The CNL is committed to lifelong learning and willing to assume responsibility for planning
one’s professional career. As a professional committed to lifelong learning, the CNL is able to
define his or her professional self by purposeful and structured educational experiences for the
ongoing improvement of practice competence and improved practice outcomes.
In summary, the role of the beginning CNL encompasses the following broad areas:
• Clinician: designer/coordinator/integrator/evaluator of care to individuals, families,
groups, communities, and populations; able to understand the rationale for care and
competently deliver this care to an increasingly complex and diverse population in
multiple environments. The CNL provides care at the point of care to individuals across
the lifespan with particular emphasis on health promotion and risk reduction services.
• Outcomes manager: synthesizes data, information and knowledge to evaluate and
achieve optimal client outcomes.
• Client advocate: adept at ensuring that clients, families and communities are wellinformed
and included in care planning and is an informed leader for improving care.
The CNL also serves as an advocate for the profession and the interdisciplinary health
care team.
• Educator: uses appropriate teaching principles and strategies as well as current
information, materials and technologies to teach clients, groups and other health care
professionals under their supervision;
• Information manager: able to use information systems and technology that put
knowledge at the point of care to improve health care outcomes;
• Systems analyst/Risk anticipator: able to participate in systems review to improve
quality of client care delivery and at the individual level to critically evaluate and
anticipate risks to client safety with the aim of preventing medical error.
• Team Manager: able to properly delegate and manage the nursing team resources
(human and fiscal) and serve as a leader and partner in the interdisciplinary health care
team; and
• Member of a profession: accountable for the ongoing acquisition of knowledge and
skills to effect change in health care practice and outcomes and in the profession.
• Lifelong Learner: recognizes the need for and actively pursues new knowledge and
skills as one’s role and needs of the health care system evolves