Nurse Clinician??? (New Member!)

CoffeemateCNA · Mar 27, 2010

Hello Everyone. I'm new to allnurses.com. I am enrolled at a local college as a pre-nursing student for the summer. Even as a guy I still love nursing even though many ask why I don't go to medical school, medicine simply doesnt meet my standards for a job I might be doing the rest of my life. Any way I was wondering, have any of you ever heard of a nurse clinician, I know very little about them, but I wanted to know what the role is in the nursing profession, I think there are various levels of them. Also I would like to know if they diagnose and have prescriptive authority like Nurse Practitioner's (NP)? Thanks!
P.S. any advice for the Pre-Nursing and for the road would be appreciated.

The names of positions vary from area to area. I have never heard of "Nurse Clinicians," but I know there are "RN Clinician I," "RN Clinician II," etc. Clinician refers to the fact that they are a floor nurse, since there are many other types of nursing jobs that do not require direct patient care. The I, II, etc., is a ranking system. An RN Clinician III would have more education and experience than an RN Clinician I. An RN Clinician would not have the authority to diagnose or prescribe drugs, since they are only RNs. Only nurse practitioners can do that, and those positions require a master's or doctorate degree.

Again, since the names of positions vary, it may not be the same in your area. This is just how things are in mine. Good luck with your pre-requisites!

PatMac10,RN, RN · Mar 27, 2010

Thank you so much! Because I was very confused. I think what we are talking about are the same thing. Becasue I've read if Nurse Clinician I, II, III and up to V.