[Clinical nurse-specialist: the ideal ... and reality]

Nursing practice carries very high emotional cost consequences which are sometimes difficult if not impossible to handle. The more exposed nurses have become to theories of nursing and the need for individualized care, the weaker and more ill-defined have become their coping and protective devices. In shaking off the paternalist hand of medicine, the protection it provided has gone with it, and little has been done to replace it from within nursing itself. Therefore a Clinical Nurse Specialist is needed to stimulate growth through interaction in a safe and stimulating relationship based on openness and trust. The CNS can be a mentor, inspirer, investor and supporter--a model of effective nursing practice. The ability to reduce stress through individual insight and self awareness may be the best method for nurses to lead more fulfilling lifestyles. A system providing for CNS in nursing may be the vehicle for providing this.