Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) – a master’s degree educated RN who assumes accountability for client care outcomes through the assimilation and application of research based information to design, implement, and evaluate client plans of care. The CNL is a provider and a manager of care at the point of care to individuals and cohorts or populations. The CNL designs, implements, and evaluates client care by coordinating, delegating, and supervising the care provided by the health care team, including licensed nurses, technicians, and other health professionals.
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) – a practice focused doctoral degree in nursing. The degree that is recommended by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) for all advanced practice nurses by 2015.
Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) – An advanced practice nurse who possesses expertise in a defined area of nursing practice for a selected client population or clinical setting. The CNS functions as an expert clinician, educator, consultant, researcher, and administrator.
Florence Nightingale (1820 to 1910) – Considered the founder of organized, professional nursing. She is best known for her contributions to the reforms in the British Army Medical Corps, improved sanitation in India, improved public health in Great Britain, use of statistics to document health outcomes, and the development of organized training for nurses.
Professional Nurse – a specially trained professional that addresses the humanistic and holistic needs of patients, families, and environments and provides responses to patterns and/or needs of patients, families, and communities to actual and potential health problems. The professional nurse has diverse roles, such as health care provider, client advocate, educator, care coordinator, primary care practitioner, and change agent
Art – any branch of creative work, especially painting and drawing, that displays form, beauty, and any unusual perception
Literature – all writings in prose or verse
Media – all the means of communication, such as newspapers, radio, and television
Stereotype - a fixed or conventional conception of a person or group held by a number of people that allows for no individuality
Competency outcomes – the results, or end products, of planned study and experience that are focused on specific abilities required for practice
Contemporary issues – the problems, changes, and concerns that are current for the present time
Core competencies – the essential cluster of abilities and skills required for competent nursing practice
Educational mobility – the progressive movement from one type or level of education to another, often based on flexible, self-directed, or advanced placement options. Examples are progression from diploma preparation to an academic degree, such as RN to BSN or MSN; BSN to doctoral degree; or non-nursing degree to BSN, MSN, or doctoral degree
Education Trends – shifts in conditions and concerns that emerge from and influence various aspects of society; broad changes in the United States and the world that influence the education and practice of nurses and other providers
Performance examinations – standardized evaluation based on objective demonstration of specific required competencies; used in conjunction with written tests of knowledge about those abilities. They may require performance in actual or simulated situations, related to physical psychomotor skills or the observable evidence of other skills such as critical thinking, communication, teaching, planning, writing, or analysis and integration of data
Accreditation – voluntary process by which schools of nursing are approved to conduct nursing education programs
Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) – legal title for nurses prepared by education and competence to perform independent practice
American Nurses Association (ANA) – professional organization that represents all registered nurses
American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) –