Viva La Difference! The Nation Needs the CNS and NP as Separate Roles

Does there need to be one predominant advanced nursing role that merges the Nurse Practitioner (NP) and Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)? This paper examines the history of these two specialties within medical surgical arenas, their role differences along with legal and educational forces that influence this reoccurring question in an attempt to put this question into perspective.