Learn the requirements. Visit the National League for Nursing´s website to read the eligibility requirements for becoming certified as a nurse educator. You will need to meet minimum education requirements, become licensed as a nurse in one of the 50 states or U.S. territories and gain work experience.
Obtain state licensing as a registered nurse. After successfully completing a registered nursing program and passing the nursing board examination, comply with licensing requirements in one of the 50 states or in one of the U.S. territories. Keep your license active and in good standing.
Complete additional education requirements above the registered nurse qualification because most nurse educator positions require a graduate nursing degree. The NLN offers two options for becoming a certified nurse educator. Option A requires a master's or doctoral degree with a major emphasis in nursing education and nine or more credit hours at the graduate level. Option B requires a master's or doctoral degree in an area of nursing other than nursing education.
Seek opportunities to gain practical nursing skills in areas of health that you have not previously worked. Your ability to secure a nurse educator position depends on the breadth of your knowledge in nursing. While working in a hospital or clinic, request assignments where you will gain valuable experience in more than one area of nursing -- e.g. in psychiatric nursing, pediatric nursing or surgical settings.
Find a position as a nurse educator in a nursing program. Nursing faculties recruit nurses to lecture and to administer nursing residency programs. You may need to begin by teaching only a few courses on a part-time basis, while continuing to practice nursing, until you are able to secure a full-time faculty position in an academic nursing program.