How to Become a Clinical Nurse Specialist

1. Earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (4 Years)

In order to become a clinical nurse specialist, candidates must first earn their Bachelor of Science in Nursing by undertaking a 4-year university program to prepare them for higher levels of education.

The preparation timeline below provides an example curriculum for undergraduate nursing students:

Grade Level	Example Courses
Freshman	General Chemistry I & Lab Human Anatomy & Physiology I & Lab Human Anatomy & Physiology II & Lab Psychology I Microbiology I & Lab Introduction to Professional Nursing Nursing Informatics Humanities Requirement
Sophomore	Pathophysiologic Foundations of Nursing care Foundations of Nursing Practice I Foundations of Nursing Practice II Pharmacology and Therapeutics Statistics for Evidence-Based Practice Nursing Management of Adults with Acute/Chronic Illness Introduction to Critical Appraisal & Evidence-Based Practice Nutrition for Clinical Practice Humanities Requirement
Junior	Nursing Care of Mothers, Newborns, and Families & Clinical Nursing Care of Children & Clinical Ethics in Nursing and Health Nursing Care of Clients with Mental Health Problems & Clinical Advanced Nursing Management of Adults with Acute/Complex Health Problems & Clinical Nursing Care of Older Adults & Clinical
Senior	Community Health Nursing & Clinical Advanced Clinical Problem Solving & Clinical Transition into Professional Nursing Practice & Clinical Introduction to Genetics & Molecular Therapeutics Athletic Training Clinical III & IV Remaining Electives

2. Take the Graduate Requisite Exam (GRE)

Most graduate programs revolving around forensic science require the Graduate Requisite Exam (GRE) for admittance. It's a 3 hour and 45 minute, standardized, multiple choice exam that covers analytical writing, quantitative reasoning, and verbal reasoning.

The GRE is a 6-section, 4-hour comprehensive exam that is broken down as follows:

Section	Section Breakdown
1 Analytical Writing Section	2 writing assignments 60 minutes Tests student's abilities to assess arguments and communicate ideas.
2 Quantitative Reasoning Sections	20 multiple-choice questions 35 minutes per section Tests student's abilities to solve mathematical problems and interpret data.
2 Verbal Reasoning Sections	20 questions per section 30 minutes per section Tests the ability to understand and analyze written material
1 Unscored Section	A duplicate of one of the above sections

You can find study materials, GRE registration, and test scores on the GRE website.

3. Earn a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with a Clinical Nursing Specialty

To become a clinical nursing specialist, aspiring nurses must earn a Master of Science in Nursing, specializing in Clinical Nursing. These programs often only take an additional 2 years to complete and are well worth the additional work as they open more opportunities than a bachelor's degree alone can.

The preparation timeline below shows an example curriculum:

Year	Example Courses
1st	Philosophical, Theoretical, and Ethical Basis for Nursing Applications of Research to Practice Healthcare for Advanced Practice Nursing Adult & Geriatric Variation Health Promotion & Disease Prevention
2nd	Practice Research Applications Statistical Literacy in Nursing Research Advanced Health Assessment & Measurement Human & Family Development Program Development & Evaluation in Healthcare

4. Take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX)

The NCLEX has a varying number of questions, from 75 to a possible 265, that can be answered. There will be 15 experimental questions among the total, regardless of how many were answered.

The maximum allotted time for the exam is 6 hours and no mandatory breaks are required. Testers can, however, take optional breaks after 2.5 and 3.5 hours of the exam.

The NCLEX is broken down into four primary categories under "Meeting Client Need" and eight subcategories under those:

"Meeting Client Needs" categories	Subcategories
Safe & Effective Care Environments	Management of Care Safety & Infection Control
Health Promotion & Safety	Health Promotion & Safety
Psychosocial Integrity	Psychosocial Integrity
Physiological Integrity	Basic Care & Comfort Pharmacological & Parenteral Therapies Reduction of Risk Potential Physiological Adaption

For more information on the NCLEX, visit the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.

5. Earn the Required Certified Nurse Specialist (CNS) Certification

Certified nursing specialists must pass a certification exam to being employment. Each specialty has its own exam that must be completed and maintained throughout the years.

For more information about certification exams, go to the American Nurses Credentialing Center.