A clinical nurse leader is an RN who supervises small teams and programs. Clinical nurse leaders usually have a master’s degree in nursing from an accredited program that has been approved by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). These degree programs will include the AACN’s approved Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) curriculum. Most clinical nurse leaders have three to five years of clinical experience, so they are expected to be skillful communicators, problem solvers and evidence-based practitioners.
Education
Clinical nurse leaders may primarily be educators who play key roles in the development of new staff nurses. These clinical nurse leaders will focus on modeling and teaching critical thinking, time management and duty prioritization skills. They will play a key role in the development of newly hired RNs by establishing standards of nursing performance through orientations, staff training and one-on-one mentoring in assigned clinical areas. These nurses will coach, direct, support and evaluate newly arrived nurses following established protocols and using standard performance forms.
They may provide educational support for experienced RN’s educational needs and career goals. Clinical nurse leaders who are educators will provide direct clinical training for the ongoing compliance needs of assigned clinical areas. They must be able to function independently while assisting in clinical emergencies as needed. They must have the ability to be flexible based on staff schedules, clinical priorities and the needs of patients.
Clinical Specialists
Clinical nurse leaders may specialize in certain areas or be assigned to specific departments. They may direct the delivery of care to high risk patients with diverse mental, health, social and functional problems. These clinical nurse leaders must have excellent collaboration, self-management and patient engagement skills. They may be central members of patients’ multidisciplinary health care teams. This means that they identify and engage patients with a focus on improving patient experiences, operational efficiency and cost management. They may be responsible for the care coordination of challenging patients, so they will organize care activities to facilitate the optimal delivery of health care services. Organizing care for priority patients involves a collaborative process of planning, assessment, facilitation and advocacy for options and alternatives to meet a patient’s specific health goals and needs. Clinical supervisors must coordinate the effective exchange of information between all care team participants.
Clinical Operations
The most common type of clinical nurse leader will be responsible for working with peers and patients to identify strengths and care barriers in order to develop individualized, patient-centered care plans. These clinical nurse leaders will personally execute these plans with staff. This means that they will perform care assessments and risk stratification for assigned patients. They will oversee the assessment of the patient’s medical, educational, functional and psychosocial background. Hands-on clinical nurse leaders will coordinate and collaborate with primary care teams by monitoring adherence to treatment plans, self-monitoring reports and staff schedules. They maintain all required documentation of nursing activities and provide consistent communication to patient and family. These clinical nurse leaders will advocate for available services and help patients seek specialty referrals. They facilitate interdisciplinary consultations on their patients’ behalf through rounds, clinical reviews and team meetings.
Related Resource: What is a Nurse Advocate?
Finally, some clinical nurse leaders are administrators who supervise office staff, provide direction to nursing leaders and monitor nurse and nursing assistant assignments. They ensure the highest levels of care quality through facility policies, monitoring staff performance and unscheduled, informal rounds.
