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What Does a Clinical Nurse Specialist Do?

A typical clinical nursing specialist (CNS) has five primary duties:

• Clinical practice
• Consulting
• Management
• Research
• Teaching

Most clinical nurse specialists specialize on one patient population such as gerontology or pediatrics, in a certain type of disease such as oncology or cardiovascular disease, on a type of care like psychiatric or rehabilitation, or on a specific setting like the operating room or emergency room. That means this career could be an excellent choice for anyone, since you have so many options.

Education & Training Required to Become a Clinical Nurse Specialist

Clinical nurse specialists are one of four types of advanced practice nurses, meaning you need either a master's or doctorate degree. If you are already working as a registered nurse (RN) and want to earn an advanced degree to become a clinical nurse specialists, you should consider accelerated or online degree programs.

One of the most popular clinical nurse specialist degree programs is the accelerated master's degree in nursing (MSN). This takes three to four years and you earn both your bachelor's of science in nursing and your MSN. If you already have a bachelor's degree, you can enroll in one of the more traditional clinical nurse specialist degree programs and earn your master's degree in about two years.

Typical Characteristics of a Clinical Nurse Specialist

Clinical nurse specialists need strong analytic skills as they are responsible both for assessing patients' conditions and helping to develop care plans. Leadership and communication skills are critical for advanced practice nurses, as they may direct other health care personnel involved in patient care and be responsible for making critical health care decisions.

High Demand for Clinical Nurse Specialists

Registered nurses overall should remain in high demand, with 22 percent expected job growth from 2008-2018, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics projections. Clinical nurse specialists in particular should have excellent opportunities, since they are often hired in place of more expensive physicians to diagnose and treat patients. If you're willing to work in inner cities or rural areas, then you'll have even greater job prospects.