Ishikawa Fumiyo

The purpose of this study was to identify the need for certified nurse specialists as felt by nurses and further to collect basic data in preparation for CNS graduate programs at Tokyo Metropolitan Goverment. A questionnaire survey was conducted with a sample of 60 experienced nurses undergoing a training course to become nursing instructers in T-Universiy. 37 out of 60 questionnaires were returned (return rate: 61.7 %) . The questionnaire consisted of 26 items concerning 5 key conceptualized functions identified as the essentials of CNS such as "patient care", "consultation", "education", "research" and "co-ordination". The findings were as follows: (1)25% of nurses expressed thier strong wishes to introduce CNS to their hospitals while 69.4 % of them wished if the situation permits. (2)They had high expectations of the CNS as providers of quality "patient care", and "research". (3)The nurses who wished to introduce CNS to their hospitals seemed to put emphasis on "humanity", "knowledge and technique" and "cooperation" in the order of importance. (4)They feel that CNS program assist in their career development and it is their wish to take CNS programs without quiting their job. The above findings provided some evidence to justify the need for the development of a suitable curriculum related to CNS program in T-University.