title: The Clinical Nurse Leader--new nursing role with global implications.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This paper describes the development of the Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL ©) role and education, the CNL's impact and potential to improve quality globally.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The need for clinical nurse leadership to improve the quality of health care systems while controlling costs is recognized in reports internationally. In the USA, a new nursing role, the CNL, was developed in response to such reports.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CNLs are master's level nurse graduates (although not necessarily recruited from a nursing background) with the skills and knowledge to create change within complex systems and improve outcomes while they remain direct care providers. This innovative role can be adapted worldwide to improve the quality of health care systems.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA. baernholdt@virginia.edu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baernholdt
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cottingham
mesh_terms: D003479:Curriculum; D004506:Education, Nursing; D014943:Global Health; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D009720:Nurse Clinicians / Q000193:education; D024802:Nurse's Role