurse midwife or nurse practitioner rather than the traditional R.N. route. Nursing instructors, no matter what their experience, should  be adept in teaching skills such as communicating information effectively; critical thinking skills such as using logic and reasoning; writing clearly; and assessing one's own performance as well as that of others. Like other people-oriented occupations, nursing instructors are socially oriented and sensitive to the needs and feelings of others. Such teachers have a pleasant, cooperative relationship with students and are adaptable to change and variety in the classroom. Yet they also are willing to take charge and offer opinions and direction when needed. They are even-tempered and able to deal calmly with stressful situations. 

In addition, nursing instructors must be able to teach their students the humane side of nursing that is so important in patient and nurse relationships. New medical technologies, patient treatments, and medications are constantly being developed, so nursing instructors must stay abreast of new information in the medical field. They need to be up to date on the use of new medical equipment that is used for patient care.