clinical nurse specialist

nurse (nurs)

1. one who is especially prepared in the scientific basis of nursing and who meets certain prescribed standards of education and clinical competence.

2. to provide services essential to or helpful in the promotion, maintenance, and restoration of health and well-being.

3. to breast-feed an infant.

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clinical nurse specialist  a registered nurse with a high degree of knowledge, skill, and competence in a specialized area of nursing, and usually having a master's degree in nursing.

community nurse  in Great Britain, a public health nurse.

community health nurse  public health n.

district nurse  community n.

general duty nurse  a registered nurse, usually one who has not undergone training beyond the basic nursing program, who sees to the general nursing care of patients in a hospital or other health agency.

graduate nurse  a graduate of a school of nursing; often used to designate one who has not been registered or licensed.

licensed practical nurse  a graduate of a school of practical nursing whose qualifications have been examined by a state board of nursing and who has been legally authorized to practice as a licensed practical or vocational nurse (L.P.N. or L.V.N.), under supervision of a physician or registered nurse.

licensed vocational nurse  see licensed practical n.

nurse practitioner  a registered nurse with advanced education and clinical training within a specialty area.

private nurse , private duty nurse one who attends an individual patient, usually on a fee-for-service basis, and who may specialize in a specific class of diseases.

probationer nurse  a person who has entered a school of nursing and is under observation to determine fitness for the nursing profession; applied principally to nursing students enrolled in hospital schools of nursing.

public health nurse  an especially prepared registered nurse employed in a community agency to safeguard the health of persons in the community, giving care to the sick in their homes, promoting health and well-being by teaching families how to keep well, and assisting in programs for the prevention of disease.

Queen's nurse  in Great Britain, a district nurse who has been trained at or in accordance with the regulations of the Queen Victoria Jubilee Institute for Nurses.

registered nurse  a graduate nurse who has been legally authorized (registered) to practice after examination by a state board of nurse examiners or similar regulatory authority, and who is legally entitled to use the designation RN.

scrub nurse  one who directly assists the surgeon in the operating room.

nurse specialist  clinical n. specialist.

visiting nurse  public health n.

wet nurse  a woman who breast-feeds the infant of another.

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specialist /spe·cial·ist/ (spesh´ah-list) a physician whose practice is limited to a particular branch of medicine or surgery, especially one who, by virture of advanced training, is certified by a specialty board as being qualified to so limit it.

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clinical nurse specialist , nurse specialist see under nurse.

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clinical nurse specialist

n.

A nurse who has advanced knowledge and competence in a particular area of nursing practice, such as in cardiology, oncology, or psychiatry.

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clinical nurse specialist (CNS),

a registered nurse who holds a master's degree in nursing and who has acquired advanced knowledge and clinical skills in a specific area of nursing practice. The CNS, as a practitioner, assumes a leadership role in the distribution of clinical care to a specific patient population while interacting within the total health care system. The unique functions of the CNS are based on clinical expertise and judgment and include caring for patients, delegating responsibility, teaching other staff members, and influencing and effecting change with respect to the needs of the patient and family and the total health care system. Historically, CNS has included research involvement.

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clinical nurse specialist

A registered nurse with an advanced degree in a particular area of Pt care–eg, neurosurgery nurse specialist