Clinical nurse leader

Assistant Editor-In-Chief: Michelle Lew

Overview
The Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) is a generalist who focuses on the improvement of outcomes for patients. The role differs from that of a Clinical nurse specialist (CNS) in that the CNL is a registered nurse with leadership skills and training in health care systems management at the clinical unit level while the CNS has master's-level preparation in an advanced practice specialty. The CNL is a registered nurse, usually with a Master's Degree such as a Master's of Science in Nursing. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) provides certification at the level of Clinical Nurse Leader, in addition to the required board certification for RN licensure.

The AACN designed the Clinical Nurse Leader role in response to the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) comprehensive report on medical errors, To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System, released in November 1999. The report, extrapolating data from two previous studies, estimates that somewhere between 44,000 and 98,000 Americans die each year as a result of medical errors.