Clinical Nurse Specialist
Quick Facts
Median Salary$109,475
Most Common EducationMaster's degree
Projected 10-Year Growth-12.35%
Assessment MatchTake the Assessment
What They Do
A Clinical Nurse Specialist directs and coordinates patient care in a specialized field, and supervises other healthcare specialists in addition to providing medical treatment. Specializations include work with a particular group of patients, such as infants or elderly patients, or expertise with a particular condition such as cancer or heart disease.
Core Tasks:
- Provide specialized direct and indirect care to inpatients and outpatients within a designated specialty, such as obstetrics, neurology, oncology, or neonatal care.
- Collaborate with other health care professionals and service providers to ensure optimal patient care.
- Read current literature, talk with colleagues, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in nursing.
- Maintain departmental policies, procedures, objectives, or infection control standards.
- Develop, implement, or evaluate standards of nursing practice in specialty area, such as pediatrics, acute care, and geriatrics.
- Instruct nursing staff in areas such as the assessment, development, implementation, and evaluation of disability, illness, management, technology, or resources.
- Develop and maintain departmental policies, procedures, objectives, or patient care standards, based on evidence-based practice guidelines or expert opinion.
- Evaluate the quality and effectiveness of nursing practice or organizational systems.
- Observe, interview, and assess patients to identify care needs.
- Provide direct care by performing comprehensive health assessments, developing differential diagnoses, conducting specialized tests, or prescribing medications or treatments.
- Monitor or evaluate medical conditions of patients in collaboration with other health care professionals.
- Provide coaching and mentoring to other caregivers to help facilitate their professional growth and development.
- Design evaluation programs regarding the quality and effectiveness of nursing practice or organizational systems.
- Provide consultation to other health care providers in areas such as patient discharge, patient care, or clinical procedures.
- Identify training needs or conduct training sessions for nursing students or medical staff.
- Coordinate or conduct educational programs or in-service training sessions on topics such as clinical procedures.
- Make clinical recommendations to physicians, other health care providers, insurance companies, patients, or health care organizations.
- Participate in clinical research projects, such as by reviewing protocols, reviewing patient records, monitoring compliance, and meeting with regulatory authorities.
- Design patient education programs that include information required to make informed health care and treatment decisions.
- Develop or assist others in development of care and treatment plans.
- Direct or supervise nursing care staff in the provision of patient therapy.
- Develop nursing service philosophies, goals, policies, priorities, or procedures.
- Present clients with information required to make informed health care and treatment decisions.
- Lead nursing department implementation of, or compliance with, regulatory or accreditation processes.
- Chair nursing departments or committees.
- Plan, evaluate, or modify treatment programs, based on information gathered by observing and interviewing patients or by analyzing patient records.
- Teach patient education programs that include information required to make informed health care and treatment decisions.
- Write nursing orders.
- Perform discharge planning for patients.
- Prepare reports to document patients' care activities.
What to expect as a Clinical Nurse Specialist
1Earn a Master's degree
70% of people achieve this level of education.
2Gain skills and experience
See Clinical Nurse Specialist related courses on Tallo
3Land a job
145 openings for Clinical Nurse Specialists
Career Progression
in United States (Nation)
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