Upcoming Recognition of Clinical Nurse Specialist as Advanced Practice Authorization

The Georgia Board of Nursing voted in May 2010 to begin the process of recognizing Clinical Nurse Specialists as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse group. The Board's Advance Practice Registered Nurse Committee has worked diligently to create recommendations to enable the Board to recognize this group as advanced practice nurses.

Georgia law defines an advanced practice nurse as one who has met the requirements established by the Board to engage in advanced nursing practice and who holds a master's degree or other graduate degree from an approved nursing education program and national board certification in his or her area of specialty (see O.C.G.A. § 43-26-3 (1.1)).

Additionally, the Advanced Practice Committee of the Georgia Board of Nursing has recommended that the Board adopt a rule requiring Clinical Nurse Specialists to have advanced courses in pharmacology, pathophysiology and physical health assessment. The adoption of this rule will bring the standards and requirements of other Board recognized advanced practice authorizations to the Clinical Nurse Specialists population. Information regarding the proposed rule may be found here.

The Georgia Board of Nursing is currently planning to begin recognizing Clinical Nurse Specialists as an advanced practice group on January 1, 2012. This means that, at that time, Clinical Nurse Specialist would become a title protected by law and would only be usable by those with Georgia Board of Nursing advanced practice authorization as a Clinical Nurse Specialist.

Please note that the proposed rule change will have no impact on individuals who are currently authorized as Clinical Nurse Specialist/Psychiatric-Mental Health (CNS-PMH).

Applications for authorization as a clinical nurse specialist are available on the Board's website.