Susan K.B. Jones M.S., RN, APN, CCNS/Rx, CCRN-P

• Clinical nurse specialists are licensed registered nurses who have graduate preparation (master’s or doctorate) in nursing as a clinical nurse specialist.
• Clinical nurse specialists are expert clinicians in a specialized area of nursing practice. The specialty may be identified in terms of:
   
  
  • A population (e.g. pediatrics, geriatrics, women’s health)
  • A setting (e.g. critical care, emergency room)
  • A disease or medical subspecialty (e.g. diabetes, oncology)
  • A type of care (e.g. psychiatric, rehabilitation) 
  • A type of problem (e.g. pain, wounds, stress)
     
• Clinical nurse specialists practice in a wide variety of health care settings. 
• In addition to providing direct patient care, clinical nurse specialists influence care outcomes by providing expert consultation for nursing staffs and by implementing improvements in health care delivery systems. 
• Clinical nurse specialists’ practice integrates nursing practice, which focuses on assisting patients in the prevention or resolution of illness, with medical diagnosis and treatment of disease, injury and disability. 
• Research about clinical nurse specialists’ practice demonstrates outcomes such as:
   
  
  • Reduced hospital costs and length of stay 
  • Reduced frequency of emergency room visits 
  • Improved pain management practices
  • Increased patient satisfaction with nursing care
  • Reduced medical complications in hospitalized patients.

An estimated 69,017 RNs have the education and credentials to practice as a clinical nurse specialist. Approximately 14,643 are qualified to work as a nurse practitioner and a CNS.

Jones is a highly respected pediatric clinical nurse specialist with extensive research experience. She provides leadership, vision, consultation, project management, facilitation and education for evidence based practice and quality initiatives. She engages bedside clinicians in evidence based practice projects and nursing research that positively impact quality, patient satisfaction, and employee satisfaction. As a result of her influence, evidence based practice is now a part of the clinical culture and daily practice at INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center.

“Beyond my faith and my family the thing that I am the most proud of in my life is being a nurse. I have been a nurse for more than 25 years. During that time I have been asked repeatedly why I didn’t go to medical school – my response has often been if I would rather have an exceptional nurse and a mediocre physician, than the other way around,” explains Jones. “Even an exceptional physician is dependent upon the assessment and communication skills of the nurse at the bedside to make timely appropriate decisions for his/her patient. So I have tried to become and help others become that exceptional nurse.”

The CNS of the Year award will be officially presented to Jones at the NACNS annual awards luncheon in Atlanta, Ga., on Friday, March 7, 2008