Lecturer in nursing theory and practice

Lecturers in nursing are qualified nurses employed by universities to teach students on pre-registration and post-registration nursing courses. Most will also have a teaching qualification – under NMC rules, lecturers should begin a postgraduate teaching qualification within a year of starting to teach.

Pursuing a career in teaching does not mean an end to working in a clinical setting. Many lecturers also have a clinical supervision role, helping students to develop their skills on-the-job as they assess and care for patients. Joint lecturer/practitioner roles – where nurses split their time between teaching and clinical work – are becoming increasingly common, and those in these roles have the option of continuing to pursue a clinical career path.

Teaching takes place in a variety of settings, including formal lectures, tutorials, practical skills sessions and clinical settings. There are opportunities in teaching for nurses from all branches:

• adult
• children’s
• mental health
• learning disabilities.

Starting out after graduation

University policies vary, but generally a new lecturer in his or her first job might expect a settling-in period of one or two months. During this time they may shadow an experienced lecturer, familiarise themselves with the university’s policies and procedures, and prepare teaching materials. The first couple of years in the job can be quite challenging because of the need to research and write notes for all teaching sessions.

Some lecturers combine teaching with bank work at weekends or evenings, but this will be very much dependent on their workload. Lecturers have the potential to progress right to the top of the academic tree: to school dean or even vice chancellor level. Some choose to move into research where there is also an excellent career path.

Fancy a job as a lecturer in nursing? Here are the skills you'll require

Key personal qualities needed for teaching are strong organisational skills, being able to keep calm under pressure and motivate others, and having the flexibility to adjust your teaching style to people with often very mixed abilities.

Nursing lecturers need to be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC); have a minimum of three years full-time experience (or equivalent part-time experience) in a relevant nursing field where students gain practice experience; and a first degree relevant to the intended area of teaching/ practice. The same rules apply to midwifery lecturers.