Nebraska Health and Human Services
Regulation and Licensure, Credentialing Division
Phone: (402) 471-4376  FAX: (402) 471-1066

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To: Applicant for State Licensure as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse-Clinical Nurse Specialist

           
We are pleased that you wish to pursue licensure to practice as a CNS in Nebraska.

Licensure:
Licensure issued by the state of Nebraska is mandatory for APRN-CNS.  You may not practice as an APRN-CNS in Nebraska until you are issued a license.

To qualify for licensure as a APRN-Clinical Nurse Specialist in Nebraska you must:

1. Have a current Registered Nurse license in Nebraska or a multi-state license from another compact state under the Nurse License Compact Act;

2. Have completed a master’s degree or a doctoral degree in a nursing clinical specialty area or have a master’s degree in nursing and have successfully completed a graduate-level clinical nurse specialist education program.

3. Have taken and passed an approved certification examination. Below is a list of approved exams

• American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) – CNS examinations in Adult Health, Adult Psychiatric and Mental Health, Advanced Diabetes Management, Child/Adolescent Psychiatric and Mental Health, Community Health, Gerontological Nursing, or Pediatric Nursing;
• American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) – CNS examinations in Adult Acute and Critical Care, Pediatric Acute and Critical Care, or Neonatal Acute and Critical Care; and
• Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation – Advanced Oncology CNS examination
  (These examinations are taken from the draft regulations.  The regulations are still in the approval process and have not yet been approved.  You may still submit appropriate verification for any of the above examinations.  If there are any changes in the final draft of the regulations, we will notify you.)

4. Between July 1, 2007 and September 1, 2007 anyone currently practicing as a CNS may be licensed without meeting the requirement for national certification. You must meet all other requirements for licensure. A letter from your current employer verifying you are currently practicing as a CNS will be required at the time of application.

To apply for licensure, you must submit the following:

1. APPLICATION
2. FEE of $30 ($32.00 if your RN license is based in another compact state other than Nebraska)
3. OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT. Transcripts must be submitted directly from the institution where you completed your advanced course of study. The institution may charge a fee for this service.
4. NATIONAL CERTIFICATION.  Verification of having passed a certifying examination and official verification of current certification must be submitted from the certifying organization. 
5. ACTIVE RN LICENSURE VERIFICATION.  If active RN licensure is in Nebraska, no action is required to meet this requirement.  If your primary state of residence under the Nurse License Compact is Nebraska and your Nebraska RN license is inactive or lapsed, you must reinstate your Nebraska RN license.  If your primary state of residence is a compact state other than Nebraska and you have a multi-state license in that state, please refer to the instructions on the NURSYS License Verification Request Form.  If your primary state of residence is a compact state and you have a multi-state license in that state and it is not covered by NURSYS, please contact the state directly for verification.  If your primary state of residence is a non-compact state, you must apply for licensure as an RN in Nebraska. 
6. ADVANCED PRACTICE LICENSURE VERIFICATION. Advance practice licensure from the original state of licensure must be verified. Contact your original state of advanced practice licensure for applicable fee. (Form enclosed).