FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Three clinical nurse specialists who earned master’s degrees in nursing from the University of Arkansas are advancing nursing practice by providing inter-professional, systemwide leadership.

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing at the university is celebrating the work of clinical nurse specialists the week of Sept. 1-7 as part of an effort by the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists to acknowledge the influence of approximately 72,000 clinical nurse specialists across the nation. Faculty will honor graduates of the program at a recognition and recruitment booth at Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday Sept. 2. According to the university, clinical nurse specialists create, monitor and evaluate cost-effective, evidence-based policies, procedures, protocols and best practice models.

For example, at Washington Regional Medical Systems, the Rapid Response Team was a project led by Sheryl Davis, MSN, and Gina Dickey, MSN, who were students in the 2005 charter class of CNS students at the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing. Their project continues to save lives through early recognition and management of changing patient conditions.

Since graduation from the University of Arkansas in 2007 and national certification as a clinical nurse specialist, Kim Fancher-Gonzalez, MSN, has developed and implemented a summer internship for student nurses, streamlined orientation of new nurses in medical-surgical areas and developed chemotherapy certification for experienced nurses at Washington Regional Medical Center.

Efforts such as these can help with recruitment of new nurses and retention of experienced nurses.

When Hildegard Peplau published her landmark work in 1952 titled Interpersonal Relations in Nursing, little did she know the impact her work would make on today’s complex health delivery system in the United States.

Recognized as the founding mother of the clinical nurse specialist role, Peplau, RN, Ed.D., introduced her revolutionary theory emphasizing the need for a partnership between nurse and patient as opposed to the patient passively receiving treatment and the nurse passively acting out doctor’s orders. Peplau eventually established the first nursing master’s degree program at Rutgers University School of Nursing, with a focus exclusively on clinical practice.

Although Peplau died at age 89, the celebration coincides with her 100^th birthday. Plans are to make the celebration an annual event.

Safety and quality initiatives are foundational to clinical nurse specialists’ influence on patient outcomes, nursing performance and practice standards, and health-care organization goals. WRMS’ Chief of Nursing Claudia Williams said, “Our health system would not function well without our CNSs. We have come to depend on their expertise and ability to see the big picture. They not only have the skill set to help improve care at the bedside through evidence-based practice, they also contribute to systemwide improvements and change. Their leadership will be essential as we take on the challenges that are presented through improved outcomes and cost-efficiency demands, as well as health-care reform.”

Williams said that, while clinical nurse specialists are experts in various specialty areas of practice, they also cross other nursing specialties and interact widely with other disciplines in the hospital. They are prepared with advanced degrees, either a master’s degree or doctorate.  “We think of CNSs as leaders who drive innovation in a complex environment,” Williams said.

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing offers an online master of science in nursing program to prepare clinical nurse specialists. Graduates are eligible for national certification as a clinical nurse specialist in adult health and licensure as advance practice nurses. According to Kathleen Barta, associate professor and graduate program coordinator, “Many of our past graduates provide leadership in advanced nursing care to people throughout northwest Arkansas. They serve as mentors for both graduate students and undergraduate honors students. The collaboration provides students with first-hand experience in promoting evidence-based practice to improve patient outcomes.”

Currently, there are 18 students enrolled in the online program offered through the University of Arkansas Global Campus. The program is accredited by the Commission for Collegiate Nursing Education.

The National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists, founded in 1995, exists to enhance and promote the unique, high value contribution of the clinical nurse specialist to the health and well-being of individuals, families, groups and communities, and to promote and advance the practice of nursing. Members of the association benefit from national, regional and local efforts of the association to make the contribution of clinical nurse specialists more visible.