Clinical nurse specialist: a facilitator for clinical research

The role of the clinical nurse specialist is continuing to expand to include participation in clinical research. There is, however, a lack of clinical researchers available to conduct nursing research. A clinical nurse specialist with a joint appointment between a clinical and an academic setting can facilitate clinical research through collaboration. Such collaborative efforts can result in improved patient care and nursing practice. This article describes several major collaborative models used to join the academic and practice settings and discusses their strengths and weaknesses. It also describes in detail a collaborative approach in which the clinical nurse specialist play a more pivotal role by acting as a facilitator for the collaboration. We discuss the formation of the collaborative team, the roles of the participants, and the research plan of the team. Suggestions for implementing this model in other settings are offered.