Students entering the CNS option have an opportunity to focus their learning in the following areas: Acute & Critical Care; Palliative Care; and/or Gerontological Nursing. Additional classes in Advanced Oncology Nursing and Emergent Care are offered periodically for elective credit.
The CNS specialty classes are offered in a variety of formats. All of the graduate core and most of the advanced practice core courses are offered online. The CNS specialty classes have been primarily offered in a blended, intensive format incorporating online learning, in addition to face-to-face classroom experiences at scheduled intervals (e.g., 2 days/month). Some classes may be offered using a traditional classroom format (e.g., one day/week).
Over 500 hours of clinical practice are provided with qualified preceptors in the student’s choice of clinical specialty. Areas of clinical specialty may include acute care; critical care; care of the older adult; palliative care; emergency/trauma; cardiopulmonary; neuroscience; etc. During the Fall and Spring semesters, mandatory CNS Seminars are held once a month to allow networking with other CNS students, discussion of professional issues and role concepts, and to share clinical experiences. Seminar hours are included in the total number of required clinical hours.
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Faculty
Faculty are one of the cornerstones of any program. They provide direction for the curriculum, incorporate their research endeavors into their teaching, provide guidance to learners, serve as mentors and create innovative learning opportunities. We are fortunate at the University of Colorado Denver, College of Nursing to have many faculty involved with our program. We have a cadre of extremely well qualified faculty who teach, conduct research, and serve as preceptors and mentors for our CNS students. Our faculty are located in Colorado and the United States and. Our faculty are extremely committed to the discipline of nursing, and serve on many national and international boards and are leaders in several professional organizations.
Cathy J. Thompson, PhD, RN, CNS
Associate Professor
Clinical Nurse Specialist Option Coordinator
CNS Advisor (Acute & Critical Care students) cathy.thompson@uchsc.edu
Dr. Thompson is on the Editorial Boards of Critical Care Nursing Clinics http://www.theclinics.com/ and The Internet Journal of Advanced Nursing Practice http://www.ispub.com/ostia/index.php?xmlFilePath=journals/ijanp/front.xml
Paula Nelson-Marten, PhD, RN, AOCN
Associate Professor
CNS Advisor (Palliative Care and Oncology students)
paula.nelson-marten@uchsc.edu
Linda Krebs, PhD, RN, AOCN
Associate Professor
CNS Advisor (Oncology students)
linda.krebs@uchsc.edu
Ellyn Matthews, PhD, RN, AOCN
Assistant Professor
CNS Advisor (Oncology students)
ellyn.matthews@uchsc.edu
JoAnn Congdon, PhD, RN, FAAN
Professor and Division Chair, Health, Outcomes, Populations, and Environment (HOPE)
CNS Advisor (Gerontological Nursing students) joann.congdon@uchsc.edu
Career Info
The Adult CNS typically works in a hospital setting, but can also work with outpatient populations, such as in a specialty practice or clinic, and in community practice settings.
Professional nursing organizations that are of interest to CNSs include:
www.nacns.org
The American Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS)
www.aacn.org
The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN)
www.ons.org
Oncology Nursing Society
www.ena.org
Emergency Nurses Association
www.nho.org
National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
www.geron.org
The Gerontological Society of America
http://www.ngna.org
National Gerontological Nursing Association
www.asaging.org/
American Society on Aging
Also check out Critical Care Nursing Clinics at http://www.theclinics.com/
Dr. Thompson is on the Editorial Board.
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FAQs
How long will it take to complete the Clinical Nurse Specialist program? The CNS program is a 43 semester hour program. This includes the 12 credits of clinical. Most students successfully complete the program in 2 to 3 years by taking 7 to 9 credits in the fall and spring semesters and 3 to 6 credits in the summer. The program must be completed in 5 years.
Will I be required to do any clinical experiences? Yes, a minimum of 500 hours of educationally supervised clinical experiences are required to be eligible to sit for ANCC, AACN, or Palliative Care certification as a CNS. Our program requires 540 hours (12 credits); CNS seminar hours are counted for some of these clinical hours.
Advanced Practicum is associated with each of the CNS specialty knowledge courses. Students perform clinical hours in each of the CNS subroles: clinical expert, educator, researcher, leader/manager, and consultant/collaborator. Students write objectives for each clinical experience and mutually decide, with the faculty member supervising the clinical practicum, on the number of clinical hours to perform in each of the CNS subroles. A Change Project in the clinical setting is completed by all matriculated CNS students.
Is the CNS program offered completely on-line or in-class? Over two thirds of the didactic courses are offered in both an online and in class format which alternate semester to semester. Your academic advisor will work with you to develop a program plan to meet your individual needs and learning preferences. Nurse Practitioner students can utilize face-to-face interactions and limit travel time by attending classes in an intensive format involving 3-4 days (between semesters) on campus, with online follow-up during the semester. Online supervision may be available for students completing clinical requirements located out of the Denver-metro area.
Will I be required to come to Colorado? Yes, although we have many distance learning options some courses must be completed on-campus.
Will I have to do the clinical in Colorado? No, you do not have to come to Colorado for your practicum and you can be licensed in your current state. We will work with you to arrange the clinicals with qualified preceptors in your local community. All preceptors have to be approved by CNS faculty and a current resume is required to be on file.
What are the requirements for CNS preceptors? Preceptors will vary with the type of clinical experience you are seeking. Preceptors suitable for CNS clinical experiences include advanced practice nurses (APNs) (i.e., CNS or NP), physicians, and allied health professionals (e.g., respiratory therapy, nutrition, etc.). The majority of your hours should be completed with CNSs. We maintain a list of qualified preceptors in the Denver metro and surrounding areas.
Will this program prepare me to sit for the ANCC certification as a CNS? Yes, our courses provide you with the knowledge and skills to take the ANCC certification exam as a CNS-Med-Surg, or for the Critical Care CNS credential (CCNS) through AACN (www.aacn.org), or for certification as a Palliative Care CNS.
I have a Master's Degree as a CNS, however did not have 500 hours of educationally supervised clinical and now I want to sit for CNS certification. How can I get the remaining hours I need to meet this new requirement? We have started a CNS Clinical Certificate that we will offer through the Office of Professional Development and Extended Studies. This program will allow the master's prepared CNS to complete the hours they need for certification in an educational setting.
The ANCC deadline for making up the clinical hours needed to sit for the CNS exams is January 1, 2006. The requirement for the AACN CCNS credential states that, "until July 1, 2006 hours [not meeting the current requirement of 500 hours in direct clinical practice within the master’s program] may also be earned as a transcripted clinical practicum" from AACN certification section.
Set up an appointment with the CNS Option Coordinator, Dr. Cathy Thompson, to discuss this opportunity: cathy.thompson@uchsc.edu . Future information is available on the Office of Professional Development and Extended Studies web site.
Can I take a course before I apply? Yes, you may take up to 12 semester credits as a non-degree student prior to being accepted to the program. You must meet all prerequisite requirements of the course. Non-degree students register on a space available basis during open enrollment just prior to the beginning of the semester. Students enrolled as non-degree seeking are not eligible for financial aid. Please see the Office of Professional Development for more information.
Are there other options for persons who do not have a BS in Nursing or BSN? Yes there are options, for those who are RNs with a BS/BA degree in other field or significant coursework completed toward a bachelor’s degree. You can find out more about the RN to Masters Program by going to the College of Nursing RN to Master of Science link.
Can I talk to a graduate of your program? Yes. Please email the Clinical Nurse Specialist office and indicate what you are interested in doing with your degree and you will be matched with a graduate. The graduate will then email or call you to discuss the program.
Where do graduates of your program work? CNSs work primarily in hospitals, but may also work in corporations, educational institutions, and in public health. Our graduates are prepared to work in institutional facilities such as a specialty clinics or an ambulatory center, or for work with vendor organizations.
What type of jobs are currently available for a clinical nurse specialist? The NACNS web site is helpful to give you an idea of what jobs are currently available, job descriptions, salaries, etc. www.nacns.org.
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