The backbone of the medical profession is the nursing staff. The college-level courses that prepare student nurses for their career are taught by post-secondary nursing instructors and teachers. Teaching takes place both in the traditional classroom setting, where students learn the basics of patient care, and in the clinical units of hospitals, where instructors can present hands-on demonstrations.

To become an instructor, you need to know medical and nursing terminology, as well as have a strong understanding of institutional care procedures. So this is a career that usually requires formal education and extensive on-the-job experience.

A bachelor's degree is a prerequisite for admission into the graduate nursing programs needed for research or teaching positions. Some instructors teach full-time. Others do research in addition to their teaching duties. In either case, good communication skills are a must.

Part of the job deals with evaluating student progress. That means preparing examinations and grading academic performance. The instructor works with other nursing and medical personnel to plan the course curriculum and teaching schedules. The job may also require writing research or project grant proposals.

At present, many nursing job openings across the country go unfilled even though there are many trained nurses not working in the field for a variety of reasons. In addition, many qualified nurses are reaching retirement age and the need to replace them will put pressure on nursing programs. Therefore, there's a great need for qualified instructors and teachers to train future generations of these indispensible caregivers.