CNS · Georgia
Collaborative Practice Agreement for Clinical Nurse Specialists in Georgia
Yes, a written physician agreement is required. Georgia does not name a specific instrument.
Same mandatory § 43-34-25 protocol framework as other GA APRNs applies. Confirmed: general 'CNS' and 'CNS — Psychiatric/Mental Health' are two separate, differently-defined APRN credentials (different required coursework per SOS guidance) — not the same credential under two labels — though the full clinical-scope delta beyond coursework wasn't found.
What the collaboration must look like
The rules the physician relationship has to follow. Each fact comes from the statute or board rule listed under sources.
Proximity
Within 50 miles
Same 50-mile rule as `np` (O.C.G.A. § 43-34-25) — assumed to apply absent a CNS-specific override, but not positively confirmed given the CNS-PMH rule-text gap noted above.
Supervision ratio
Up to 8 at a time (combined across provider types)
Same combined APRN+PA cap as `np` (§ 43-34-25(g)/(g.1)/(g.2)).
Chart review
10% of charts · Annually · countersignature required
Same 100%/100%/10% framework as `np` (GAC 360-32-.02), assumed absent a CNS-specific override.
Meeting cadence
Not codified — left to the agreement
Prescriptive authority
Covered by the practice agreement · controlled substances permitted
This is an inference from an education-requirement, not a direct confirmation of CNS prescriptive scope, and does not address whether a CNS-Psychiatric/Mental-Health credential differs — see module docstring.
Written agreement
Required
Unconditional — same nurse protocol agreement mechanism as `np`, no CNS-specific carve-out found.
Practice ownership (corporate practice of medicine)
Licensee-only ownership required — Same framework as `np` — O.C.G.A. § 14-7-5 explicitly lists 'registered professional nursing' as its own eligible profession for PC ownership, confirmed directly (see `np` entry).
Legal sources for these rules (3)
- O.C.G.A. § 43-34-25 — same framework as general NP (no CNS-specific statute located)
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 410-11-.06 — Rules for Clinical Nurse Specialists (general CNS only; via Cornell LII mirror)secondary
- Georgia Secretary of State — 'How to Guide: APRN / CNS' and 'APRN / CNS - PMH' (both pages returned HTTP 403 on every attempt — existence confirmed via search index only)
What a collaborating physician costs here
Typical monthly cost in Georgia
$500 – $600
Estimate for one Clinical Nurse Specialist. This state's rules add a restrictive-tier premium.
About Georgia's rules
Georgia remains one of the more restrictive states in this dataset — no independent-practice pathway exists for NP/PMHNP/CRNA/CNM/CNS, and a 50-mile APRN physician-proximity rule was NOT removed by 2023-2024 reform (a common misconception). That reform raised the ratio cap (4→a combined 8 APRNs+PAs) and added a narrow hydrocodone/oxycodone-only Schedule II exception — APRNs/PAs are otherwise barred from Schedule II. Georgia's primary-source sites were unusually inaccessible this pass; treat citations with extra caution pending follow-up.
Other clinicians in Georgia: see the state overview.