Time for a Renaissance of the Clinical Nurse Specialist Role in Critical Care?

Critical care in the United States costs more than $108 billion annually; 6 million patients are admitted every year to intensive care units.¹  Technological advances and aging populations have increased the complexity of clinical management in critical care units.²  In parallel, an increasing emphasis on value-based models and health outcomes, some of which are distal to the critical care unit, challenges us to look at the role and function of all health care providers. Value-based health care has moved the focus from fee-for-service to health outcomes and quality.³  Achievement of this goal is contingent on efficient and effective workforce models and clear articulation of nursing roles.⁴ 

Contemporary health delivery models have increased the emphasis on teamwork, specific populations, evidence-based practice, coordination of care, data management, and monitoring of outcomes. Together, these components of health delivery models sound like a position description for a clinical nurse specialist...