Program Overview
In today’s complex healthcare environment, registered nurses are expected to play a key role in addressing critical healthcare issues across the nation. The clinical nurse leader (CNL®) master’s in nursing program at Regis College prepares nurses to become leaders able to address these complex issues and practice along the continuum of care in any healthcare setting.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing stated that CNLs are expected to “assume accountability for patient care outcomes through the assimilation and application of evidence-based information to design, implement, and evaluate patient care processes and models of care delivery.” CNLs across the country are providing evidence of the important and essential role they play in improving healthcare outcomes through quality management and evidence-based practice. Graduates of the Regis College CNL program are prepared to be expert clinicians, educators, advocates, outcome and information managers who are leaders in the profession of nursing.
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CNL Role
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) collaborated with nurse leaders in academic and practice settings to develop the CNL role in 2003. If you are interested in learning more about the first new role established in nursing in over three decades, please visit the AACN CNL website to answer the question What is a CNL?
Academic-Practice Partnerships
One of the hallmark strengths of CNL program across the country is the academic-practice partnerships between schools of nursing and healthcare organizations. At Regis College, our CNL program is a true collaboration between the university and the healthcare organizations we partner with. CNLs are admitted into the master’s program through an established partnership with an organization. Regis College and the practice partner collaborate to provide on-site courses and coordinate clinical placements in the final two semesters of the program.
Regis CNL program requires hospital partnership - students are admitted only if hospital/place of employment is an affiliating clinical partner of Regis.
CNL Curriculum Plan
The Master of Science in Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) is an advanced nursing generalist responsible for overseeing clinical care and outcomes for a group of patients at the point of care (AACN, 2013). The CNL Program is designed to prepare baccalaureate nurses with advanced competencies to provide clinical leadership across the continuum of care in any health care setting.
| Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|
| NU 605 Concepts in Nursing Leadership | 3 |
| Total | 3 |
| Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|
| HP 608 Healthcare Quality Management | 3 |
| Total | 3 |
| Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|
| NU 601 Nursing Theory (Summer II) | 3 |
| HP 609 Health Policy, Politics and Perspectives (Summer I) | 3 |
| Total | 6 |
| Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|
| NU 606 Advanced Pathophysiology | 3 |
| Total | 3 |
| Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|
| NU 631 Scientific Inquiry for Evidence-Based Practice (Prerequisite: NU 601) | 3 |
| NU 641 Advanced Pharmacology (Prerequisite: NU 606, Offered spring semester only) | 3 |
| Total | 6 |
| Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|
| NU 629 Advanced Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (Summer II) | 3 |
| NU 650 Advanced Health Assessment (Prerequisite: NU 641, Offered summer semester only) | 3 |
| Total | 6 |
| Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|
| NU 657 CNL Role Class Introduction to CNL Practice (100 clinical hours) | 3 |
| HP 635 Health Information Systems or NU 710 Informatics in Healthcare | 3 |
| Total | 6 |
| Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|
| NU 658 A CNL Capstone: Clinical Immersion (300 clinical hours) | 6 |
| Total | 6 |
Current Hospital Partners
Coursework for CNL students reflects national recommendations and requirements for this unique role in nursing. Students will take courses in three core components: core graduate nursing courses designed for all students in a master’s nursing program; courses designed for the graduate-level nurse who will be providing direct care; and a combination of coursework and learning experiences specific to the role of the CNL. Students will take courses in quality management, advanced research/evidence-based practice, informatics, nursing leadership, ethics, health policy and promotion, nursing theory, as well as advanced pathophysiology, health assessment, and pharmacology. Shared coursework with Regis students in the School of Health Sciences provides students with important inter-professional learning opportunities. CNL-specific courses prepare students for the unique aspects of the CNL role in any healthcare setting. The final two semesters include a role class and clinical immersion course requiring a total of 400 clinical hours for leadership mentoring and completion of a capstone project
CNL Certification
Upon completion of the CNL program at Regis, students will be eligible to sit for the CNL Certification Examination offered by the Commission on Nurse Certification (CNC). Candidates who successfully pass the CNL Certification Examination proudly earn the credential of “CNL”.
For more information on the CNL Certification, please visit the AACN CNL Certification website. Additional information about CNL certification and the CNL role may be found on the website for the Clinical Nurse Leader Association (CNLA).
More Information
Whether you are an individual nurse who would like to find out more about the CNL master’s program at Regis or an administrator in a healthcare organization interested in establishing a formal academic-practice partnership, please contact the graduate admission counselor for more information:
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