Biennial Census of Clinical Nurse Specialists Tracks Education, Practice, Demographics
The National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS) today opened its second biennial census of clinical nurse specialists (CNSs). The data collected about CNSs’ demographics, education, and practice will be used to inform policy and practice agendas. It is the only source of workforce data on the CNS.
The 2016 CNS Census is an online survey designed to capture information about people who identify themselves as or who were educated as Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs). NACNS is encouraging all nurses who meet those criteria to complete the survey before December 31 of this year. It is available on the NACNS website at www.nacns.org and at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2016CNSCensus.
CNSs who complete the survey will be automatically entered in a drawing for an Apple Watch, donated by Springer Publishing, LLC and an iPad Mini, donated by Wolters Kluwer, publisher of NACNS’ official journal the Clinical Nurse Specialist: The International Journal for Advanced Nursing. They will also be entered in a drawing for a $250 NACNS gift certificate that can be applied toward NACNS conference registration, NACNS membership or any other NACNS products/services.
“Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs) are crucial to implementing evidence-based patient care, ensuring patient safety, reducing health care costs and much more,” said NACNS President
Sharon Horner, PhD, RN, MC-CNS, FAAN. “This is the only survey that focuses exclusively on CNSs. NACNS launched this comprehensive workplace survey to collect information that can be used to not only describe the population of CNSs but to also, and perhaps more importantly, differentiate what CNSs do. This information can be used to best serve the interests of CNSs, our health care system and health care consumers. I urge everyone who has been educated as a CNS to participate in this important census.”
The 2016 CNS Census was produced in concert with PhD nursing students at the University of San Diego, who helped refine the questions and reduce the amount of time required to complete the survey.
Results of the 2016 CNS Census will be published in the Clinical Nurse Specialist: The International Journal for Advanced Nursing and available on the NACNS website. Key findings from the 2014 CNS Census are available in an infographic.