Nurse Professors Double Down as Educators and Practitioners

Meet three UNLV professors who juggle their teaching load and clinical practice.

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For many UNLV nurse educators, 40-hour workweeks are just the tip of the iceberg. They often practice out in the community weekly in addition to their full teaching workloads. Once a week, they serve as board-certified nurse practitioners, which are advanced nurses licensed in primary, acute, and specialty health care services. Unlike a registered nurse, an NP is allowed to diagnose illnesses, treat conditions, and prescribe medications.

Although these professors spend most of their time teaching, they have to maintain their clinical practice license. That means a minimum of 2,000 hours of clinical practice during a five-year period, followed by renewal.

Being an educator or practitioner individually is demanding, but to thrive in both roles, it helps to have a passion for the work in order to have a better impact on students and patients.