A description of clinical nurse specialist programs in the United States

Changes have occurred in clinical nurse specialist educational requirements in recent years, and it is not known how programs have responded. The purpose of this descriptive survey was to identify the number of clinical nurse specialist programs in the United States, describe curricula, and examine enrollment and employment trends. This report contains data from 157 separate clinical nurse specialist programs/majors representing 139 different schools. The mean number of credit hours for semester- and quarter-based programs was 41.4 and 52.2, respectively. The mean number of clinical/practical clock hours was 416.2. Approximately half of the respondents (56%) used the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists to guide curricula. Nearly 66% of the programs had from 1 to 10 applicants during the previous year. The majority (68%) indicated that their graduates do not have difficulty finding employment after graduating. These findings indicate that efforts to revise curricula and clarify the CNS role must continue.