Clinical Nurse Leader Graduate Program (CNL)

WHAT IS A CLINICAL NURSE LEADER?
The Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) Program is a response to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing identification and description of a new role for nurses who want to stay patient care focused. The CNL is a master's prepared generalist who functions on a unit by providing care at the point of care to patients, individuals, families and communities.

WHAT DOES A CNL DO?
The CNL's role is not one of administration or management. The CNL provides and manages care at the point of care to individuals, clinical populations, and communities. The role of the CNL encompasses the following broad areas:

• Clinician: designer, coordinator, and evaluator of care to individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations. The CNL provides care to individuals across the life span with particular emphasis on health promotion and risk reduction services.



• Outcomes manager: synthesizes data, information, and knowledge to evaluate and achieve optimal client outcomes.



• Client advocate: adept at ensuring that clients, families, and communities are well informed and included in care planning.



• Educator: uses appropriate teaching principles and strategies to teach clients, groups, and other healthcare professionals.



• Information manager: able to use information systems and technology that put knowledge at the point of care to improve healthcare outcomes.



• Systems analyst/risk anticipator: able to participate in systems review to improve quality of client care delivery, and anticipate risks to client safety with the aim of preventing medical error.



• Team manager: able to properly delegate and manage the nursing team resources (human and fiscal) and serve as a leader and partner in the interdisciplinary healthcare team.

WHERE DOES A CNL WORK?
Implementation of this role will vary across settings, but it is not an administration or management function. The CNL is a direct clinical leadership position across all settings in which healthcare is delivered, not just the acute care setting.

You can learn more about the CNL program at the AACN Web site, http://www.aacn.nche.edu/CNL/index.htm

Program of Study

Program Director/Contact:
Diane Kelly, DrPH, MBA, RN
diane.kelly@nurs.utah.edu
801.581.8245

Page update: 11/29/2005