Sept. 1 to Sept. 7 represents the ninth annual National Clinical Nurse Specialist week.
The National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists created the recognition week in 2009 to acknowledge the crucial role these clinicians play in ensuring exceptional healthcare quality and patient safety.
Here are five things to know about clinical nurse specialists.
- CNSs are advanced practice registered nurses with graduate degrees. Two in three CNSs are nationally certified, and one in ten hold a doctorate degree, according to NACNS' 2016 CNS Census.
- CNSs are experts in a specialized area of nursing. The specialty may focus on a specific population, setting, disease or type of care.
- CNSs help address complicated and emerging issues in healthcare, such as opioid misuse and the spread of infectious disease.
- CNSs spend a majority of their work day providing direct patient care, teaching or consulting with other nurses and staff members, leading evidence-based projects and assisting other clinicians with direct patient care.
- Of the 80 percent of CNSs who work in U.S. hospital settings, 58 percent have responsibilities across the entire hospital or health system, according to the 2016 CNS Census.