# 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. Ensure adherence to established clinical policies, protocols, regulations, and standards.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/clinical-nurse-specialists
- SOC code: 29-1141.04
- Career family: Healthcare practitioners
- Median annual pay: $97,550 (10th percentile $68,940, 90th percentile $137,470)
- Projected growth: Faster than average, +5.6%
- Openings a year: 180,800
- Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree
- Bright outlook: yes
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections
- Pay and outlook are for the broader BLS group "Registered nurses".

## Interest profile (code SIC)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 22 |
| Investigative (I) | 64 |
| Artistic (A) | 14 |
| Social (S) | 87 |
| Enterprising (E) | 45 |
| Conventional (C) | 51 |

## What you'd do

- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 94/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 94/100)
- Assisting and Caring for Others (importance 93/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 89/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 87/100)
- Training and Teaching Others (importance 87/100)
- Providing Consultation and Advice to Others (importance 85/100)
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards (importance 83/100)
- Getting Information (importance 83/100)
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings (importance 81/100)

## 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

## 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)

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5138) (CIP 5138, 1,954 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [California State University-East Bay](https://www.collegesref.com/college/california-state-university-east-bay-368) | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $139,123 | $150,921 | $18,751 |
| [San Francisco State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/san-francisco-state-university-2349) | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $145,008 | $150,102 | $13,331 |
| [Dominican University of California](https://www.collegesref.com/college/dominican-university-of-california-828) | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $128,516 | $149,622 | $26,243 |
| [Sonoma State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/sonoma-state-university-2438) | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $134,423 | $143,886 | $12,500 |
| [University of San Francisco USF](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-san-francisco-usf-3034) | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $120,438 | $143,356 | $25,000 |
| [Pacific Union College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/pacific-union-college-2063) | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $126,952 | $140,542 | $29,584 |
| [California State University-Monterey Bay](https://www.collegesref.com/college/california-state-university-monterey-bay-373) | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $127,203 | $134,489 | $6,375 |
| [Pacific College-California](https://www.collegesref.com/college/pacific-college-california-2055) | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | not reported | $132,148 | $32,611 |

## Related careers

- [Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/advanced-practice-psychiatric-nurses): $97,550 median pay
- [Nurse Practitioners](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/nurse-practitioners): $132,300 median pay
- [Acute Care Nurses](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/acute-care-nurses): $97,550 median pay
- [Registered Nurses](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/registered-nurses): $97,550 median pay
- [Critical Care Nurses](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/critical-care-nurses): $97,550 median pay
- [Nurse Midwives](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/nurse-midwives): $134,040 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

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.