Have you ever been confused about how to list your credentials?
How to Display Your Credentials from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) is a helpful guide.
The Preferred Order for Credentials is as follows:
- Highest earned degree - (PhD, DNS, DNP, MSN, BSN, ADN, etc.)
- Licensure - (RN or LPN)
- State designations or requirements - (APRN, NP, CNS, etc.)
- National certifications - (NCSN, etc)
- Awards and honors- (FAAN, FNASN, etc.)
- Other recognitions
What If I Have More Than One of the Same Type of Credential?
Degrees
List the highest education degree first, for example, Michael Anderson, PhD, MSN. In most cases, one degree is enough, but if your second degree is in another relevant field, you may choose to list it. For example, a nurse executive might choose Nancy Gordon, MBA, MSN, RN. Note that the highest nonnursing degree is listed first followed by the highest nursing degree. A nurse who has a master’s in a nonnursing field might choose Anne Peterson, MEd, BSN, RN. If you have a doctorate and a master’s degree, omit your baccalaureate degree.
Certifications
Multiple nursing certifications may be listed in the order you prefer, but consider listing them either in order of relevance to your practice or in the order they were obtained, with the most recent first. Always list non-nursing certifications last.