Shame on you ANCC : Psych CNS: Don't precept Psych NP's

Specialties CNS

Published

ANCC is not recognizing our 500+ clinical hours as a Psych CNS's stating that maybe we did not preform "clinical" work for those hours and instead did some other type of managerial or organizational work, therefore they will not allow us to sit for the Psych NP exams despite meeting all the requirements. Even if you had a dual program and decided to sit for the CNS vs the NP exam (because it was the thing to do at the time) and even if you had hours in more than one modality as required, ANCC will give you a hard time saying that your hours don't count. It makes no sense and this is an unfair practice by the ANCC. If we as CNS's aren't able to take the same exam as the students we are supposedly fit to precept then we shouldn't precept them at all. Don't Precept Psych NP's until the ANCC makes changes to their policies. If their practice is so different then ours then nursing programs can go find all the experienced psych NP's out there to precept instead (aka NP's with less than 3 years experience).

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
I still don't understand what cns is to this day. I think I've seen one since being in and out of hospitals working in different places since 2009

In my state you don't see them much any more as they are similar to a NP but without prescribing rights although in some states they are able to prescribe so in that case I have no clue what the difference is. The few at the hospitals where I work in psych are relegated to working as a social worker so in addition to being ancient they are bitter. Its an unfortunate situation for all involved.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Fortunately I work in a state where I have same scope of practice as NP. I have no clue what a REAL CNS does as all the ones I know are APRNs.

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Sounds like a tough situation. One of those nursing degrees that got lost in the wayside causing problems for those who put in all that effort

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Specializes in Forensics, OB, QI.

It's unfortunate. I guess the way to go would be to do a NP post-MSN certificate. Hopefully, they could even waive or transfer some of the credits from the CNS program.

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Specializes in nursing education.
In the last decade I was attempting to get my CNS and this conflict about the role of CNS and how it was going to be recognized by all entities came to the surface. This caused me to change to an Geriatric NP program because I didn't want to work for a degree that wasn't going to be recognized. The NP program turned out to be not properly supported by the university as far as accreditation and having the properly certified people in charge of the program. I found out that I was the only person in their Geriatric NP program which was to say the least shocking and when I asked who was in charge of the program because someone who asked me about it. They said, No one. After this they manufactured some reasons to throw me out of the program. I never got my degree after being 3/4ths of the way done.

This is awful, prunejuice&BPs. Now with the LACE model it's "adult/gero." Would any of your credits transfer at this point? It is a bizarre situation for our profession.

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Specializes in CNS, PMHNP, EMS, ER, Instructor.

The Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice (2nd Edition), p. 7 states: "Whether practicing under the title of clinical nurse specialist (CNS) or NP, Psychiatric Mental Health Advanced Practice Registered Nurses share the same core competencies of clinical and professional practice."

This standard is supported by the ANA (although the ANCC is technically a separate organization it is really part of the ANA) and sold by the ANA.

So it appears to me that the ANCC is basically not following the guidance provided in not allowing your CNS hours.

And to comment on what some of the other posters stated, the college where I went will not accept any CNS courses for NP courses "because the CNS is different." So they must not have read the standard either.

CNS was fun, but now is pretty much considered unneeded. In talking several years ago when I was just finishing my CNS, my professor (a long-time CNS) told me that the NP organizations tried to get CNS's removed as APRNs from the LACE document.

Sometimes I think the nursing profession is its own "worse enemy."

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Amen and I totally agree.

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Specializes in Psychiatric Nursing.

I received my CNS with prescriptive authority in 1994 before there was a psych np program. It was the only psych advanced practice degree at the time. Now I can practice in many but not all states as an APRN. My curriculum was clinically oriented. Mostly therapy and clinical formulation and psychopharmacology. Not so much change agent or systems. My clinical hours were all clinical-- seeing patients and working with interdisciplinary team. 600 hours I think. My program evolved into,a psych np program. Be nice if there was a bridge now to the lifespan psych np since my adult psych cns is considered a retired certification.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

So many of the CNS certs are "retired". Both my adult and now my peds CNS are "retired." How can that be when I have 10 more years to work?

I absolutely hate this about nursing.

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Yes but for Psych my program was dual and 500+ hours is still what is required to sit for the exam although I did a ton more than that and also I have worked as a prescribing CNS for 10 years. I did "aprn" hours. Not psych "CNS" hours. I'm in MA and they don't even have any experienced psych NP's because everyone is a CNS. it's complete garbage and I am considering a lawsuit against my school if they do not support me with the ANCC that my program was Dual and that my hours were completely in prescribing, diagnosing, and psychotherapy. It's absolutely ridiculous. I am furious.

Their tests don't indicate clinical competency. Mine for NP more mirrored the present idealization of a CNS role, e.g. organizational consulting and staff discrepancies. They've got to draw the line somewhere. You may have had 500 hours (which isn't enough for any of us) in direct patient treatment, but the trend is for CNS folks to do other things. Exactly what those other things are isn't well agreed upon. The lack of consensus plagues nursing.
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the exam is retired, not your credentials. But in my case certain states will not recognize my psych CNS cert to prescribe. I was told I could take either the NP or the CNS exam because I was in a dual program. But now they say I can't take that exam anymore... it's so stupid.

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Specializes in Psychiatric Nursing.

There are about 36 states that recognize Psych CNS with prescriptive authority. with the Ancc being retire-certification happy, would think they would help adult APRNs transition to the family psych np since this is the future non-retired credential.

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