In 2016, NACNS commissioned a task force to help CNSs who wish to practice currently within the FALS population. The members of the Family Across the Lifespan task force conducted a comparison among existing adult/gerontology and pediatric CNS competencies and the draft FALS competencies.
Though not a long-term solution, the NACNS Board of Directors recommends that licensure by certification for the Family Across the Lifespan (FALS) clinical nurse specialist can be achieved by passing both the CNS adult/gero and CNS pediatric certification examinations. This is a proxy for a FALS population-specific CNS certification examination until such time that a valid and reliable FALS test and/or certification process is established.
Download the complete report and crosswalk.
Family Across the Lifespan Crosswalk task force members are:
- Lola Trudell Coke, Ph.D., ACNS-BC, RN-BC, FAHA, FPCNA with Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois;
- Emily Dorosz, MSN, RN, CPN, CPEN with Children’s National Health System in the District of Columbia;
- Ana-Maria Gallo, Ph.D., CNS, RNC-OB with Azusa Pacific University in San Diego, California;
- Jerithea Tidwell, Ph.D., RN, PCNS-BC, PNP-BC with Children’s Medical Center Dallas in Dallas, Texas;
- Terri Nally, NACNS Consultant; and
- Melinda Mercer Ray, MSN, NACNS Executive Director.