The Certification Board for Nutrition Specialists (CBNS) administers an examination for professional nutritionists with an advanced degree seeking certification as a Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) several times each year at different sites.
The examination schedule for 2008-2009 is as follows:
Certification as a Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) requires an advanced degree, professional experience, and a passing score on the CBNS certifying examination. Authorization to sit for the examination requires the following documentation:
1) For professional nutritionists, an advanced degree (masters or doctoral level) from a regionally accredited institution in the field of nutrition, or a field allied to nutrition and relevant to the practice of nutrition. A list of eligible educational institutions is compiled by the American Council on Education (Accredited Institutions of Postsecondary Education). Advanced degrees earned from institutions outside the United States will be considered by the CBNS on an individual basis.
2) For licensed health care professionals (includes holders of MD, DO, DC, DDS, and DPM licenses), documentation of graduation from an accredited institution and a current license to practice withinthe US or country of residence are required. In addition, documentation of additional formal orstructured informal course work in nutrition is required.
3) All applicants are required to complete by the time of the examination either: a) 1000 hours of supervised professional experience in nutrition or related activities, or
b) 4000 hours of independent experience as a professional nutritionist in a professional setting. Professional experience may include, singly or in combination, experience as a nutritionist, dietitian, nutrition researcher, or public policy nutritionist. Documented self-employment is acceptable. This experience may not include work for which graduate credits were awarded while matriculated in a full or part-time program of the degree-conferring graduate study being cited to satisfy the educational requirement noted above. The Credentials Committee of the CBNS will decide on the applicability of unusual experience in individual cases.
4) Successful candidates for CNS certification are urged to become members/fellows of the American College of Nutrition (ACN). Membership for the year 2008, will be processed at a 50% reduction (i.e. $90.00). All benefits of membership, including a subscription to the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, will accrue.
Certification Board for Nutrition Specialists
Att: Pearl Small, CBNS Coordinator
300 South Duncan Avenue, Suite 225
Clearwater, Florida 33755
2) ) Include a check or money order for $350.00. Arrange for submission of graduate or professional school transcripts with evidence of degrees awarded, and documentation of professional experience as a nutritionist. Checks and money orders should be payable to the CBNS. Payment by credit card is acceptable (MasterCard, Visa & Discover). A credit card authorization form is included on the application page to be signed and returned with the application.
3) Documentation of professional experience may take the form of a resume, curriculum vitae and letters of reference from supervisors. In all cases, the materials provided must be adequate to allow an evaluation of the eligibility of the applicant.
4) Application forms must be accompanied by all fees and must be received by specified deadline dates.
5) Voluntary withdrawals (for any reason) will be honored up to two weeks before the examination date, and the examination fee of $ 300.00 will be refunded.
Examinees for certification as Certified Nutrition Specialists will be allowed four hours to complete the examination. The examination questions will be drawn from a bank of questions submitted by examination committee. The examination will consist of 200 questions, all in single-answer, multiple choice format, and will cover the broad spectrum of basic and applied nutritional science. An adjusted score of 65% is required to pass the examination. A diploma acknowledging certification as a Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) will be sent to successful candidates. Candidates whose examination scores are below the minimum acceptable standard may request manual confirmation of their examination score upon payment of a $50.00 regrading fee. Unsuccessful candidates are eligible to sit for a subsequent examination (during the next two years) by submission of a re-examination application and a re-examination fee of $150.00.
FEES:
The refundable examination fee is $ 300.00 plus a non-refundable application fee of $ 50.00. Full payment is required upon submission of the application. The $ 50.00 application fee is not refundable, whereas the examination fee will be refunded if requested two weeks before the examination date. Applicants meeting the educational and experience requirements, and who have paid the application fees in full, will be notified of their eligibility, and the site and time of the examination. Applicants deemed ineligible will also be notified and the $ 300.00 examination fee will be refunded. Deadline dates for filing the examination application will appear on the application form. Applications will not be accepted after the deadline.
A passing grade on the examination will maintain the certification of successful examinees for five years (i.e., until December 31, 2012 for those certified in 2005). A yearly maintenance fee is also required to permit CBNS to provide continuing logistic support for successful examinations, and maintain a data base for CNS's.
Certified Nutrition Specialists (CNS) are required to recertify every five years from their date of certification. A recertification fee and 75 continuing nutrition education credits (CNE's) are mandatory to maintain the CNS designation. Copies of attendance certificates indicating the number of CNE credits awarded should be sent to the CBNS office when applying for recertification.
The term Continuing Nutrition Education (CNE) refers to participation as a learner (attendee; student; trainee) in formal structured educational opportunities that are targeted to the practitioners of professional disciplines that build upon previous knowledge, skills, training and experience in nutrition. Activities during which nutritional practices are explained and described in a balanced and objective manner that includes frank discussion of the nature, degree, and reliability of the available relevant scientific evidence are appropriately considered Continuing Nutrition Educational activities. In contrast, activities whose purpose is to advocate the use of specific products for the purpose of promoting sales, especially in the absence of relevant scientific evidence, are not considered to be appropriate for continuing education.
Although many valuable services provided by professional nutritionists have educational components, they are more justifiably professional activities (such as direct dietary counseling, the interpretation of clinical chemistry profiles, formal teaching, oral presentations, conversations with representatives of commercial enterprises, authorship, etc), and do not necessarily contribute to the continuing education of the nutritionist per se. Nonetheless, self directed education is recognized as a valuable component of any life long professional Continuing Nutrition Education program.
Currently, the CBNS recognizes primarily CNE credits earned by Certified Nutrition Specialists for participation in education opportunities in the broad field of nutrition that are sponsored by organizations that are accepted by the American College of Nutrition, the American Dietetic Association, the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, the Accreditation Council on Pharmaceutical Education, the American Osteopathic Association and the American Medical Association. Other meetings and other activities may be eligible based on their "common sense" validity as educational activities.
An average of 15 CNE credits per year (or 75 credits per 5 year recertification period) is required. Documentation should be obtained by the individual (attendance certificates indicating CNE's awarded) and be sent to the CBNS office when applying for recertification. Maintain a file for CNE credits; do not send CNE data until recertifying.
