Clinical Nurse Specialist Job Description

Health care centers offer an array of jobs for the qualified and skilled individuals who are willing to provide healthcare services to the patients. Clinical nurse specialist is one such profile that is involved in providing assistance to the nursing staff of the company. Clinical nurse specialist understands the problems of the patients, researches on those problems and provides proper solutions to the nursing staff of the hospital. They are more involved in researching and teaching the staff and into management issues of the hospital. Clinical nurse specialist should be highly skilled professionals who have critical thinking ability and solving problems of the nurses of the hospital. They help the hospitals in improving their facilities so that the hospital ensures satisfaction to the patients.

Here is a brief summary of the clinical nurse specialist job description to help you understand the details of this job profile.

Job Description of Clinical Nurse Specialist:

A clinical nurse provides direct care and help for the patients in the hospital by understanding their problems
They also provide counseling for the nursing staff to excel in providing help to the patients of the hospital
They conduct research for the critical cases of the hospital and provide assistance to the nurses to help the patients
They educate the staff as well as the patients in proper health care and help them solve critical issues
At times they also interact with the family members of the patients to collect history of the patient which can be helpful for them in the research
They also discuss issues with the doctors and hand the reports collected by them to the doctors
They maintain reports of their work which can be helpful in the treatment of the patients

Qualification Requirements of a Clinical Nurse Specialist:

Clinical nurse specialists should posses a post-graduate or doctorate degree in Nursing. As clinical nurses are involved in research they should have experience of more than 4-5 years in direct clinical care duties. RN (Registered Nursing) certification is also mandatory for this position.

Skills Required in Clinical Nurse Specialist:

Clinical nurse specialists (CNS) should have expertise in diagnostic skills so that they can suggest appropriate treatment to the patients with critical cases
They should also have good researching and analyzing ability using various methods and pathological tests
Good communication skills will help them in conducting training sessions for the hospital staff and interacting with the patients and their family
They should also have good management skills and ability to multitask
Profound written communication skills will help them in preparing detailed reports from their research
They should be enthusiastic and ready to work extra hours in case of emergency conditions

Compensation Offered to Clinical Nurse Specialist:

Clinical nurse specialists are offered salaries in the range of $65,000 to $110,000. Some clinical nurses are paid much more than this if they are skilled and experienced. This is a rough figure of salary which may vary depending upon the state and country.

Clinical nurse specialists work in various setting such as private hospitals, government hospitals, community health centers, schools and government agencies. Some clinical nurse specialists work in surgical departments of the hospital while some may work in pathological laboratories. Their department varies depending upon their specialization. Some more experienced clinical nurses are self-employed who provide training to the hospital staff on request.

This is an interesting career where you have a lot of scope of development with good salaries. If you have any queries regarding the clinical nurse job description and want to know more about this profile, you can contact us.