The clinical nurse specialist in Landspítali-University Hospital. What is the content of their work?

In recent years advanced practice nursing has been evolving worldwide, the development being most advanced in the USA. Many countries are in the process of defining the role of advanced practice nurses and much has been written and discussed about their role and suitable educational background. Advanced practice nurses have proved to increase efficiency in health institutions and research has revealed fewer complications in patients, fewer in hospital days and lower costs where they work. Specialization in nursing has been available in Iceland for many years; the current act on specialists in nursing dates from 2003. The purpose of this research was to examine the content of the clinical nurse specialist’s work at Landspítali University Hospital in the year 2008. The research was descriptive, 15 of the 19 CNSs working at Landspítalinn during the time of the study participating. Activity diaries were used for data collection for 7 days. The results show that of CNSs relative work hours the largest proportion was spent on education, expert practice and institutional activities while the smallest proportion went on research and job development. After each day CNS´s evaluated how their background as a CNS had benefitted them on a scale of 0 “did not benefit” to 10 “benefit greatly”. The average evaluation over the study period was 8.7. The participants could register up to four separate activities performed during each fifteen minute period and in 42% of cases the CNS´s performed from two to four activities in the timeperiod. These results show that the work of the CNS at Landspítalinn University Hospital is very diverse and the results can be used in further development of their work at the hospital and elsewhere