Nursing credentials and certifications explained

Nursing credentials and certifications are the various credentials and certifications that a person must have to practice nursing legally. Nurses' postnominal letters (abbreviations listed after the name) reflect their credentials—that is, their achievements in nursing education, licensure, certification, and fellowship. The letters usually appear in the following order:

Generally, credentials are listed from most to least permanent. A degree, once earned, cannot, in normal circumstances, be taken away. State licensure is active until retirement and otherwise only revoked in cases of serious professional misconduct. Certifications generally must be periodically renewed by examination or the completion of a prescribed number of continuing education units (CEUs). This is often called maintenance of certification.

Nurses may also hold non-nursing credentials including academic degrees. These are usually omitted unless they are related to the nurse's job. For instance, those with master's degrees usually do not list their bachelor's degrees (only the highest earned degree), and a staff nurse would likely not list an MBA, but a nurse manager might choose to do so.

Some nurses who achieve a master's degree (MSN) leave the patient-care aspect of nursing, and practice in a more managerial role. An example would be earning an MSN in healthcare risk management. Such a nurse, while still fully an accredited nurse, will likely become the risk manager for a hospital, working in health administration rather than direct care and perhaps even becoming the director or manager of the risk-management department. In this role, he or she may never see another patient except while doing hospital inspections, or perhaps talking to a patient or the patient's family about a quality-of-care concern. In this role, the nurse becomes something similar to an auditor and a teacher of patient care quality and risk for the entire hospital staff. This nurse likely will also get the certification CPHQ: Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality.

Nursing credentials are separated from the person's name (and from each other) with commas. Usually, no periods are placed within the credentials (e.g. "BSN" not "B.S.N.")

Nursing certifications

In the United States and Canada, many nurses who choose a specialty become certified in that area, signifying that they possess expert knowledge. Over 200 nursing specialties and subspecialties are available. Studies from the Institute of Medicine have demonstrated that specialty-certified nurses have higher rates of patient satisfaction and lower rates of work-related errors in patient care.

Registered nurses (RNs) are not required to be certified in a certain specialty by law. For example, it is not necessary to be a certified medical-surgical registered nurse (CMSRN) (the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses [AMSN] certification, administered by the Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board [MSNCB]) to work on a medical-surgical floor, and most medical-surgical nurses are not CMSRNs. Certifications do, however, instill professionalism and make the nurse more attractive to prospective and current employers. Certified nurses may earn a salary differential over their uncertified colleagues, but this is rare.

Some hospitals and other health-care facilities are willing to pay certified nurses extra when they work within their specialties. Also, some hospitals may require certain nurses, such as nursing supervisors or lead nurses, be certified. Certification instills confidence in the nurses. Magnet hospitals advocate certifications.

Alphabetical listing of nursing and related credentials and certifications

Key

Throughout the list, the following credentialing organizations are mentioned:

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

V

W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: HPCC – APRN (ACHPN®). dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141109080112/http://hpcc.advancingexpertcare.org/competence/aprn-achpn/ . 2014-11-09 .
  2. Web site: CCCI.
  3. Web site: HPCC – Lp/Vn (CHPLN®) . 2015-05-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151013011524/http://hpcc.advancingexpertcare.org/competence/lpvn-chpln/ . 2015-10-13 . dead .
  4. Web site: HPCC – RN (CHPN®). dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141109080233/http://hpcc.advancingexpertcare.org/competence/rn-chpn/ . 2014-11-09 .
  5. Web site: HPCC – NA (CHPNA®). dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141109080213/http://hpcc.advancingexpertcare.org/competence/na-chpna/ . 2014-11-09 .
  6. Web site: HPCC – RN Peds (CHPPN®). dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141109080238/http://hpcc.advancingexpertcare.org/competence/rn-peds-chppn/ . 2014-11-09 .
  7. Web site: AAMCN. www.aamcn.org.
  8. Web site: HPCC – Perinatal Loss (CPLC). dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141109080223/http://hpcc.advancingexpertcare.org/competence/perinatal-loss-cplc/ . 2014-11-09 .
  9. Web site: FACCWS abbreviation stands for Fellow of the American College of Certified Wound Specialists. allacronyms.com.
  10. Web site: British Columbia . College of Nursing Professionals . Use of titles . BCCNP . 28 August 2020.
  11. Web site: Board of Nursing Frequently Asked Questions . Virginia Board of Nursing . 14 November 2011.
  12. Web site: Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Certification - Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing Certification Board. www.wocncb.org.
  13. Web site: wtaprogram.com. wtaprogram.com.