Clinical Nurse Leader:Changing Role of Nurse




by John Roney


Pursuing a degree in Nursing can be a very challenging ordeal. First off a Master's in anything takes up a lot of study time to begin with and it is even tougher while having a full time job. The majority of the people who do go to obtain a masters are people who already have experience in the field and who are looking to further their education. These people pursue this higher educational degree to move into management roles or positions with more autonomy.

There are a few different stages of nursedom, if you're unfamiliar. Someone with a diploma and little else who wants to get into the field joins as a CNA -- Certified Nursing Assistant. If you start as a CNA or you're just going into college for nursing, you can opt to become an LPN, a Licensed Practical Nurse, or an RN: a Registered Nurse. CNAs take the required courses in a hospital; college-bound nurses will generally spend some time taking LPN courses at school and other times, they'll be receiving "real-world" LPN training at a hospital. At that point, there are hundreds of specialties that a nurse can get into, from the generic Clinical Nursing Leader (CNL) to the ultra-specific (and very high-earning) Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, who earns on average more than a hundred thousand dollars a year.

In the Master of Science in Nursing field there are three specializations to choose from based upon your career interests: Clinical Nurse Leader: The clinical nurse leader program focuses on all of the skills and preparation of turning an individual into a leader of such. These leaders evaluate patient outcomes, access risks, and coordinate with other health care professionals to ensure quality care. Pursuing this program will lead you into the right direction for giving you the material and knowledge you need to pass the American Association of Colleges of Nursing CNL Certificate Exam.

Clinical management is closely related to leadership theories and it is important for the nurse to develop adequate leadership skills to effectively perform clinical duties (Booth and Davies, 1991). The differences between the role of the health visitor, nurse and midwife in general practice have been studied. Social and healthcare policy and guidelines on clinical governance suggest a multidisciplinary collaborative working approach for effective clinical management (Papers4you.com, 2006). Collaborative teamwork, holistic psychosocial treatment and proper allocation of clinical resources are some of the issues that are very important within intensive care units and for care of emergency patients. The ethical and legal responsibilities of a nurse practitioner and the medical team in general are largely guided by not just clinical guidelines set by the Department of Health but also by a team of dedicated health professionals within the clinical setting.

Once you've found the right classes for you -- the ones that meet your fiscal and temporal constraints and offer the classes you most want -- it's easy. Sign up, dedicate yourself to getting through the classes efficiently, and before you know it, you'll be exactly where you wanted to be!




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