What Do Clinical Nurse Specialist Do?
Clinical Nurse Specialist Definition Plan, direct, or coordinate the daily patient care activities in a clinical practice. Ensure adherence to established clinical policies, protocols, regulations, and standards.
Life As a Clinical Nurse Specialist: What Do They Do?
- Provide specialized direct and indirect care to inpatients and outpatients within a designated specialty, such as obstetrics, neurology, oncology, or neonatal care.
- Develop nursing service philosophies, goals, policies, priorities, or procedures.
- Design evaluation programs regarding the quality and effectiveness of nursing practice or organizational systems.
- Collaborate with other health care professionals and service providers to ensure optimal patient care.
- Evaluate the quality and effectiveness of nursing practice or organizational systems.
- Identify training needs or conduct training sessions for nursing students or medical staff.
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Clinical Nurse Specialist Needed Skills
Clinical Nurse Specialists state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
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.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
Types of Clinical Nurse Specialist
- Gerontological Clinical Nurse Specialist
- Pediatric Oncology Nurse
- Intensive Care Unit Clinical Nurse Specialist
- Cardiovascular Clinical Nurse Specialist
- Critical Care Clinical Nurse Specialist
Job Opportunities for Clinical Nurse Specialists
There were about 2,955,200 jobs for Clinical Nurse Specialist in 2016 (in the United States). New jobs are being produced at a rate of 14.8% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 438,000 new jobs for Clinical Nurse Specialist by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 203,700 job openings in this field each year.

The states with the most job growth for Clinical Nurse Specialist are Arizona, Utah, and Colorado. Watch out if you plan on working in Rhode Island, Wisconsin, or Connecticut. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
How Much Does a Clinical Nurse Specialist Make?
The average yearly salary of a Clinical Nurse Specialist ranges between $50,800 and $106,530.

Clinical Nurse Specialists who work in Hawaii, California, or Oregon, make the highest salaries.
How much do Clinical Nurse Specialists make in each U.S. state?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $59,470 |
Alaska | $89,310 |
Arizona | $77,000 |
Arkansas | $60,780 |
California | $106,950 |
Colorado | $74,240 |
Connecticut | $81,220 |
Delaware | $74,800 |
District of Columbia | $92,350 |
Florida | $66,210 |
Georgia | $68,950 |
Hawaii | $98,080 |
Idaho | $67,110 |
Illinois | $73,890 |
Indiana | $64,860 |
Iowa | $59,130 |
Kansas | $61,030 |
Kentucky | $63,100 |
Louisiana | $63,970 |
Maine | $67,610 |
Maryland | $76,820 |
Massachusetts | $92,140 |
Michigan | $71,330 |
Minnesota | $78,920 |
Mississippi | $58,490 |
Missouri | $65,130 |
Montana | $67,450 |
Nebraska | $64,470 |
Nevada | $85,620 |
New Hampshire | $72,760 |
New Jersey | $82,750 |
New Mexico | $71,730 |
New York | $85,610 |
North Carolina | $64,850 |
North Dakota | $65,740 |
Ohio | $66,820 |
Oklahoma | $63,080 |
Oregon | $91,080 |
Pennsylvania | $70,390 |
Rhode Island | $78,420 |
South Carolina | $64,940 |
South Dakota | $58,340 |
Tennessee | $61,320 |
Texas | $72,890 |
Utah | $65,670 |
Vermont | $69,160 |
Virginia | $69,790 |
Washington | $82,670 |
West Virginia | $61,780 |
Wisconsin | $71,470 |
Wyoming | $67,360 |
What Tools do Clinical Nurse Specialists Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Clinical Nurse Specialists may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Web browser software
- Email software
- GE Healthcare Centricity EMR
- Bizmatics PrognoCIS EMR
- eClinicalWorks
- e-MDs software
- SOAPware EMR
- Allscripts Professional EHR
- ChartWare EMR
- NextGen Healthcare Information Systems EMR
- MicroFour PracticeStudio.NET EMR
- Cerner Millennium
- SynaMed EMR
- Texas Medical Software SpringCharts EMR
- Amkai AmkaiCharts
- StatCom Patient Flow Logistics Enterprise Suite
How do I Become a Clinical Nurse Specialist?
What education is needed to be a Clinical Nurse Specialist?

How many years of work experience do I need?

Who Employs Clinical Nurse Specialists?

The table below shows the approximate number of Clinical Nurse Specialists employed by various industries.

You May Also Be Interested In…
Those interested in being a Clinical Nurse Specialist may also be interested in:
References:
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More about our data sources and methodologies.
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