Clinical Nurse Specialist
Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) is a registered nurse, who is recognized to be a senior member of staff. Clinical nurse specialist not only overtakes the responsibilities to help and care for the patients, but also is expected to demonstrate high skills and competence in the area of clinical decision making and clinical data analysis. CNS does not have to limit to only one area of practice, however, to be able to work in each different area the clinical nurse specialist has to obtain a separate Clinical Nurse Specialist Certificate.
The clinical nurse specialists can be divided into two groups, focusing either on short-term projects or on the long-term outcomes (Zuzelo 1).In order to become CNS, the one needs to hold a degree in the clinical nurse specialist education program. Moreover, CNS needs to be officially registered with all the required certificates, including clinical nurse specialist certification and clinical nurse specialist registration certificate. Whereas the certification is valid for life, registration certificate needs to be renewed after the certain period of time. In order to work as a CNS, it is necessary to be certified by such national certification organizations as ANCC, AACN, ONCC (Op.nysed.gov).
The profession of CNS appears to be rather a promising area. Thus, the employment rate grows significantly faster than in other fields. The employment of CNS is expected to grow by 19 percent in the time period between 2012 and 2012. The reasons for it include the emphasis on preventing care and the growth in the rate of the critical health conditions (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Taking into account the aforementioned, I believe that the ability to specialize and work in different areas is definitely an advantage of CNS profession. It creates the opportunities for instant personal and professional development and makes the CNS competitive at the labor market. Moreover, as there is a tendency of the growth of employment rate, the CNS can expect to be provided with the working place.
However, I believe that as CNS are responsible for the wide range of activities besides patients care, the job can be stressful, and the working schedule will not always be flexible and stable.
Works cited
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. ‘Registered Nurses’. Occupational Outlook Handbook. 2014-15 Edition, Web.
Op.nysed.gov. 'NYS Nursing: Certification Requirements For Clinical Nurse Specialists'. 2015. Web. Zuzelo, Patti Rager. The clinical nurse specialist handbook. Jones & Bartlett Publishers, …
