The clinical nurse specialist has been a vital part of health care in the UK. Their primary role is to provide quality, cost-effective speciality care. Through the decades, the profession has become widely accepted in the health care system as a standardised, licensed, and fully regulated health care occupation.
What is a clinical nurse specialist?
A clinical nurse specialist (CNS) is an advanced registered nurse with a practice awarded a master’s or doctoral diploma in nursing. The achievement of a speciality certification indicates the highest level of expertise and advanced clinical abilities in a specific nursing sector.
Beyond the traditional duties of a nurse, which are focused on helping patients avoid or treat diseases, a clinical nursing specialist’s scope of work encompasses diagnosing and treating ailments and injuries and disabilities in their area of expertise.
What makes clinical nurse specialists so important?
Clinical nurse specialists are the leaders within the nursing field. They act as instructors, mentors as well as advocates. They have expertise in their field and possess solid clinical abilities.
They are leaders and help to promote and encourage the process of change. They use evidence-based practice to train other nurses and assist in developing strategies to reduce costs in providing care. They can also share their experiences and observations in inpatient treatment, apply them to research policies, and improve the quality of care.
How to become a clinical nurse specialist in the UK?
Nurses seeking to move up towards the position of CNS should be committed to evidence-based practices. This implies adhering to methods that have been proven to work through research conducted in clinical settings. Because research and practice are constantly evolving, nurses interested in the CNS job should be flexible and willing to accommodate and embrace change.
Nurses must learn since educating others about best practices and research is an integral part of their work.
Nurses must work in groups and take a team-based approach to healthcare. The major component of the CNS job is to work with other members of the healthcare team. Effective communication is essential.
The ability to lead is also essential for Clinical nurse specialists. They are mentors for nurses and contribute their expertise in bedside nursing into the leadership of an organisation to improve the quality of care provided by nurses.
Educational requirement to become a CNS:
To become a specialist nurse, you’ll need to complete the following steps:
- Obtain an undergraduate nursing degree or apprenticeship
- Register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council
- Gain experience within your preferred specialized area
- Obtain a postgraduate qualification
- Obtain postgraduate training
- For some roles, obtaining the necessary nursing teaching qualification
