Clinical Nurse Leader instructor Diane Park, center, leads patient rounds to promote better communication among healthcare team members and improve outcomes.

University of Wisconsin Oshkosh alumna Diane Park, MSN, RN, CNL, CRRN, is making a difference in nursing care in Wisconsin and beyond. As a graduate of the MSN program with the Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) emphasis in 2009, Park has been busy spreading the word about the benefits of the CNL role locally, regionally and nationally.

Park is the CNL coordinator in the  graduate emphasis at UW Oshkosh. In the last few years, enrollment in the CNL emphasis has grown exponentially, in part due to Park’s promotion of the role among nursing leaders across the state. She emphasizes how CNLs can positively impact patient and staff outcomes.

Nationally, there is heightened attention to quality and safety related to patient care. Clinical nurse leaders have advanced education to enhance patient safety measures and to continually improve care that is delivered to patients in a multitude of settings. Nurses who complete the graduate CNL emphasis are eligible for national certification, attesting to their competence.

Park also works as the Primary Stroke Center coordinator at Agnesian HealthCare in Fond du Lac. She oversees the care coordination of patients who have had strokes and transient ischemic attacks. She evaluates and improves outcomes of patients who have suffered from these neurological deficits and puts evidence-based practice into action to ensure that patients benefit from the latest innovations in care delivery.

Recently, Park was recognized by national leaders at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, when she was asked to be on the Planning Committee for the 2012 CNL Summit, held in Tampa Fla. At the meeting, CNLs from across the nation meet to learn and share successes.

Park has worked closely with Sharon Chappy, Graduate Program director and assistant dean, to develop the CNL specialty curriculum and promote the CNL emphasis offered at UW Oshkosh. The program is 100 percent online, making it attractive to working nurses across the state and beyond.

If any nurse leaders or potential students are interested in hearing more, contact Chappy at chappy@uwosh.edu or call the Graduate Program Office at (920) 424-2106.