The National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS) is the only association that represents ALL CNSs. We make the CNS role stronger, which leads to improved experiences for nurses, more effective healthcare systems and better patient outcomes.
On this page:
Why Join Us?
Together, we are so much stronger! The NACNS leads clinical nurse specialists in:
- Working for title protection, role protection and full practice authority for the CNS
- Advocating for better patient care, better pay, and better working conditions
- Making the CNS role more visible and promoting its value
Our members get over $1,900 in value every year in discounts and benefits for a tiny fraction of that amount. Here’s what the NACNS provides:
- Representation of your interests with regulators at the state and federal levels on issues like regulation, certification, reimbursement, and more
- Advocacy and partnership with other APRN and specialty nursing associations and coalitions
- Professional development resources
- Scholarships and mentoring for the next generation of CNSs
- Networking opportunities across the country
- Recognition of outstanding performance with annual awards
- Free access to exclusive member content:
- FREE CEs through our learning management platform (currently transitioning to Sigma Nursing)
- Our Journal: “Clinical Nurse Specialist™ — both online and in hard copy ($160 value)
- CNS certification discounts from American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
- Discounts on liability insurance from the Nurses Service Organization (NSO)
- Discounted rates for our annual conference ($300 discount during early bird registration, and $235 discount onsite)
- Up to date information on issues that affect you and your patients
- Promotion of ground-breaking research by CNSs
Institutional memberships also receive discounts on conference exhibits, print and electronic subscriptions to the Clinical Nurse Specialist: The International Journal for Advanced Nursing, and a print copy of the NACNS Statement on CNS Practice and Education.
Who Should Join?
Anyone who is a CNS should definitely join. We also offer memberships for those who were not educated as CNSs, but who would like to support the role.
Licensed CNSs
CNSs Transitioning into Practice
CNS Students
Retired CNSs
Institutions
CNS Supporters
Membership Types
For Individuals
CNS Membership — Join Now — $179
To qualify as a regular member, you must:
- Hold a license to practice as a registered nurse
- Hold a masters or doctoral degree/post-grad certificate in nursing from an accredited program that prepares clinical nurse specialists, OR
- Practice or have practiced as a clinical nurse specialist or are involved in the education and development of clinical nurse specialists
Full members are entitled to vote, hold office, and participate in or chair committees/task forces/work groups.
To qualify as a student member, you must:
- Holds a license to practice as a registered nurse
- Provide verification of enrollment as a part-time or full-time student in an accredited program that prepares clinical nurse specialists
Student members may attend all meetings and participate in committees/task forces/work groups, but not vote or hold office or chair committees/task forces/work groups.
To qualify as a transition to practice member, you must:
- Hold a license to practice as a registered nurse
- Hold a masters or doctoral degree/post-grad certificate in nursing from an accredited program that prepares clinical nurse specialists, AND
- Practice or have practiced as a clinical nurse specialist for less than one year
- After completing one year of TTP Membership, you will transition to full CNS membership.
A transition to practice member is entitled to vote, hold office, and participate in or chair committees/task forces/work groups. However, they are limited to one year in level before transitioning to full membership.
To qualify as an international member, you must:
- Have a valid permanent residence outside the United States of America
- Be interested in learning about and supporting the role of the clinical nurse specialist
International members may attend all meetings and participate in committees/task forces/work groups, but may not vote, hold office, or chair committees/task forces/work groups.
To qualify as an international developing country member, you must:
- Have a valid permanent residence outside the United States of America in one of these countries: https://academic.oup.com/journals/pages/librarians/developing_countries/participating_countries
- Be interested in learning about and supporting the role of the clinical nurse specialist
International developing country members may attend all meetings and participate in committees/task forces/work groups, but may not vote, hold office, or chair committees/task forces/work groups.
To qualify as a retired member, you must:
- Be permanently retired from employment as a clinical nurse specialist.
Retired members may participate in or chair committees/task forces/work groups and retain voting rights.
An associate member is an individual who does not meet the membership requirements for the other membership types but who is interested in learning about and supporting the role of the clinical nurse specialist.
Associate members receive a core set of membership benefits specified by the board of directors, may attend all meetings, and participate in committees/task forces/work groups, but may not vote, hold office, or chair committees/task forces/work groups.
For Institutions
Support your CNS workforce with bulk memberships at a discounted rate:
- Copper Membership — 5 employee seats — $765 per year
- Bronze Membership — 10 employee seats — $1,530 per year
- Silver Membership — 20 employee seats — $3,055 per year
- Gold Membership — 30 employee seats — $4,580 per year
- Platinum Membership — 40 employee seats — $6,110 per year
- Diamond Membership — 50+ employee seats — $7,633 per year
Member organizations are responsible for providing their roster of designated members to NACNS and should review them on an annual basis at the time of renewal.
If you would like to purchase this member type, please contact info@nacns.org.
Please send check payments to:
NACNS
c/o NACNS Accounting
401 Edgewater Place, Suite 600
Wakefield, MA 01880