Clinical nurse specialists in cardiology: roles, practice and career development

Clinical nurse specialist roles in cardiology have expanded significantly over the past two decades in response to increasing service complexity and workforce pressures. For nurses early in their careers, it can be difficult to know how to navigate towards these career goals and understand what the roles encompass in various specialties. The aim of this article is to enable early career cardiology nurses to understand the role of the nurse specialist and the practical steps available to them to achieve this career goal. This expert commentary focuses on a selection of cardiology subspecialties to highlight the contribution of clinical nurse specialist roles to patient care, service delivery and professional development, and outlines key implications for nurses considering clinical nurse specialist careers and services developing specialist posts.