Category: Ask Phee Phee Anything

Hello Readers!  This month we have two questions to answer for you.  Check them out below.

Ask Phee Phee Anything: CNSI Advocates

Q. Did NACNS members get a GIVING TUESDAY request from CNSI? Did not see it.

On Giving Tuesday we promoted and encouraged donating to CNSI on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin.  Our position is that any day is a “Giving Tuesday” and CNSI is doing wonderful work and worthy of your donation at any time of year. NACNS’s partnership and advocacy with CNSI is important and will continue as we promote the role of the CNS.  To donate click here. Your donation will directly impact the future of our CNS practice and will help contribute to the mission of the CNS Institute; serve to develop and promote the charitable, educational, innovative clinical practice, and scientific goals of NACNS.

Ask Phee Phee Anything:  CNS Job Growth

Q. Are clinical nurse specialist in demand, what is the job outlook?

Is the CNS a growing profession? Heck, Yes!

The NACNS Job Board has 336 open positions listed. Your hospital may have CNS job postings as well.  According to Recruiter.com the growth in CNS jobs has surpassed 13% annually since 2012.  Between now and 2029 there will be 332,190 CNS jobs needing to be filled.  Do we need more CNSs?

Yes, indeed!

The top ten hospitals in the country employ many CNSs and, like many other organizations, they understand the value of CNS. However, there’s rich opportunity for those organizations who are not familiar with CNSs for you to advocate for the role and pitch it to the organization.  We have resources on our website on how to do that. Call it “making the case for a CNS” or a “business plan for CNSs”.

I had a discussion with one NACNS member just this week talking about “growing your own” CNS. This organization identifies nurse interested in becoming a CNS. It has a program to support the nurse as she is going to school to get education certification and for the transition period into the new position.  There are other innovative programs out there.  Speak up and ask about these types of innovative programs.  If your organization doesn’t have one, let’s make one! Contact me at pwhitehead@nacns.org.

Hi readers, and welcome to the October edition of Ask Phee Phee. This month, I wanted to talk about a topic that I am passionate about, which directly goes with my presidency’s theme: unstoppable advocacy. As stated on the ANA website, “the Improving Care and Access to Nurses Act (ICAN), H.R. 8812, promotes patient access to health care services delivered by the provider of their choice by removing outdated Medicare and Medicaid barriers on advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs).” Because the ICAN Act was recently released, some of you may have a lot of questions. I want to answer those questions and explain why the ICAN Act is so important for CNSs. 

1. Why is the ICAN Act important to all CNSs?

This is a great example of how CNSs can advocate for themselves. This legislation is geared toward advanced practice nurses (APRNs) and takes away a lot of the limitations APRNS have previously faced. This act ensures that APRNS get fair payment and get the proper reimbursement for what they need for their patients. ICAN advances the advanced practice domain for all APRNs, but specifically CNSs. This act goes directly with the APP Hospice CTI Survey that was created in April 2022. This survey is not yet public, but it directly correlates with hospice end-of-life services and CNSs access to the proper care tools. This survey had large participation from CNSs, which further shows how important the ICAN Act is for all CNSs.

2. What are some good ICAN Act resources?

Some of the best resources can be found on the NACNS website as the legislation continues to move forward. To write to your legislator, follow this link on the NACNS website. This legislation is everywhere, you can find more information with a simple google search, or on the ANA website. Check out the NACNS news page for more updates as they come!

3. What can CNSs do today to help pass ICAN?

The most important step is to contact your legislator using the link above. The next most important action to take is to add your voice on social media with the ICAN photo as I did here. Pass along this photo to your fellow nurses and tell them to join the conversation. The most important part of this legislation is to keep the conversation going until it is approved. Never stop advocating!

Hello and happy CNS Week, Day 5! What a great week it’s been already, and to close this week’s special Ask Phee Phee blog series, I want to talk about the tools a CNS needs at work, and how to always come prepared for any situation that may arise.

Being a CNS means, one needs to be prepared for anything with their patients, and every day is different. A large part of being a CNS entails simply being present and available for whatever your patients need, physically, mentally, or emotionally.

Below is my list of the tools that a CNS should always bring to work to best serve our patients and communities. 

1. A sense of humor
   A sense of humor is one of the most important things anyone in a health care role can bring to work. Between the long hours and emotionally/mentally draining work, being able to laugh and have a sense of humor can be extremely valuable in tense situations.
2. Trust
   This tool goes two ways; you need your colleagues to be able to trust you as well as your patients. Being able to be someone that others trust should be a top priority for all health care workers.
3. Reliability
   Stemming off being someone that people can trust, being reliable, and speaking up when others aren’t comfortable, is extremely important. Always being visible and transparent in your practice allows you to be a reliable person in the healthcare field.
4. Teamwork
   Be open and be able to collaborate and communicate with those on a team. You can’t take yourself too seriously, but you need to be able to relate to and validate others’ feelings and situations in order to be the best CNS you can be.
5. Empathy
   Always carry tissues, for the nurses, families, and patients. This is an emotional role and can carry a lot of stress for yourself and those around you. Be in tune with the situations around you and provide as much support as you can.
6. Advocacy
   Set boundaries, and advocate for yourself as much as you advocate for others. Say no when you disagree with something or are put in an uncomfortable situation.
7. Change
   Be a change advocate for nursing and your individual organizations as well as your own advanced practice. When our 3 spheres of impact are broken apart, other nurses can do one of the spheres, but we are unique when we practice all 3 spheres, in order to continue to demonstrate our value and impact as advanced practice registered nurses. We need to be able to push and expand our practice to continue to grow in healthcare.

Something I learned when I was a girl scout was to always “do a good turn daily,” and to always be prepared. As CNS, we need to not only do good deeds, but hold ourselves accountable to make sure that we are advancing our education and our practice, and most importantly have unstoppable advocacy.

Hello to all my Ask Phee Phee readers, and happy day three of CNS Week! On this special Ask Phee Phee blog, as we celebrate CNS Week, we are going to be talking about the importance of diversity in the CNS role. The NACNS board recognizes that change is needed and is actively educating themselves and others through our initiatives this year and moving forward to create a more equitable workplace for all. 

What diversity initiatives does NACNS have in place for 2022-2023?

In 2022, NACNS has ramped up our DEI committee. This was initiated as a task force, and it has since grown and become more focused on making sure that nursing (specifically CNSs) is representative of the communities we serve. The DEI committee is making sure that members have equal opportunities within their role as a CNS. We released a DEI survey to hear from our members on diversity. 

The DEI committee’s first task identified with the survey was to investigate education, and training for diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as how to make the CNS role more diverse. Starting with members on the DEI committee, we are going to not only be more aware but actively trained to address the situation. DEI Committee Board Liaison Jerithea (Jeri) Tidwell, PhD, RN, PNP-BC, PCNS-BC, FCNSI, Chair Monica Coles, DNP, RN-BC, APRN, ACNS-BC, CDP, and co-chair Beckie Kronebusch, MSN, APRN/CNS are all helping immensely in their efforts to spread awareness and grow the committee to its full potential. 

Advocacy and Diversity

However, our goal isn’t to “form” and then not follow through. We have a commitment to change, a commitment to move forward and advocate for diversity. . Advocacy is so important at every level. Continuing to advance in our advocacy is reflective of how we take care of our patients.

Like most CNSs, I am not a member of a minority group, but I will continue to educate myself to better understand those who are and the challenges they could face becoming a CNS. If those in positions of power advocate for more diversity, then we can make a difference.  We can move beyond talking about diversity and (soon) see results.

For more on diversity, and how NACNS is actively making a change, make sure to register now for the 2022 Fall Summit on Oct. 18-19. The closing keynote on diversity and racism in nursing will be given by Marcus Henderson, MSN, RN, PhD Student.