Clinical Nurse Specialists

enterprising patient nursing procedure therapy patient care information treatment standard

Clinical Nurse Specialist, Critical Care Clinical Nurse Specialist, Emergency Clinical Nurse Specialist, ICU Clinical Nurse Specialist (Intensive Care Unit Clinical Nurse Specialist)

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.
On the job, you would:
  • Evaluate the quality and effectiveness of nursing practice or organizational systems.
  • Collaborate with other health care professionals and service providers to ensure optimal patient care.
  • Develop and maintain departmental policies, procedures, objectives, or patient care standards, based on evidence-based practice guidelines or expert opinion.

Knowledge

Health

  • medicine and dentistry
  • therapy and counseling

Education and Training

  • teaching and course design

Arts and Humanities

  • English language

Math and Science

  • biology

Skills

Basic Skills

  • listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
  • reading work related information

Problem Solving

  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Social

  • looking for ways to help people
  • changing what is done based on other people's actions

Abilities

Verbal

  • communicate by speaking
  • listen and understand what people say

Ideas and Logic

  • use rules to solve problems
  • make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information

Attention

  • do two or more things at the same time
  • pay attention to something without being distracted

Memory

  • remember words, numbers, pictures, or steps

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include helping people, teaching, and talking.

They do well at jobs that need:

  • Integrity
  • Adaptability/Flexibility
  • Dependability
  • Leadership
  • Attention to Detail
  • Analytical Thinking

Technology

You might use software like this on the job:

Medical software

  • eClinicalWorks EHR software Hot Technology
  • GE Healthcare Centricity EMR

Presentation software

  • Microsoft PowerPoint Hot Technology

Spreadsheet software

  • Microsoft Excel Hot Technology

Education

Education: (rated 5 of 5)
master's degree
usually needed

Get started on your career:

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Job Outlook

Bright
New job opportunities are very likely in the future.
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