SOC 29-1141.04Bright outlook

    Clinical Nurse Specialists

    Direct nursing staff in the provision of patient care in a clinical practice setting, such as a hospital, hospice, clinic, or home.

    Median pay
    $97,550
    Growth
    +5.6%
    Faster than average
    Openings a year
    180,800
    Typical education
    Bachelor's degree

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections · figures for the broader BLS group "Registered nurses"

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $68,940
    Median
    $97,550
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $137,470
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    3,379,720 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Clinical Nurse Specialists direct nursing staff and oversee patient care in clinical settings like hospitals and clinics. The median annual pay for registered nurses, the broader group that includes this career, is $97,550.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What clinical nurse specialists do

    Job Zone 5: Extensive preparation

    Direct nursing staff in the provision of patient care in a clinical practice setting, such as a hospital, hospice, clinic, or home. Ensure adherence to established clinical policies, protocols, regulations, and standards.

    Most need a graduate degree, such as a master's, PhD, MD or JD.

    What the work is like

    Clinical Nurse Specialists focus on guiding nursing teams to deliver high-quality patient care. On a daily basis, these professionals ensure that healthcare delivery aligns with established clinical policies, regulations, and standards. Their work involves getting information, monitoring clinical processes, and evaluating data to maintain compliance. They also spend significant time assisting and caring for others, making critical decisions, and solving complex problems.

    This role requires strong social interests, as success depends on establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships. These specialists frequently train, teach, and provide consultation to other healthcare staff. Key skills include active listening, critical thinking, speaking, and social perceptiveness. To perform their duties, they rely on a deep knowledge of medicine, biology, therapy, psychology, and education. They must also possess strong work styles such as dependability, empathy, attention to detail, stress tolerance, and leadership orientation.

    How to get there

    To enter this career, the typical education required is a bachelor's degree. However, because this is classified as an occupation requiring extensive preparation, most professionals in this field need a graduate degree, such as a master's degree, PhD, MD, or JD.

    Students preparing for this path typically major in registered nursing, nursing administration, or nursing research and clinical nursing. Some states list a license for this work. Additionally, the Trauma and Crime Scene Technician certification is a related credential in this field.

    Pay and outlook explained

    The median annual pay for registered nurses, the broader group that includes Clinical Nurse Specialists, is $97,550. The lowest 10% of earners in this group make less than $68,940, while the highest 10% earn more than $137,470.

    There are 3,379,720 people employed in this broader field. From 2025 to 2035, employment is projected to grow by 5.6%, which is faster than average. This growth is expected to result in 180,800 job openings each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    22 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    64 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    14 / 100
    Social (S) · strongest
    87 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    45 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    51 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code SIC. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    94
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    94
    Assisting and Caring for Others
    93
    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    89
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    87
    Training and Teaching Others
    87
    Providing Consultation and Advice to Others
    85
    Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
    83
    Getting Information
    83
    Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
    81
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Speaking
    • Active Learning
    • Critical Thinking
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Monitoring
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Service Orientation
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Active Listening
    • Complex Problem Solving

    Knowledge

    • Medicine and Dentistry
    • Education and Training
    • English Language
    • Psychology
    • Biology
    • Therapy and Counseling
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Sociology and Anthropology
    • Administration and Management
    • Mathematics

    Abilities

    • Oral Comprehension
    • Oral Expression
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Inductive Reasoning
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Speech Clarity
    • Written Comprehension
    • Written Expression
    • Speech Recognition
    • Category Flexibility

    Work styles

    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Cooperation
    • Empathy
    • Cautiousness
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Leadership Orientation
    • Integrity
    • Self-Control
    • Social Orientation

    Also called

    Adult Health Clinical Nurse Specialist (Adult Health CNS) · APN (Advanced Practice Nurse) · Board Certified Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS-BC) · Clinical Ambulatory Nurse · Clinical Medical Surgical Nurse · Clinical Nurse · Clinical Nurse Manager · Clinical Resource Nurse · Clinical Specialist Nurse · CNS (Clinical Nurse Specialist)

    Career pathway

    From your interests to clinical nurse specialists

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Clinical Nurse Specialists$97,550 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1
      California State University-East Bay

      Hayward, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $139,123
      4 yrs after
      $150,921
      Median debt
      $18,751
    2. 2
      San Francisco State University

      San Francisco, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $145,008
      4 yrs after
      $150,102
      Median debt
      $13,331
    3. 3Dominican University of California logo
      Dominican University of California

      San Rafael, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $128,516
      4 yrs after
      $149,622
      Median debt
      $26,243
    4. 4Sonoma State University logo
      Sonoma State University

      Rohnert Park, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $134,423
      4 yrs after
      $143,886
      Median debt
      $12,500
    5. 5University of San Francisco USF logo
      University of San Francisco USF

      San Francisco, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $120,438
      4 yrs after
      $143,356
      Median debt
      $25,000
    6. 6Pacific Union College logo
      Pacific Union College

      Angwin, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $126,952
      4 yrs after
      $140,542
      Median debt
      $29,584
    7. 7California State University-Monterey Bay logo
      California State University-Monterey Bay

      Seaside, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $127,203
      4 yrs after
      $134,489
      Median debt
      $6,375
    8. 8Pacific College-California logo
      Pacific College-California

      Costa Mesa, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $132,148
      Median debt
      $32,611

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What clinical nurse specialists may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work. Showing 12 of 21.

    • Adult Health Nurse/Nursing
    • Clinical Nurse Leader
    • Clinical Nurse Specialist
    • Critical Care Nursing
    • Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing
    • Family Practice Nurse/Nursing
    • Forensic Nursing
    • Geriatric Nurse/Nursing
    • Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing
    • Nursing Administration
    • Nursing Practice
    • Nursing Science

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    51 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about clinical nurse specialists

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What are some alternative job titles for a Clinical Nurse Specialist?

    People in this occupation are also known as Advanced Practice Nurses, Clinical Nurse Managers, Clinical Resource Nurses, and Board Certified Clinical Nurse Specialists.

    What college majors are relevant to this career?

    Students interested in this field typically major in Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, or Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.

    Is a license required to work as a Clinical Nurse Specialist?

    Some states list a license for this work, so requirements will vary depending on where you practice.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.