By Jennifer Kelley
Starting spring 2003, the College of Nursing at BYU will offer a new program to graduate students in the hope of increasing the quality of care while decreasing costs in a hospital setting.
The Adult Medical – Surgical Clinical Nurse Specialist degree will be one of two graduate degrees available in the College of Nursing. It has an enrollment capacity of 65 students.
The curriculum will include classroom instruction and practical clinical experience, College of Nursing professor Sandra Lookinland said.
“The Clinical Nurse Specialist would be in charge of a team that includes registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and nursing assistants,” Lookinland said. “They would be the head of the team acting as expert, educator, and consultant.”
This type of program is not unique to Utah or to the United States. However, interest in the Clinical Nurse Specialist graduate program has increased in recent years, said Mary Williams, Associate Dean of Students Affairs and Graduate Programs in the College of Nursing.
Having a clinical nurse specialist can maintain cost-effective patient outcomes, Williams said.
