Our Clinical Practice teams include expert Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs), Advanced Practice Specialists (APSs) and Wound Ostomy Clinical Nurses who support nursing practice through leadership, translation of evidence into practice, clinical consultation, education, and nurse mentorship.

Clinical Nurse Specialists

CNSs are Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) with expertise in the nursing care of a specialty population or clinical condition and serve as a leader, consultant, educator, and mentor for the nursing staff and teams at UCSF Medical Center. The specialized knowledge and advanced skills required for CNS practice includes clinical expertise in the management of the specialty population/clinical condition and related nursing care; design and implementation of evidence-based practice (EBP); education and mentorship; consultation; performance improvement; and team leadership. The role has three spheres of impact that include the patient/family, nursing/interprofessional teams, and the organization/health system. CNSs work collaboratively with the clinical and administrative teams to support and ensure high quality standards of nursing care and professional practice to optimize patient, team, and system outcomes.  

Advanced Practice Specialists

APSs are master’s- or doctorally-prepared nurses with advanced clinical expertise and specialty certification who provide clinical leadership, education, consultation, and mentorship for quality improvement and evidenced-based practice implementation.

Wound Ostomy Clinical Nurses

These specality nurses have clinical expertise in wound, ostomy, and continence care and advanced wound and ostomy care certification.  They provide direct care consultation for complex wounds and ensure evidence-based nursing care is incorporated into patient care plans and nursing procedures. They provide education to patients, nurses, and interdisciplinary teams and lead HAPI prevention best-practices across the hospital sites.

Hildy Schell-Chaple, PhD, RN, CCRN-K, CCNS, FAAN
Director of Clinical Practice and Research, UCSF Health
Clinical Professor, Department of Physiological Nursing, UCSF School of Nursing