title: [Competencies and professional profile of the advanced practice nurse].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The advanced practice nurse can foster the development of innovative approaches in the design of patient, families and community care. This study has aimed to explain the importance of the advanced practice nurse, especially that of the clinical nurse specialist (CNS), within the care setting and to go deeper into the knowledge of this nursing profile.
  
  
  METHODS
  A review of the literature.
  
  
  METHODS
  The following databases were used: CINAHL, PubMed and Medline. Search terms were 'clinical nurse specialist,' 'implementation,' and 'advanced practice nursing.'
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sample included 24 publications. A synthesis of the findings generated a summary of the competencies of CNS and their definitions, with some examples in their daily practice and the outcome on its 3 spheres of influences: patients and families, staff and organization.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CNS emerges in the health systems in order to improve the outcomes in the patients, staff and the organization per se because of its competence as an agent of change and transformational leader
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  National policies and national strategies are needed to implement CNS on the Master's level in the Spanish National Health System given the evidence-based improvement in the care standards.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, España. Electronic address: mdelbarrio@unav.es.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: del Barrio-Linares
mesh_terms: D057179:Advanced Practice Nursing / Q000592:standards*; D002983:Clinical Competence; D006801:Humans
keywords: Advanced practice nursing; Clinical nurse specialist; Clinical nurse specialist and magnet hospital; Enfermera clínica especialista; Enfermera de práctica avanzada; Enfermería de práctica avanzada y hospital magnético; Implementación; Implementation