CNS Shortage

Today I read a post on one of my list serves that a neonatal unit didn't have a Clinical Nurse Specialist. The nurse practitioners did not have time to do clinical education of the other facets of being a CNS. The CNS's job is to be a clinical expert, consultant, researcher, colaborator, and educator. It is an Advanced Practice Nurse job so a master's in nursing is required. Many states require the student to precept for 500 hours. It is not an easy job. So there are not as many CNS's as needed. Headhunters persue all the CNS's I know. They tell me there are not enough CNS's. So young nurses out there can probably have all the CNS jobs they could handle if qualified.