This website and program are not affiliated with the Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists℠ or the Certified Nutrition Specialist® credential. To ensure that any training or supervised practice program meets the CNS® requirements, please visit

https://theana.org/certify

 

This mentorship program is designed to help individuals gain the supervised practical experience that is required for the CNS® designation. The CNS® Supervised Experience Competencies are described at the Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists website.

 

Prepare for Board Certification

This program is specifically designed to prepare student interns to pursue board certification in nutrition as a Certified Nutrition Specialist® (CNS)®. The Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists℠(BCNS) requires 1,000 hours of documented supervised nutrition practice experience, along with the passage of the CNS® examination to attain the CNS® credential.

 

According to the BCNS℠, the objective of the CNS® credential is to demonstrate that the individual has the advanced knowledge and clinical experience suited for the practice of science-based clinical nutrition.

 

This program offers professional practice experience where candidates will focus on nutrition assessment, nutrition intervention, education, counseling or management, and nutrition monitoring & evaluation. 

 

As a general recommendation, the goal is to complete 20 hours per week of practice/experience to accumulate the required 1,000 hours in a 12-month time frame.  However, the BCNS allows for up to 5 years to complete the supervised practice experience.  Candidates can choose a program that best fits their needs.

 

All programs include:

• Group Meetings: 90-minutes per month 

• Individual Meeting: 30-minutes every other week

• Private Facebook Group (to connect with other CNS Candidates)

• Virtual support (to ask questions between meetings)

• Observational Case Studies (if candidates are able to earn observational hours)

• Dietary resources

• Nutritional questionnaires

• Nutrition assessment resources

• Client handouts

• Business building resources

​

Clinical Sites:

It is required that candidates find their own practice venue(s) or continue their self-initiated internship experience(s), utilizing Kim Ross for supervision, structure, and support.  Kim Ross will assist in vetting the practice venue to ensure that it meets the BCNS requirements.

 

The clinical experience will take place at the candidate’s place of employment or internship.  Some options include:

• Individual clinical work (consulting as a nutrition professional)

• Group clinical work (weight loss groups, diabetes management groups, etc.)

• Educational programs in the community (lunch and learn, webinars, cooking demonstrations, grocery store tours, etc.)

• Partnering with colleagues and other professionals (DC, MD, PA, NP, etc.)

​

Eligibility Requirements

•  Individuals must be matriculated in a program to earn one of the following or must hold one of the following from a regionally accredited institution

  • Master of Science in the field of nutrition, OR

  • Doctoral degree in the field of nutrition, OR

  • Doctoral degree in a field of clinical healthcare (including, but not limited to, MD, DO, DC, DDS, Doctor of Nursing, ND, or PharmD) AND a minimum of nine semester credit hours in nutrition application/skill courses, six semester credit hours in biochemistry, three semester credit hours in anatomy and physiology, and 12 additional semester credit hours in clinical or life sciences.

• Candidates should be in their second to last or last semester of school if they are not already working clinically.   This ensures that candidates have received the education needed to properly meet the BCNS competencies. 

 

Other Details

• Candidates are required to carry professional liability insurance to participate in this program.

• Candidates will be required to record their clinical hours and time spent under supervision.   A tracking tool will be provided to assist in this. 

• Candidates are not limited to earning your supervised practice experience under Kim's supervision alone.   Multiple supervisors are allowed and often encouraged to ensure you are meeting all of the core competencies. 

• Licensing laws vary state to state and it is your responsibility to be sure you are complying with your state laws before practicing nutrition and applying for this mentorship program. Review state laws at The Center for Nutrition Advocacy website. 

• Be sure to review the information on the BCNS website to know your responsibilities as a CNS candidate.