The Roles of Advanced Practice Nurses at Cedars-Sinai
Advanced practice nurses are a vital part of the expert care given to patients at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
With advanced training in highly specialized areas, advanced practice nurses are able to care for patients with complex conditions who have under gone sensitive and highly technical procedures.
More than 200 men and women have participated in internship training programs supported by the Nursing Institute in many specialty areas, including:
- Acute care
- Care for specific populations such as seniors, children and adults
- Critical care
- Emergency care
- Neonatal care
- Nurse midwifery
- Oncology
- Operating room subspecialties
What Is Advanced Practice Nursing?
The term advanced practice nurse refers to registered nurses who have gained advanced preparation for expanded clinical practice by earning a master's degree in nursing. Their specific training and skills make them different than other registered nurses.
Advanced practice nurses include nurse practitioners (NPs), clinical nurse specialists (CNSs), nurse anesthetists (CNAs) and certified nurse-midwives (CNMs).
Nurse Practitioners
A nurse practitioner provides direct care to a specific population of patients. These groups of people may be adults, seniors, children or neonates.
Nurse practitioners diagnose and manage common acute and stable chronic health problems. In addition to their traditional registered nursing skills, nurse practitioners can perform comprehensive physical examinations, order and interpret diagnostic tests, request specialty consultations, perform and prescribe therapeutic measures and furnish medications.
A nurse practitioner may be involved with health promotion and disease prevention as well as patient and family education.
Nurse practitioners are individually accountable for their practice. They collaborate closely with physicians.
A nurse preparing to become a nurse practitioner must complete courses related to the direct care of individuals, including differential diagnosis, clinical decision-making, medical therapeutics and pharmacology.
Nurse practitioner students also must complete more than 500 hours of clinical practice under the close supervision of experienced nurse practitioners and physicians.
After they graduate, a nurse practictioner must take national certification exams. In most cases, they must also be specially licensed by the state in which they practice.
Clinical Nurse Specialist
A clinical nurse specialist is an expert in clinical nursing who is familiar with the theory and research related to a nursing specialty areas.
Traditionally, a clinical nurse specialist provides direct clinical care to patients as well as education, research, consultation and management.
Clinical nurse specialists are prepared by experience and education to manage the complexities of healthcare delivery systems.
Posts that a clinical nurse specialist might hold include being a case manager, a nurse educator, a quality improvement manager or a community education specialist.
Nurses preparing to become clinical nurse specialists take course such as pathophysiology, advanced health assessment and critique and application of research. They also complete courses in management of clinical care systems, including systems management, teaching and learning theories, performance and quality improvement and managing change.
