I am a newly registered Clinical Nurse Specialist in the state of Virginia, and was surprised to find that the statutes governing CNS practice in Va. are not equivalent to the states bordering the commonwealth. Although CNSs enjoy title protection and are identified as Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) in the Code of Virginia, the interpretation of current regulations suggest that CNS practice is no different than that of the professional nurse. If Virginia does not move forward with implementing the NCSBNs Consensus Model the Commonwealth it risks losing practitioners to its neighbors who grant CNSs full practice authority. Approximately 36 of the 50 states recognize the full privileges of the CNS preparation and role and, therefore, their citizens benefit from their expertise. I support this petition of the VaCNS to advance full practice authority in the commonwealth.

Kimberly Miller MSN RN AGCNS-BC CDE