CNS · Arkansas
Supervision Agreement for Clinical Nurse Specialists in Arkansas
Yes, a written supervising-physician agreement is required. Arkansas does not name a specific instrument.
Arkansas's FIPCC pathway (§ 17-87-314) explicitly covers CNS alongside CNP — same 6,240-hour threshold, $150 application fee, 2 recommendation letters, 3-year renewal.
Independent practice requires: ≥6,240 hours of practice under a collaborative practice agreement; Full Independent Practice Credentialing Committee (FIPCC) approval — same process as CNP.
What the supervision must look like
The rules the physician relationship has to follow. Each fact comes from the statute or board rule listed under sources.
Proximity
CNS practicing under a collaborative practice agreement (pre-FIPCC): Available remotely (no on-site requirement)
No CNS-specific CPA content rules distinct from the general APRN CPA rule were found — assumed same as CNP.
Supervision ratio
Not codified — no cap on file
Chart review
Not codified — left to the agreement
Meeting cadence
Not codified — left to the agreement
Prescriptive authority
CNS with Full Independent Practice Authority (post-FIPCC): Covered by the practice agreement · controlled substances permitted
Same framework as CNP; schedule-specific detail not separately confirmed for CNS in this research pass.
Written agreement
Required
Required only before FIPCC certification, same as CNP.
Practice ownership (corporate practice of medicine)
Licensee-only ownership required — Same general Arkansas CPOM framework as `np`.
Legal sources for these rules (1)
- Ark. Code Ann. § 17-87-314 — Full Independent Practice Credentialing Committee (covers CNP and CNS)
What a supervising physician costs here
Typical monthly cost in Arkansas
$500 – $600
Estimate for one Clinical Nurse Specialist. This state's proximity rules add a small premium.
About Arkansas's rules
Act 412 of 2021 created a 6,240-hour Full Independent Practice Credentialing Committee (FIPCC) pathway for CNPs and CNSs only — CRNAs and CNMs are excluded from FIPCC and follow their own frameworks. CRNA independent-practice status is a genuine, unresolved ambiguity (see that entry) — a widely repeated 'Medicare opt-out' claim doesn't equal a change to AR's own supervision statute.
Other clinicians in Arkansas: see the state overview.