Education

If you're passionate about learning and like the idea of developing others, you may want to consider a role within nurse education or the facilitation of learning and development. Education roles sit within both educational and clinical settings.

You could develop, implement and deliver strategies to support the educational needs of nurses and/or other multi-professional students, ensuring best practice and evidence based care at all times. Depending on the role, you could be working in a University or college setting, or a healthcare setting. 

Mentors and sign-off mentors were replaced by practice supervisors, practice assessors and academic assessors, and you may find this could be a good place to start. You can read more about this on the RCN's page Practice Based Learning.

The RCN's Nursing Career Resource also has information for nurses who are thinking about a career in nurse or healthcare education, whether in the practice setting or the university setting.

If you wish to develop your teaching skills further, you could look at teaching qualifications such as a Postgraduate Certificate in Healthcare Education (PGCHE). 

Some examples of education or learning roles:

• Practice Educator
• Practice Education Facilitator
• Clinical Educator
• Clinical Trainer
• Clinical Practice Lead
• Clinical Nurse Lead
• Practice Development Lead
• Nurse Educator
• Nurse Lecturer 
• Senior or Principal Lecturer
• Dean of Faculty

If you're interested in education, training or learning and development roles...

• Join the RCN's Education Forum and the RCN Education Forum Facebook group so that you can speak to other RCN members working in education.
• Express an interest to your manager about coaching, training, teaching, or supporting colleagues and students. Document this in your 121s and appraisals.
• Put yourself forward for opportunities such as being involved with inductions, designing training material, or project work around learning and development.
• Ask your employer for information about becoming a coach, trainer, practice supervisor or practice assessor within your workplace, or discuss support for gaining a mentoring or teaching qualification.
• Consider becoming an RCN Learning rep 
• Contact relevant employers and organisations in education to arrange informal visits to gain insight into different roles and settings. 
• Use your contacts, colleagues, etc. to get in touch with nurses working in education or training roles. Ask them if you can take their contact details for future reference.
• Try to shadow other nurses in educative roles.. This could be through your networking, informal visits or through your current employer.
• Do your research and study job vacancies within the education field. What experience, qualifications or skills are employers looking for?
• See if your employer offers career mentoring/coaching, or has any career frameworks. 

RCN Career Coaching

RCN members can have up to three telephone Career Coaching sessions as part of their membership.

If you want to explore the reasons behind wanting to change careers, explore whether a career in education could be a good fit for you, feel stuck or unable to move forward, or want help creating an action plan, take a look at our career coaching page.

• West Midlands
• Yorkshire and Humber