The clinical nurse specialist serves as an expert resource for the health care team, often functions as a case manager and has expertise in various areas of clinical nursing such as mental health, oncology, gerontology or children with special needs.

Educational requirements are either two years of post-bachelors study (in nursing) or two years in addition to RN training.

Students in graduate nursing programs are required to be licensed by the Board of Nursing as a licensed professional nurse. After completing a graduate nursing program, students are required to pass a national certification examination. Certification status is required to be eligible for prescriptive authority in Minnesota. Advanced practice nurses who are certified by a national nursing certification organization are required to meet additional practice and continuing education requirements.