A new career choice for nurses has arrived. Clinical nurses seeking to extend their professional abilities into the leadership arena yet maintain their point-of-care responsibilities have the opportunity to pursue a newly created position called Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL).

More than 20 nurses from Saint Mary's Health Care in Grand Rapids are enrolled in Trinity Health's first Clinical Nurse Leader program through UDM.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), in collaboration with a wide range of health care experts, created the CNL position to address the growing need for clinical nurse leaders who understand the complexity of healthcare delivery systems, the importance of evidence-based practices and outcomes of care at the point of service.

To qualify for the position, individuals must have a bachelor's degree in Nursing and successfully complete seven semesters of the CNL master's degree program offered at UDM's College of Health Professions (CHP).

The curriculum combines courses from two of the McAuley School of Nursing master's degree programs: Nurse Practitioner and Health System Management. A unique attribute of the program is that the University and health system must create a partnership to ensure that nurses are able to practice the CNL role upon graduation. The program launched in January 2008 through Trinity Health with a class of 17 nurses from Saint Mary's Health Care in Grand Rapids.

"The CNL will have the advanced clinical knowledge found in our nurse practitioner core combined with the systems and leadership knowledge from our health systems management core," says Tricia Thomas, assistant professor and coordinator, Clinical Nurse Leader program. "The CNL mentors, leads, and educates but never loses that bedside contact with the patients."

According to Thomas, the AACN created a role that will attract and retain high quality nurses— a move she applauds as the health system attempts to resolve the critical nursing shortage.