Frequently Asked Questions

How many supervised hours can I acquire a month? You can acquire 180+ hours a month.  The Facebook forum, group meetings and individual meetings all provide supervisor contact time and support over 180 supervised hours a month.  You are responsible for acquiring your own clients.  We do provide some opportunities for hours through recorded client interviews and other opportunities, but 90% of the hours are gained through your business and private practice. 

What can I do for the CNS supervised practice experience?
1. Clinical work – client prep/research, meal plan development, client management, client education and communication
2. Group clinical work – small group programs, weight loss groups, detox groups and more.
3. Partnering with fellow colleagues, graduates on clinical work or educational projects in the community
4. Hands-on nutrition education – cooking classes, grocery store tours, pantry rehabs
5. Educational programs @ schools, gyms, farms, corporations, to professionals i.e. lunch and learn at doctor’s office, webinars; this includes development and delivery of programs.
6. Consulting as a nutrition professional, this could include doctors, gyms, pharmacies, farms/CSA’s, grocery stores, corporations, restaurants (revamp menu to be gluten-free, or sourcing healthier food), other nonprofit or government agencies 7.  Observation of nutrition professionals or health care professionals who focus on nutrition.  This counts towards observational hours (limit 250 of 1,000 needed for CNS)

How long does it take to complete one’s CNS supervised hours? It varies based on how busy you are in your clinical practice. We have seen people finish their hours in 5 months and some have taken 2 years.  But on average 10-12 months.  It also depends on your school of matriculation.  Students graduating from MUIH and Bridgeport have 250+ hours upon graduation whereas students graduating from Western States and NYCC often need all 1,000 hours in their internship.

Why is supervision important?
Supervision is required to become a CNS or Registered Herbalist with the AHG.  Your supervisors will guide you in best clinical practices.  Supervision offers you a wealth of support and knowledge during your early practice.  Building confidence is important during these early months and years of practice. Through the Nutrition and Herbal Collective you will have a community of individuals to call upon through the online FB forum, regular 1:1 meetings and group meetings.

Are there limitations to practice?
Any intern should operate within the scope of practice of their state and/or of the state where the client resides.  It is important to get familiar with your state licensing laws.  To learn more about state nutrition laws, visit the American Nutrition Association’s website page on Nutrition Advocacy (https://theana.org/advocate).

Practice in “red states” is limited for nutritionists, it may be limited to health coaching and education.  Practice in yellow states requires supervision.  The term “nutritionist” may be a protected title in your state.  You may or may not be able to order lab tests in your state.