Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS) are licensed registered nurses who have graduate preparation (Master’s or Doctorate) in nursing as a Clinical Nurse Specialist.

Clinical Nurse Specialists are expert clinicians in a specialized are of nursing practice.  The specialty may be identified in terms of:

• A Population (e.g. pediatrics, geriatrics, women’s health)
• A Setting (e.g. critical care, emergency room)
• A Disease or Medical Subspecialty (e.g. diabetes, oncology)
• A Type of Care (e.g. psychiatric, rehabilitation)
• A Type of Problem (e.g. pain, wounds, stress) 

In addition to providing direct patient care, Clinical Nurse Specialists influence care outcomes by providing expert consultation for nursing staffs and by implementing improvements in health care delivery systems.

Clinical Nurse Specialist practice integrates nursing practice, which focuses on assisting patients in the prevention or resolution of illness, with medical diagnosis and treatment of disease, injury and disability.