Adult Health Clinical Nurse Specialist

Faculty Coordinators:

Cynthia Peden-McAlpine, Ph.D., RN
612-624-0449 or peden001@umn.edu
or
Donna Bliss, Ph.D., RN
612-624-1425 or bliss@umn.edu

Specialty Area Information:

Students in the Adult Health Clinical Nurse Specialist (AHCNS) area of study take the required Disciplinary Core courses in nursing theory, ethics and research. Students are also required to complete the Advanced Nursing Core courses that include advanced health assessment, roles and issues and health care delivery systems in addition to specialty core courses. Specialty core courses in adult health prepare the student for advanced nursing practice as an Adult Clinical Nurse Specialist. Students learn advanced assessment, intervention and evaluation strategies to fulfill role responsibilities in advanced practice with adults that include: advanced clinical practice, teaching, consulting, research utilization, and administration.

Students work with faculty to select coursework and clinical experiences of interest to them in meeting learning objectives of the program. These experiences can address the health needs across the adult life span including those of older adults. The AHCNS area of study includes approximately 500 hours of clinical experience. Students are supervised in clinical practica by advanced practice nurse preceptors and faculty.

Adult Health Clinical Nurse Specialists work as collaborative members of the health care team in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Some Adult Health Clinical Nurse Specialists specialize in areas such as cardiovascular, neurological, or critical care nursing. The Adult Health Clinical Nurse Specialist functions as a clinical expert in the assessment, intervention and evaluation of nursing care and consults on complex patient care issues. AHCNSs provide staff, patient and family education and develop and/or coordinate patient care programs. AHCNSs also identify clinical research opportunities, and utilize research findings to improve nursing care.

Completion of required AHCNS coursework and required clinical practice hours provides eligibility to sit for the Medical-Surgical or Critical Care Clinical Nurse Specialist Certification through the American Nurses Credentialing Center, depending on the student's program and clinical placements.

For more information, please contact the Office of Student Services.

A list of required courses are available here. (Note: You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to access this information. This free software can be downloaded via this link.)