Clinical Nurse Leader Competencies and Essential Skills for Strengthening Health Care Delivery
| 6 Min Read
A dedication to continuous improvement will position you for success in nursing. If you’re interested in leadership roles that focus on advancing health care quality, becoming a clinical nurse leader (CNL) might be an ideal career path.
Excelling in this role requires advanced competencies rooted in evidence-based practice. To establish those abilities, registered nurses must gain clinical experience and continue their education, with the goal of earning a Master of Science in Nursing and CNL certification.
What is a Clinical Nurse Leader?
Before exploring the CNL competencies, let’s walk through what this leadership role entails. A clinical nurse leader is a “master’s educated nurse, prepared for practice across the continuum of care within any health care setting,” according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). Although clinical nurse leader job descriptions include direct patient care, these leaders have a wider range of responsibilities than registered nurses, such as:
- Coordinating patient care by overseeing processes within the health care system
- Implementing evidence-based practices that focus on improving outcomes
- Advocating for patient-centered care that promotes long-term health and well-being
According to the Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, CNLs are point-of-care safety clinicians who take the lead in monitoring patient conditions and reducing risk. The latter is a chief concern due to the fragmented, complex nature of health care delivery today. To mitigate risk, CNLs help improve communication across teams and strengthen processes in ways that enhance patient safety.
How to Become a Clinical Nurse Leader
RNs interested in CNL positions must have the following credentials:
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN): BSN programs prepare you to take a holistic approach to patient treatment. Through online RN to BSN programs, registered nurses can transfer credits from their associate degree and complete this milestone in less time.
- Master of Science in Nursing (MSN): Earning your MSN degree will provide competencies in evidence-based practices and processes that improve patient care. Be sure to select a program with a CNL specialization to gain the skills and experience needed to attain certification.
CNL certification affirms nurses have mastered a standard set of clinical nurse leader competencies. According to AACN, this credential is valued by health care employers because it demonstrates nurses have advanced skills and a deep commitment to this profession.
Clinical Nurse Leader Competencies and Skills
After completing an MSN program and attaining certification, clinical nurse leaders possess a range of competencies for improving health care delivery. At a high level, CNL competencies span the following areas and beyond:
Advanced Clinical Knowledge
Clinical nurse leaders in clinical environments apply their master’s level skills to achieve optimal patient outcomes. Their expertise is essential to clinical environments where RNs need guidance on providing high-quality care, as CNLs implement best practices for how their teams:
- Provide the highest level of care using evidence-based practice
- Acquire data on barriers to well-being
- Understand the mechanisms of illnesses and health problems
Advanced clinical knowledge provides a big-picture perspective for supporting patients across the lifespan. As such, CNLs help facilitate smooth transitions for patients beginning new treatments and entering the next phase of life.
Evidence-Based Practice and Quality Improvement
As outlined by the ANA Nursing Resources Hub, evidence-based practice empowers nurses to employ the latest research when delivering care. Doing so ensures patients receive the most up-to-date and relevant therapies for their conditions.
Importantly, evidence-based practice emphasizes holistic care tailored to each patient’s needs. This approach strengthens health care quality, as an analysis by Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing determined that hospital systems improve patient outcomes when investing in evidence-based practice.
Pharmacology and Medication Management
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s CNL curriculum requirements include graduate-level pharmacology studies. Through this coursework, nurses learn how medicines and other chemical compounds affect the body. As detailed in Pharmacology Research & Perspectives, this education provides the knowledge necessary to “enhance drug safety, avoid medication errors and prevent adverse drug interactions.”
Unfortunately, many nursing practices still rely on intuition and personal experience alone, which hinders patient safety. Breaking from this unscientific approach ties back to evidence-based practice. Clinical nurse leaders can help their teams follow the latest pharmacology research when providing therapies and the guidance patients need to manage their medications.
Leadership and Resource Management
The leadership demonstrated by clinical nurse leaders can elevate the performance of nursing teams. They help manage health care across the continuum of care, applying their training to:
- Design, coordinate and evaluate the delivery of client care
- Collaborate with interdisciplinary health care teams to support patient therapy
- Manage finances and resources within clinical settings
This leadership involves the wise use of human resources. As explored in a report from the National Academy of Sciences, nurse leaders push team members to grow professionally, boosting performance. At the same time, they encourage other nurses to practice self-care, ensuring that caring for others isn’t detrimental to their own health.
Patient Advocacy and Education
Clinical nurse leaders have a tremendous impact on patients’ lives, as they advocate for equitable and sustainable practices when coordinating care. As detailed by NursingJournal, this advocacy involves:
- Clear communication about each patient’s symptoms and dissemination of that information to the health care team.
- Increasing access to care by working with health care leadership teams and regulators capable of addressing inequities.
- Encouraging patient autonomy by involving them in decisions and providing information for managing their conditions.
Fulfilling the last point requires nurses to educate patients about their medical conditions and the importance of following prescribed therapies. Additionally, nurses can point patients toward resources for lifestyle changes, such as exercise and smoking cessation.
By developing these nurse leader skills and competencies, nurses can serve central roles within health care facilities. Not only that, but they can pursue positions with high demand and impressive earning potential.
Career Opportunities for Clinical Nurse Leaders
Demand for nurse leaders is poised to rise. According to a 2023 study from the American Organization for Nursing Leadership, about one-third of these professionals planned to leave their positions—or were considering it—within six months. These departures raise the need for an influx of CNLs, and the rewards could be great for nurses who choose this career path.
In December 2024, the average base salary for clinical nurse leaders was $127,656, about 42% higher than the average pay for RNs. The earning potential for CNLs in Connecticut was even higher, with an average annual salary of $137,440.
Note that salaries vary based on individual experience and work setting. Common employers of clinical nurse leaders include hospitals, outpatient clinics and home health agencies. No matter the setting where you plan to work, you’ll need the advanced degree and certification that many employers demand.
If you have an unencumbered RN license and a BSN degree, you can begin the journey to clinical nurse leader roles with Sacred Heart University. Our online MSN-CNL program includes specialized coursework on evidence-based practices for improving patient outcomes and health care delivery. After graduation, you’ll be eligible to sit for the CNL certification through the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
Sacred Heart offers this program in a convenient online format that works well for busy schedules. Request information to learn how you can complete the program in two years as you prepare for CNL certification.