Clinical Nurse Specialist

Applications for the Master of Science in Nursing Program are due February 1st for summer
and fall admissions. Applications for the winter semester are due October 1st.

What does a Clinical Nurse Specialist Do?

Clinical nurse specialists are expert clinicians in a specialized area of nursing practice. The specialty may be identified in terms of population, setting, disease or medical sub-specialty, type of care, or type of problem (www.nacns.org). The clinical nurse specialist role places emphasis on coordination of patient care including client and family education. Clinical nurse specialists are often involved in staff education and research activities. They may develop outcomes projects that monitor and evaluate the efficacy of treatments, and initiate quality improvement activities. A clinical nurse specialist may be unit-based or have agency-wide responsibilities for a patient population. Some clinical nurse specialists serve as patient case managers, research coordinators, staff educators or unit managers.

Who Should Apply?
Nurses with baccalaureate degrees in nursing who want to:

• Provide advanced practice nursing care to children or adults with chronic health problems, including those with acute exacerbations and ongoing needs
• Develop advanced practice knowledge and skills required to integrate and coordinate the services necessary to provide direct patient care; develop, manage, and evaluate healthcare programs, and participate in research to improve healthcare quality for a specific population
  

Career Opportunities

• Clinical nurse specialist in acute care, critical care, rehabilitation, long-term care and community-based health care settings
• Case manager in pediatric and adult inpatient and outpatient settings
• Care coordinator of healthcare services for people in rehabilitation centers, long-term care facilities, residential care facilities, outpatient clinics, and home health agencies
• Trauma coordinator for a trauma center
• Transplant coordinator in a hospital or for a regional organ donor network
• Director of a parish nursing program
• Director of a hospice program
• Director or staff development coordinator in acute care, long-term care, public health, and home health agencies
• Consultant for hospitals, rehabilitation centers, long-term care facilities, home health agencies, schools, or day care centers
• Research Nurse in a variety of health care settings
• Quality improvement coordinator or Outcomes manager in a variety of healthcare settings
• Educator in a School of Nursing

The Program

The curriculum includes theoretical courses and clinical practica to provide the necessary knowledge and skills to function in the advanced practice nursing role of clinical nurse specialist. Students select a population of interest (e.g. cardiovascular, geriatric, critical care/trauma, maternal/child, pediatric oncology). Classroom and clinical experiences are individualized based on the student’s population of interest.

The program provides not only core master’s knowledge in theory, research, health care policy, financing, and ethics, but also advanced practice knowledge in physiology/pathophysiology, health assessment, pharmacology, public health, sociocultural issues, and role development. Clinical nurse speciality courses focus on symptom management, program development and evaluation, and chronic illness management across the continuum of care.

The curriculum is based on recommendations by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing for all advanced practice nurses as well as specific recommendations developed by the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists and the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. Clinical practica settings, which are student-selected, include outpatient clinics, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, long-term care facilities, home health agencies, hospice programs, schools, public health agencies, and state agencies. Students also may have clinical experiences with urban or rural, underserved populations.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What are the prerequisites?
Students must have completed a bachelor of science in nursing and have taken the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) to be considered for admission. GRE's are waived for students with a 3.3 or better grade point (4.0 grading scale) based on the last 60 hours of their bachelor of science degrees. Registered nurses with an Associate Degree in Nursing may complete the online RN-to-BSN Outreach Option and then move to the master's program, provided graduate admission requirements are met.

Once accepted into the degree program, you may enroll in individual courses via mail, fax or online.

What certification would I be eligible for?
Graduates of the program will be eligible for advanced practice nurse certification as a Clinical Nurse Specialist by the American Nurses Credentialing Center in adult health (formerly know as medical-surgical), advanced diabetes management, gerontological, pediatrics or public/ community health care. The American Association for Critical Care Nurses (AACN) Certification Corporation offers advanced practice nurse certification as an Acute/Critical Clinical Nurse Specialist in adult, pediatric, and neonatal specialties. Advanced practice nurse c ertification also is available through specialty organizations such as the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation (ONCC), Rehabilitation Nursing Certification Board, or the National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses (NBPHCN). The National Certification Corporation (NCC) provides a national credentialing program for generalist nurses in the obstetric, gynecologic, and neonatal specialties. Graduates of the Maternal/Child Clinical Nurse Specialist can obtain certification through NCC. However, NCC does not require completion of a program that awards a master's degree.

How would I be licensed?
In Missouri, you would be licensed as a registered professional nurse by the State Board of Nursing. You are eligible to be recognized as an advanced practice nurse (APN), if you have completed the master’s program and passed an approved certification examination or worked a prescribed number of clinical hours in the specialty area if no advanced practice certification examination is available (e.g. maternal/child). In Missouri, both clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners can have prescriptive privileges if they have a collaborative practice agreement with a physician. For information on another state, contact that state’s board of nursing.

Accreditation
The MU Sinclair School of Nursing is approved by the Missouri State Board of Nursing and nationally accredited by the Commission on collegiate Nursing Education.

What financial assistance is available?
Financial assistance programs are available. Contact the Student Affairs Office at (573) 882-0277 or 1-800-437-4339 for further information. Positions as teaching assistants also are available and may provide tuition assistance.

For further information about financial assistance for graduate programs, contact the MU Office of Financial Aid at (573) 882-7506 or visit: http://web.missouri.edu/~gradschl/financial/financial.htm.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CLINICAL NURSE
SPECIALIST AREA OF STUDY, CONTACT:

Student Affairs Office
S235 MU Sinclair School of Nursing
University of Missouri-Columbia
(800) 437-4339 or (573) 882-0277
E-Mail: nursing@missouri.edu
Web Site: www.muhealth.org/~nursing

Technical questions about online courses or registration:

MU Direct: Continuing and Distance Education
102 Whitten Hall
University of Missouri-Columbia
Columbia , MO 65211-6300
Telephone: (573) 882-3598 or 1-800-545-2604 (toll free)
Fax: (573) 882-5071
E-mail: MUdirect@missouri.edu

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