CNS Supervised Practice Experience (SPE) Supervisor FAQs
FAQs
How do I become a supervisor?
If you meet the qualifications of a supervisor, the CNS candidate will download the Supervisor Approval Application for you to complete. Please fill out the entire form and send it to the candidate, along with your current CV or resume. The candidate will then upload it to her/his CNS Portal for the BCNS Credentials Council to review. Upon approval or if there are questions, the BCNS staff will contact you and your supervisee via email.
What is the benefit to me for volunteering as a supervisor?
You will be advancing the career of the individual you supervise as well as the broad mission of nutrition as a foundational tool in the prevention and treatment of chronic disease. The candidate will support your practice by adding value to your client, and you will learn new things as a result of working with your intern.
How does the CNS candidate find me?
Once you have been approved as a CNS supervisor, your contact information will become part of the BCNS database. With your permission, we will offer your name to CNS candidates.
How will the CNS candidate be assigned?
The CNS candidate will contact you directly by phone or email, and arrange for you to review their resume. You may conduct an interview with the candidate.
What if I am not comfortable with the candidate?
You are under no obligation to accept a CNS candidate. It is up to you to select a candidate with whom you feel comfortable.
Must the candidate work in my office/practice?
If the candidate has a setting where they can see clients, you may supervise remotely by phone, email or Skype.
If the supervised hours are being completed in my office/practice, must I pay them a salary?
BCNS has no requirement for this. You may work out a financial arrangement with the candidate that is mutually acceptable.
How often must I interact with my candidate?
Meetings should be held on a regular basis.
What type of work am I expected to supervise?
The candidate must meet a certain number of hour requirements in three main competency categories. These are also outlined in the CNS Supervisor Approval Application and the CNS SPE Handbook. You should review them together and approve them by checking off a box in the Supervisor’s Report. You may assign the candidate duties other than those pertaining to these competencies, but this will not count towards the 1,000 hour requirements.
What do I do in the meetings I hold with the candidate?
Your role is to guide and mentor the candidate, and take responsibility for work done under your supervision. The candidate will provide information regarding the cases they are working on and will ask for your guidance in developing experience in the required competencies.
Must I supervise all 1,000 hours?
No. You may provide as many hours as you wish. Candidates may select multiple venues and supervisors to complete the 1,000 hour program.
What do I do when the supervised experience requirement is complete?
Complete the Supervised Practice Experience Supervisor’s Report and submit it to the BCNS by email to [email protected].
What happens to the Supervised Practice Experience Report after I submit it to the BCNS?
The report is reviewed by the BCNS Credentials Council, and the experience is either accepted or rejected. You may be contacted for further information about the candidate’s performance. Once the candidate has successfully completed all 1,000 approved hours, the CNS credential will be awarded.