The education of student nurses is a complex endeavor involving the components of theory, skills, and clinical experiences during which the clinical instructor serves as a role model for socialization into the profession. Emotional intelligence, a skill that supports interpersonal relationships, enables the nursing clinical instructor to identify, monitor, interpret, and respond to individuals and situations. The problem that was addressed was the projected nursing shortage of 260,000 nurses by 2025 and attrition rates for nursing programs as high as 47-50%. Emotional intelligence can assist the clinical instructor in fulfilling role responsibilities resulting in students who are more satisfied with their clinical experiences and persist in the program. Based on emotional intelligence theories, the purpose of the study was to identify the correlation between a nursing clinical instructor's emotional intelligence and student satisfaction with the clinical instructor. Through a quantitative research study, nursing students completed the Nursing Clinical Teacher Effectiveness Inventory. Clinical instructors completed the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i 2.0). The goal of the study was to determine whether a correlation exists between the clinical instructor's emotional intelligence with student satisfaction levels based on the Nursing Clinical Teacher Effectiveness Inventory in order to advance a strategy for increasing student satisfaction and persistence. Research questions examined variables of age and years of teaching related to student satisfaction and instructor's emotional intelligence. Utilizing SPSS, a moderately low and positive correlation was found between instructors' Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i 2.0) scores on four of the scales and corresponding student satisfaction ratings on the Nursing Clinical Teacher Effectiveness Inventory. EQ-i 2.0 scales of Self-Perception, Self-Expression, Interpersonal, and Decision Making correlation coefficients were not statistically significant. However, the correlation between instructor EQ-i 2.0 Stress ii Management scale and student satisfaction rating was quite strong at .75(r). There was no statistically significant relationship between a clinical instructor's emotional intelligence score, student satisfaction, and years of teaching or instructor age. A small study sample was a limitation of the study. Future research with a larger sample size could build on these findings to support emotional intelligence as a strategy to increase student satisfaction and persistence in nursing programs. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]