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.

The median annual salary for Clinical Nurse Specialists in the US is $93,600. The middle 80% of workers earn between $61,250 and $132,680 annually. Entry-to-mid-career earners typically fall between $70,310 and $106,530.

The role is projected to grow 5% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Current US employment is approximately 3,391,000 workers.

The typical entry education is a Bachelor's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.

The most in-demand skills for this role include Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Coordination. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.

Our AI-durability model gives Clinical Nurse Specialists a score of 0.30 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at low AI exposure — the role's core work resists current-generation automation. It's a comparatively AI-durable choice within its field.

Clinical Nurse Specialists has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.