Implementation of the role of the clinical specialist in nursing should include introduction into the community hospital, Educational preparation, experience as a practitioner, personality of the individual, and climate of the employing agency determine the actual role assumed. Three years of experimentation in a 400-bed community teaching hospital substantiates the vital part the clinical specialist can play in improving quality of care, Staff relationship allows the specialist freedom to explore and develop the role, Questions regording the role of the clinical specialists move us toward better understanding and acceptance of the nurse as a professional. Clinical specialists help to create a challenging climate for nursing.