Adult Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist
This post-master’s certificate option is available for nurses who hold a Master of Science in Nursing degree.
The track for a clinical nurse specialist prepares a professional for overseeing nursing care for a group of well or ill clients in hospitals, homes, and primary care settings, acting as a program director in some positions. Two major areas of responsibility include direct and indirect patient care. This nurse moves in and out of direct care situations when expert skill and knowledge are required. The clinical nurse specialist is accountable to patients, advocates for them, and evaluates the quality of nursing services. In indirect care, this nurse’s responsibility is primarily to a nursing staff, serving as a consultant, bringing expert clinical knowledge to health care providers on a system-wide basis, and applying current research findings to patient care. This nurse’s expertise contributes greatly to the plan of care for patients.
This track requires a total of 512 clinical hours. The clinical experiences are in NUR 625 and NUR 626.
The curriculum for clinical nurse specialists in adult health and illness is presented in a Hybrid/Web assisted format offering the convenience of distance education along with selected on-campus classes within each course.
Advanced Core Courses
NUR 512 Introduction to Nursing Informatics
NUR 616 Advanced Health Assessment
NUR 617 Advanced Pharmacology
NUR 618 Advanced Pathophysiology
Clinical Nurse Specialist Track Courses
NUR 620 Biopsychosocial Processes I
NUR 621 Biopsychosocial Processes II
NUR 625 Field Study in Adult Health and Illness I (256 hrs.)
NUR 626 Field Study in Adult Health and Illness II (256 hrs.)
Course Credits – Clinical Nurse Specialist (AHI)
Course Number
Credits
Track
NUR 616
3 Credits
Advanced Core
NUR 617
3 Credits
Advanced Core
NUR 618
3 Credits
Advanced Core
NUR 623
3 Credits
AHI Track
NUR 624
3 Credits
AHI Track
NUR 625
4 Credits
AHI Track
NUR 626
4 Credits
AHI Track
Total 23 Credits
