Are you ready for more autonomy and specialization in your nursing practice? Do you enjoy working directly with patients? It may be that you’re ready to pursue an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) role.

According to the Consensus Model for APRN Regulation, these roles include:

Certified Nurse Anesthetist (CNA)
Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM)
Certified Nurse Specialist (CNS)
Certified Nurse Practitioner (CNP)
If you’ve narrowed down your choices to CNS and CNP, how do you choose which of these roles is best for you? You’ll be investing significant time and financial resources to achieve your goal, so this is an important decision.

So how do you ensure that your career choice will be professionally fulfilling and financially rewarding in the long run?

The information below can get you started on your fact-seeking journey. Learning more about your local healthcare milieu can open your eyes to potentially new opportunities.

Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs)
Clinical nurse specialists provide an advanced level of care in hospitals and other clinical locations. They strive to improve healthcare through evidence-based practice at the individual patient and systems levels.

CNSs provide clinical expertise, leadership in nursing practice, and systems innovation in hospital, community, outpatient, and long-term care settings. Their responsibilities may also include diagnosis and treatment, health promotion, disease management, prevention, and risk reduction.