Eager to Earn an Advanced Practice Degree? Duquesne's Remote Clinical Nurse Specialist Cert Delivers Quick Results
Acute Care a Popular Nursing Specialization
If you've already earned a Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN) and it provided you no specific concentration, or a specialty you may have outgrown, Duquesne University's Graduate Certificate Program offers professional nurses the chance to study an ultra-specialized curriculum, online. MSN RNs may choose from one of seven certificate programs, including the Acute Care Clinical Nurse Specialist.
As healthcare expands and becomes more specialized, advanced practice nurses are filling roles as decision makers and highly trained care providers.
Role of Acute Care Clinical Nurse Specialist
While the job of a Nurse Practitioner may be quite well known, that of Clinical Nurse Specialist is less familiar. CNSs are trained to deliver the same level of advanced clinical patient care as a NP. CNSs, however, receive further training in nursing administration and healthcare management. This expansion of the clinical nurse's focus is intended to zip up gaps in the healthcare system and engage nurses in a more synergistic model of care. In a nutshell, Acute Care CNSs are required to practice nursing that balances patient care of the chronically ill population, with cost effectiveness and integrative healthcare. Finally, Acute Care CNSs are expected to provide care plans that significantly improve patient outcomes for the chronically ill population and offer relief for family and caregivers.
Curriculum
Nurses in the Duquesne University online certificate program are required to have valid RN licensure and hold a Masters of Science in Nursing degree. The Acute Care CNS online curriculum is weighted on nurse-patient and nurse-nurse synergy models as they support today's advanced practice nursing paradigms. The nursing synergy model emphasizes advanced clinical care that fits the needs of the patient to the care plan, including individual healthcare providers, therapies, patient assessments, and the final care outcomes. Within these concepts CNSs must remain sensitive to social, economic, and cultural differences as they relate to individual patient care.
DU graduate tuition is between $700 and $800 per credit. The Commission for Collegiate Nursing Education accredits the DU Nursing School programs.
Advanced practice nurses that complete the Acute Care CNS certificate program are prepared to take their practice to more diverse healthcare settings: acute care hospital units, ambulatory clinics, long-term care facilities, and private office-based practice.