I would like the opportunity to practice to the fullest scope of my educational preparation in my home state of Virginia.  This not only would help to bridge the gap of those Virginians who do not currently have access to standard medical care but would provide me immense professional satisfaction by elevating the level of services I am able to offer.  I consider any step that is taken to move us in this direction by the Virginia Clinical Nurse Specialists (VaCNS) to be long overdue.  Therefore, I fully support the petition to revise the regulations governing Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) registration and practice in this state. 

Clarification in CNS registration requirements and differentiation of the advanced practice role of the CNS from that of the professional registered nurse is obligatory.  The revisions made move this group of advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) closer to full alignment with the tenets of the Consensus Model for APRN Regulation (2008), a document that is over a decade old, which represents my ideal standards of practice for this group of APRNs.