Clinical Nurse Specialists
Under the title Clinical Nurse Specialists, workers direct nursing staff in the provision of patient care in a clinical practice setting, such as a hospital, hospice, clinic, or home. O*NET rates it as extensive preparation, which usually means graduate school and often five years or more of related experience. It leans on speaking, social perceptiveness, and service orientation. The job can ask you to provide specialized direct and indirect care to inpatients and outpatients within a designated specialty, such as obstetrics, neurology, oncology, or neonatal care. Its interest code is SIC. Social leads at 6.2 out of 7, so expect helping, teaching or caring for people, with Investigative next at 4.9. People who want helping, teaching or caring for people usually fit better here than those who need creative work with room for original expression.
What they do
Direct nursing staff in the provision of patient care in a clinical practice setting, such as a hospital, hospice, clinic, or home. Ensure adherence to established clinical policies, protocols, regulations, and standards.
Main 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.
- Develop, implement, or evaluate standards of nursing practice in specialty area, such as pediatrics, acute care, and geriatrics.
- Maintain departmental policies, procedures, objectives, or infection control standards.
- Instruct nursing staff in areas such as the assessment, development, implementation, and evaluation of disability, illness, management, technology, or resources.
Skills
- Speaking
- Social Perceptiveness
- Service Orientation
- Reading Comprehension
- Monitoring
- Judgment and Decision Making
Who this career fits
May suit you if
- You get energy from helping other people move forward.
- You enjoy working out why something happens, not just what happened.
- You are prepared for graduate-level study and a long training path.
- You are comfortable relying on speaking and social perceptiveness.
May not suit you if
- You find a full day of dealing with people draining.
- You need creative expression to be a big part of your day. Artistic rates 1.8 out of 7 here.
- You want to be working in the field within the next few years.
Interest profile
O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code SIC takes the three highest, and Social comes first here.
Preparation
Extensive preparation. Many jobs here need graduate study, and people often spend five years or more building specialist experience.
Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: Master's Degree. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.
Also called
- APN (Advanced Practice Nurse)
- Board Certified Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS-BC)
- CNS (Clinical Nurse Specialist)
- Critical Care CNS (Critical Care Clinical Nurse Specialist)
- Emergency Clinical Nurse Specialist (Emergency CNS)
Related careers
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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.