Clinical Nurse Specialists

• Provide consultation to other health care providers in areas such as patient discharge, patient care, or clinical procedures.
• Develop or assist others in development of care and treatment plans.
• Develop and maintain departmental policies, procedures, objectives, or patient care standards based on evidence-based practice guidelines or expert opinion.
• Read current literature, talk with colleagues, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in nursing.
• Evaluate the quality and effectiveness of nursing practice or organizational systems.
• Develop, implement, or evaluate standards of nursing practice in specialty area such as pediatrics, acute care, and geriatrics.
• Design evaluation programs regarding the quality and effectiveness of nursing practice or organizational systems.
• Plan, evaluate, or modify treatment programs based on information gathered by observing and interviewing patients, or by analyzing patient records.
• Direct or supervise nursing care staff in the provision of patient therapy.
• Instruct nursing staff in areas such as the assessment, development, implementation and evaluation of disability, illness, management, technology, or resources.
• Monitor or evaluate medical conditions of patients in collaboration with other health care professionals.
• Design patient education programs that include information required to make informed health care and treatment decisions.
• Provide specialized direct and indirect care to inpatients and outpatients within a designated specialty such as obstetrics, neurology, oncology, or neonatal care.
• Make clinical recommendations to physicians, other health care providers, insurance companies, patients, or health care organizations.
• Maintain departmental policies, procedures, objectives, or infection control standards.
• Present clients with information required to make informed health care and treatment decisions.
• Perform discharge planning for patients.
• Identify training needs or conduct training sessions for nursing students or medical staff.
• Participate in clinical research projects such as by reviewing protocols, reviewing patient records, monitoring compliance, and meeting with regulatory authorities.
• Lead nursing department implementation of, or compliance with, regulatory or accreditation processes.
• Observe, interview, and assess patients to identify care needs.
• Write nursing orders.
• Chair nursing departments or committees.
• Develop nursing service philosophies, goals, policies, priorities, or procedures.
• Coordinate or conduct educational programs or in-service training sessions on topics such as clinical procedures.
• Teach patient education programs that include information required to make informed health care and treatment decisions.
• Prepare reports to document patients' care activities.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Clinical Nurse Specialists.

• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Clinical Nurse Specialists.