Physician duties · CNS · Wisconsin
Signing for a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Wisconsin: what the physician takes on
The agreement is mandatory for the clinician, which makes its duties mandatory for you. Wisconsin does not name a specific instrument.
Same APRN Modernization Act transition threshold applies to CNSs as to NP/CRNA.
Independent practice requires: ≥3,840 hours of professional RN practice over ≥24 months; ≥3,840 hours of advanced practice in the CNS's Recognized Role while working with a physician or dentist immediately available for consultation, over ≥24 months.
What you take on as the physician
The rules the physician relationship has to follow. Each fact comes from the statute or board rule listed under sources.
Proximity
below the 3,840-hour/24-month transition threshold: Available remotely (no on-site requirement)
No geographic proximity requirement; collaborating physician/dentist must be immediately available in person or by telecommunication.
Supervision ratio
Not codified — no cap on file
Chart review
Not codified — left to the agreement
Meeting cadence
Not codified — left to the agreement
Prescriptive authority
Covered by the practice agreement · controlled substances permitted
Schedule II-V with DEA registration, same as other Wisconsin APRN roles.
Written agreement
Required
Practice ownership (corporate practice of medicine)
Licensee-only ownership required — Service Corporation under Wis. Stat. ch. 180, subch. XIX — a CNS may co-own a multi-discipline service corporation as a health care professional; non-licensees may not hold equity.
Legal sources for these rules (1)
What physicians charge for this role
Typical monthly compensation in Wisconsin
$500 – $600
Estimate for one Clinical Nurse Specialist. Standard-tier state.
About Wisconsin's rules
The APRN Modernization Act (2025 Act 17) took effect September 1, 2026 — days before this data's last-verified date — replacing permanent NP/CRNA/CNS collaborative arrangements with a 3,840-hour/24-month transition to independent practice; CNMs are auto-licensed with NO such threshold. Given how recent this is, verify current DSPS/Board of Nursing implementation guidance before relying on transition-period details below.
Other clinicians in Wisconsin: see the state overview.