Clinical Nurse Leader Program
Overview
Curriculum
Course Progression to the Immersion Experience
Careers
Admission Criteria
What to Expect
Overview
The national Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) initiative offers an exciting new option for experienced registered nurses who want to stay clinically focused and, at the same time, advance in their careers. Nationally, the CNL is the largest single effort addressing both quality patient care and the level of education among nurses in direct-care roles. The CNL graduate is prepared to direct patient care at the unit level in a variety of health care settings. The effectiveness of the CNL hinges on a highly integrated scope of practice including evaluating patient care, facilitating team performance, and putting evidence-based practice into action to improve patient safety, health outcomes, and organizational systems.
Currently 91 Schools of Nursing in the nation are partnering with over 189 health care organizations to develop the CNL role. The University of Rochester School of Nursing is among the first schools selected to develop the CNL program in conjunction with our organizational partners. The academic/organizational partnership is key to assuring design of a practice model that assures the CNL will be supported in practice. Our organization partners are Strong Health (Strong Memorial and Highland Hospitals) and Rochester General Hospital.
The CNL is not an administrative or advanced practice nursing role. Learning in the program is focused on improving patient care at the point of care delivery. Graduates earn an MS in nursing and are eligible to take the CNL national certification exam being developed by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
Curriculum
The CNL curriculum is based on the national model curriculum proposed by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The CNL curriculum builds upon baccalaureate nursing knowledge and work experience. The three foci of the curriculum are (1) nursing leadership, (2) clinical outcomes management, and (3) care environment management. At the conclusion of the program graduates are prepared to:
- Effect change through advocacy for the profession, interdisciplinary health care team, and the client
- Communicate effectively to achieve quality client outcomes and lateral integration of care of a cohort of patients
- Actively pursue new knowledge and skills as the CNL role, needs of patients, and the health care system evolve
- Properly delegate and utilize the nursing team resources (human and fiscal) and serves as a leaders and partner in the interdisciplinary health care team
- Identify clinical and cost outcomes the improve safety, effectiveness, timeliness, efficiency, quality, and the degree to which they are client-centered
- Uses information systems and technology at the point of care delivery to improve health care outcomes
- Participate in systems review to critically evaluate and anticipate risks to client safety to improve quality of patient care delivery
- Assume accountability for health care outcomes for a specific group of clients within a unit or setting recognized the influence of the meso- and macro-system on the micro-system
- Assimilate and apply research-based information to design, implement, and evaluate patient plans of care
- Synthesize data, information, and knowledge to evaluate and achieve optimal client and care environment outcomes
- Uses appropriate teaching/learning principles and strategies as well as current information, materials, and technologies to facilitate the learning of clients, groups, and other health care professionals
The CNL program is part time, 37-credits, and completed in 5 semesters. Learners enter the program in the spring semester, take two courses a semester, and graduate in fall of the following year. The program combines inter-professional leadership courses with clinical nursing courses in advanced pharmacology, advanced health assessment, physiology/pathophysiology, and evidence-based practice. Population health is taught in epidemiology and in a health action course that emphasizes health promotion, education, and technology.
Course Progression to the Immersion Experience
A unique feature of the CNL program is the 420-hour immersion experience, during which time the student will be precepted in their workplace to gain experience developing and implementing the CNL role. The immersion experience occurs after all other program requirements have been completed, including the comprehensive exam.
Experiences and projects during the immersion experience will vary depending on the unit (i.e., hospital) or service area (i.e., home care). In general, the student will oversee and participate in the clinical management of a high risk group of patients. The student will gain experience in explaining and interpreting the CNL role to other members of the interdisciplinary team and to patients and families. Objectives for the immersion experience are aligned with the three foci of the curriculum: nursing leadership, clinical outcomes management, and care environment management. Management of clinical outcomes, for example, will include the design, coordination, and evaluation of plans of care for a cohort of patients. In the arena of care environment management, students will be expected to identify opportunities for improving health care quality and patient safety and follow through to formulate, communicate, refine, lead, and evaluate changes based upon sources of evidence.
Careers
CNL graduates will bring a sophisticated level of clinical leadership to managing and coordinating the care of populations of patients. Currently most CNL graduates are employed in hospitals as patient care facilitators, case managers, and resource nurses. As the role develops nationally there will be opportunities for CNLs to work in varied settings including medical centers, long-term care facilities, home health care agencies, and ambulatory care settings.
Admission Criteria
- Completion of a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from an accredited school.
- RN licensure within the United States or a U.S. territory.
- Cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale from a baccalaureate program.
- Statistics course with a grade of C or above.
- Professional statement.
- Clinical practice exemplar relating to patient care which describes what happened, the intent and the outcomes of actions and interactions with other members of the health care team.
- Two letters of reference that address clinical expertise and leadership talent (one of which is from an immediate supervisor).
- Personal interview(s) with 2 LHCS program faculty members.
- A minimum of three years of employment as a registered nurse in a clinical setting.
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For international students, TOEFL with a minimum score of 560 (paper-based), 230 (computer-based) or 88 (“i-based”)
What to Expect
The CNL program answers the national call for transforming health care. Enrolling in the program is an opportunity to participate in a national nursing initiative focused on finding ways to deliver fundamentally better care to patients and families. CNL graduates are prepared to take responsibility for patient care outcomes and lead change efforts that address system problems. The coursework builds on the clinical knowledge base of the baccalaureate-prepared nurse and adds leadership courses that facilitate system level thinking, working in teams, and analysis of quality problems and development of performance improvement initiatives.
CNL students are usually employed full time. They manage the responsibility of school by adjusting work schedules and by having full support from family and friends. A computer with broadband access to the Internet definitely helps with time management and is an essential tool for working on team projects with fellow students. Online learning using the Blackboard™ course management system is a new experience for most students. With online tutorials and self-study most students can master Blackboard basics in a few weeks.
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Contact Us
University of Rochester 
School of Nursing
Box SON
Helen Wood Hall
601 Elmwood Avenue
Rochester, NY 14642
(585) 275-2375
