How to Become a Clinical Nurse Specialist: 5 Steps to Fast Track Your Career Goals
In the landscape of today’s nursing shortages and increasing complexities in health care systems, the role of the Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) is more vital than ever. For aspiring nurses looking to enhance patient outcomes and nurses' experiences at the systems level, becoming a CNS prepares you to make a difference through advanced practice nursing leadership.
If you are considering a career change but hesitate because of the lengthy path to entry, you may be surprised by the fast-track options in nursing education. For individuals with a bachelor’s degree in any field, intensive programs put educational requirements within reach. Let’s look at how to become a Clinical Nurse Specialist on an accelerated timeline.
The Role of Clinical Nurse Specialist
A CNS is an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) with specialized graduate-level education focused on a specific population. Clinical nurse specialists provide direct patient care while also guiding other nurses and assuring evidence-based practice for nursing teams and health care organizations. CNSs work in hospitals, clinics, physicians' offices, and home care with a population focus of adult/gerontology, pediatrics or neonatal.
What Are the Day-to-Day Responsibilities of a CNS?
Working directly with patients, clinical nurse specialists diagnose and treat illnesses in both acute and chronic care settings. Often leading or coaching a team of nurses, the CNS performs assessments and provides clinical interventions for complex care scenarios. A CNS often prescribes medications, though prescriptive authority varies by state.
Advanced practice nurses are also skilled in wellness and preventative care. A CNS may offer disease prevention education and care assessments and may help patients establish health goals.
Beyond direct patient care, a Clinical Nurse Specialist is prepared to conduct organizational-level systems analysis and implement quality improvements. For example, a CNS may apply expert knowledge to shorten hospital stays and prevent readmissions. A CNS may lead teams in establishing or enhancing measures to prevent the spread of infections within a health care setting or to enhance safety protocols.
What Are the Benefits of Advanced Practice Nursing?
For leadership-minded nurses, becoming an APRN offers a rewarding opportunity to impact patient care and systems quality at a high level in health care settings. As leaders with advanced education in evidence-based practice, clinical nurse specialists apply research and professional skills to move health systems forward.
CNSs utilize organizational skills and expertise to coordinate patient care, often filling gaps in physician coverage and lowering the cost of medical services for individuals and families. Some CNSs practice independently, as permitted by state regulations, serving a range of health care needs for patients within their population focus.
Clinical nurse specialists are also among the highest-paid nursing professionals, with an average annual salary of $108,000, according to Payscale data.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Clinical Nurse Specialist
If you already have a bachelor's degree in any field, you are a step ahead on the pathway to becoming a CNS. Here are the next five steps for your career plan.
1. Jump Start Your Nursing Education with a Master’s Degree
Timeline: approximately 20 months from starting the program until completion.
Your undergraduate degree is a launchpad for the education requirements for advanced practice in nursing. If you have completed prerequisite classes, you can enter a fast-track Master’s Entry in Nursing Practice (MENP) program without completing a bachelor’s degree in nursing. These are often called “direct-entry master’s” or “entry-level master’s” programs.
An MENP program is an accelerated option for earning a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN). While traditional MSN programs may take three to four years, an MENP is structured for completion in less than two years. An entry-level master’s is designed to prepare students with the knowledge and competencies needed for the NCLEX-RN examination to become a professional nurse.
An accredited MENP program prepares you with the knowledge and clinical skills assessment that make up the nursing entry-level National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) exam.
2. Apply for Licensure in Your State
Timeline: approximately 2 to 8 weeks, depending on your state.
Nurses are licensed by a board of nursing, and requirements vary by state. Follow the application process for your state to begin the licensing process and register for the NCLEX-RN exam. Along with your state application, you will register with Pearson VUE, the organization that administers the NCLEX.
When you have completed the application process for your state, the nursing board will issue an Authorization to Test (ATT).
3. Pass the NCLEX-RN Exam
Timeline: From the date you receive your Authorization to Test, approximately 30 to 90 days until your testing date.
After passing the NCLEX-RN exam and obtaining RN licensure in your state, you are ready to begin practice as an RN while you pursue specialization as a Clinical Nurse Specialist.
If your master’s program included Clinical Nurse Leader content, you may choose to take the Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) certification exam to qualify for leadership roles before becoming a CNS. Becoming a CNS will require additional graduate-level education and certification as an advanced practice nurse (APRN).
4. Earn Post-Graduate CNS Certification
Timeline: approximately 12 to 18 months, depending on the courses you need.
Building on the foundation of your master’s degree, a post-graduate certificate equips you with advanced education in your population focus.
For this step, you will enroll in a post-graduate CNS certificate program in your choice of population specialization. The program must be accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) or the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).
Before enrolling in a certificate program, the school will conduct a “gap analysis” to determine which courses you will need for your specialization.
After completing your coursework and required clinical practice in your population focus, you will be ready for examination and credentialing. The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) Certification Corporation offer certifications for clinical nurse specialists.
ANCC offers an Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist Certification (AGCNS-BC™).
AACN options currently include these certifications for acute or critical care:
- ACCNS-AG (Adult-Gero.)
- ACCNS-P (Pediatric)
- ACCNS-N (Neonatal)
- CCNS (Adult)
- CCNS (Pediatric)
- CCNS (Neonatal)
5. Obtain APRN Licensure in Your State
Timeline: approximately 1 to 12 weeks, depending on your state
When you have achieved certification, the final step is advanced practice licensure, giving you the legal right to practice in your state. Like RN licensure, APRN licensure requirements vary by state nursing board. In addition to your license, you will need state and federal registrations for prescribing medications.
At this point, you will be ready to launch as a Clinical Nurse Specialist.
Take Your First Step with an MENP from Elmhurst
With the Elmhurst University Master’s Entry in Nursing Practice (MENP) degree, you’ll build the foundation for your career goals as an advanced practice nurse.
Elmhurst’s (MENP) program is the first of its kind in the country to be offered online. Hands-on clinical practice includes an immersive residency featuring faculty-led scenarios in our innovative Simulation Lab. With exceptional skills, Elmhurst MENP graduates have a 100% NCLEX-RN pass rate.
Now that you know how to become a Clinical Nurse Specialist, you’re ready to take the first step. If you already have a bachelor’s degree, you can complete your CNS pathway in less than three years.
If your career interest is direct patient care and you are not ready to invest three years in becoming a CNS, there are many other nursing pathways that do not require graduate-level education. Projections show an increase of 200,000 new RN jobs each year. If you already have a bachelor’s degree in any field, you can complete Elmhurst’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) degree in as little as 16 months.
Connect with an enrollment advisor to explore which pathway is right for you.
