Certified Nurse Specialist Education Course

The fields of Community/Mental Health/Public Health, Child and Family Health Nursing, Adult Nursing and Gerontological Nursing in IPNU’s Graduate School Master’s Program have courses which meet the requirements for Certified Nurse Specialist (CNS) education courses. These courses have been accredited by the Japan Association of Nursing Programs in Universities as Certified Nurse Specialist education courses in Community Nursing, Child Nursing, Cancer Nursing and Gerontological Nursing.

What is a Certified Nurse Specialist?

A Certified Nurse Specialist is a nurse who has in-depth knowledge and skills in a specific specialist nursing field and who contributes to the development of health/medicine/welfare as well as improving nursing education, so that high level nursing care can be effectively provided to individuals, families and groups who have complex, problematic nursing problems. It is an individual who has passed the Certified Nurse Specialist accreditation assessment by the Japanese Nursing Association, and who is recognized as ‘a person with excellent practical nursing skills in a specific nursing field’.
There are 11 fields (as of March 2016) including Cancer Nursing, Chronic Care Nursing, Women’s Health Nursing, Child Health Nursing, Gerontological Nursing, Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, Family Health Nursing, Community Health Nursing, Critical Care Nursing, Infection Control Nursing and Home Care Nursing.

The role of Certified Nurse Specialists

The following roles are expected in specialist nursing fields.

1. Nursing practice: Excellent practical nursing for individuals, families and groups.
2. Advice: Carrying out consultations for care providers including nursing professionals.
3. Coordination: Coordinating those working in health/medical/welfare fields so that the necessary care can be provided smoothly and trouble-free.
4. Upholding ethics: Achieving solutions to ethical problems and conflicts to protect the rights of individuals, families and groups.
5. Education: Performing an educational role for nursing professionals, to achieve an improvement in care.
6. Research: Research activities in clinical practice to achieve the improvement and development of specialist knowledge and skills.

Certified Nurse Specialist Education Course

In the IPNU Certified Nurse Specialist course, at least 38 credits from the common subjects (A/B) and the specialist subjects in the specialist nursing fields must be completed. From the common A subjects, students must obtain 10 credits from compulsory subjects and 4 credits from optional subjects, and from the common B subjects, they must complete 6 credits. Additionally, in terms of specialist subjects, students must take at least 24 credits in subjects designated in each specialist field (at least 25 credits in community/mental health/public health studies). (At least 10 credits are required in practicum subjects) These are the credits required for Certified Nurse Specialists to gain the necessary practical skills.

For nurses, public health nurses and midwives who hold licenses and who have completed the specified courses, by completing practical work training (a minimum of five years is required, and three of those years must be in a specialist nursing field), they are eligible to be assessed as a Certified Nurse Specialist. After passing and being accredited, accreditation renewal must be undertaken every five years.

• Japanese Nursing Association