As new models of health care delivery evolve, the work of advanced practice nurses isgrowing in importance. Graduate programs in nursing have traditionally preparedadvanced practice nurses for separate roles as clinical nurse specialists or as nursepractitioners. However, there are increasing trends toward the blurring of boundaries between these two types of advanced practice roles. Hence, a future blended roleis projected by many nurse educators. The merger of clinical nurse specialist andnurse practitioner roles, however, requires corresponding shifts in academic programs. The purposes of this article are to discuss the need for a blended clinical specialist-nurse practitioner role in mental health, to identify populations of clients whowould be served by a blended role provider, to discuss the competencies associatedwith such a role, and to share an approach to the preparation of advanced practicemental health specialist/practitioners. (J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc [1998]. 4, 48-56)
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