To:  Virginia Board of Nursing

From:  Victoria Soltis-Jarrett, PhD, PMHCNS/NP-BC and the International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses (ISPN) Board of Directors

On behalf of the leadership of the International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses (ISPN) and as President of ISPN, I write to the Virginia Board of Nursing in support of the current petition from the Virginia Chapter of the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists, requesting the Board to examine its regulations for the practice of clinical nurse specialists (CNS). ISPN is in full support of the “The Consensus Model for APRN Regulation: Licensure, Accreditation, Certification, and Education,” which recognizes the Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN). As an organization whose membership consists of APRNs in Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing, we wholeheartedly champion all registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Virginia to ensure the viability of the role of a CNS now and in the future.