Become a CNS® Supervisor

The American Nutrition Association® (ANA®) and the Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists (BCNS) welcome qualified practitioners to become supervisors for Certified Nutrition Specialist® (CNS®) candidates. Your participation as a CNS supervisor offers you many benefits:

  • Grow your practice: It provides you with an excellent opportunity to fully integrate nutrition into your practice through the services of a highly qualified nutrition professional CNS candidate, resulting in enhanced outcomes for your patients
  • Be part of the ANA Movement to Advance Health: You will not only help advance the career of the CNS candidate, but you will support the mission of nutrition as a foundational tool in the prevention and management of chronic disease.
  • Broaden your knowledge base. Helping a nutrition professional grow will broaden your own knowledge base and clinical nutrition skills.

The CNS®

The Certified Nutrition Specialist® credential (CNS®) is the most advanced certification for personalized nutrition practitioners. Certified Nutrition Specialists practice science-based personalized nutrition therapy to power people to health. They are spearheading the transformation from population-based to personalized nutrition, and from disease care to authentic health care. The CNS designation demonstrates to colleagues, clients, employers and the public that certified individuals have the knowledge and proficiency required for advanced professional nutrition practice. To be eligible for the CNS credential, an individual must have a minimum of a master’s degree in nutrition or a related health science, meet specified coursework requirements, achieve a passing score on the rigorous Certification Examination for Nutrition Specialists, and document achievement of a set of clearly defined practice competencies in 1000 hours of Supervised Practice Experience (SPE).

The Supervised Practice Experience (SPE)

Satisfactory completion of the CNS SPE is essential to being awarded the CNS® credential. The CNS SPE consists of 1,000 hours of supervised practice in personalized nutrition assessment, intervention, and monitoring to address both prevention and management of a broad range of health issues.

The SPE program is designed to support the supervisor in covering all designated competencies with the candidate while empowering supervisors and candidates to tailor the experience to meet individual career goals. It is structured to ensure each candidate obtains the in-depth knowledge and skills expected of an advanced-level nutrition professional as outlined in CNS SPE Competencies. The SPE may be obtained entirely or in part from internship, residency or clinical rotation, clinical practice setting, community setting, institutional setting, home health care setting, and/or practicum as part of a master’s or doctoral degree program.

Eligibility Requirements for CNS® Supervisors

Supervisors must meet both of the following criteria:

  1. Must hold at least one of the following:

    • Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) in good standing: or 

    • Master of Science or Doctoral Degree in a field of nutrition from a regionally accredited institution with a state license or certification (if applicable); or 

    • MD or other doctoral-level licensed professional whose scope of practice includes nutrition and who can provide information on their didactic training or education and experience in clinical nutrition as documented by 75 CE credits or the equivalent (without exception) within the past 5 years 

    • NOTE: Doctor of Chiropractic (DCs) must also be a CNS or MS, Nutrition from a regionally accredited institution. 

  2. Must have a minimum of 3 years full time clinical experience in personalized nutrition care or the equivalent after obtaining the required degree or credential.
  3. Supervisors may not be married to, related to or domestic partners with the supervisee(s).
  4. Approved supervisors may supervise multiple candidates on an ongoing basis.
  5. Supervisor status is valid for 3 years from the date of approval.

Types of Supervision CNS® Supervisors can Offer

In Person

The candidate and Supervisor are in the same physical location.

Remotely

The candidate is supervised by someone who is NOT in the same physical location. Supervision may be done by  phone, online conference platforms, or group webinars.

Please see the BCNS Certifications Handbook for the CNS Candidates and Supervisor Responsibilities and SPE Competencies

Telehealth Opportunities

  • Candidates may conduct nutrition counseling sessions with clients remotely, provided the regulations of both the state in which the practitioner practices and the state in which the client resides are followed.
  • In some states, the supervisor must be licensed to practice nutrition in the state in which the candidate resides. Regulations have been modified due to the COVID pandemic. Refer to theANA.org/AdvocacyCV19.
  • For more information on regulatory issues, refer to theANA.org/Advocate.

How to Apply