A properly listed set of credentials is vital for every Nurse Practitioner, making you look professional and helping others recognize your qualifications at a glance.
- The correct order to list your credentials
- Common mistakes to avoid
- How A2Z Billings can help with credentialing
- 5 quick FAQs about NP credentials
Read on to learn how to showcase your expertise clearly and confidently.
We will cover the preferred order for your credentials, explore common mistakes to avoid, and explain how navigating the broader NP credentialing process can be simplified.
The Correct Order for Listing NP Credentials
Consistency is key to professional representation. While you may see variations, the most widely accepted format for listing nursing credentials follows a specific, logical order. This standard sequence, often recommended by organizations like theAmerican Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), ensures clarity and professionalism. The preferred order is:
- ✦ Highest Earned Degree
- ✦ Licensure
- ✦ State Designations or Requirements
- ✦ National Certifications
- ✦ Awards and Honors
- ✦ Other Recognitions
Let’s break down each component in detail.
1. Highest Earned Degree
Your educational history is the first area credential to mention. One’s highest relevant degree is to be listed first. For most Nurse Practitioners, it will be the DNP or MSN.
- Doctoral Degrees: DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice), PhD (Doctor of Philosophy), EdD (Doctor of Education)
- Master’s Degrees: MSN (Master of Science in Nursing), MS (Master of Science)
- Bachelor’s Degrees: BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing), BS (Bachelor of Science)
In the ordering, posting a credential abbreviation immediately after the name follows a system. For the case of having multiple credentials, highest is ordered first. If a lower degree might come, it is of no consequence to also mention it if an equivalent degree is already within the particular field (you don’t need to list BSN if you have an MSN).
Example:- ► Jane Doe, DNP
- ► John Smith, MSN
2. Licensure
Your license is your legal authority to practice. This is a mandatory credential and should follow your degree. The most common license for Nurse Practitioners is Registered Nurse (RN). Some states also issue a separate license for advanced practice, such as Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN). You should list the licensure that is required for your practice.
Example:- ► Jane Doe, DNP, RN
- ► John Smith, MSN, APRN
3. State Designations or Requirements
Certain states have specific titles or designations that are required for practice as a Nurse Practitioner. These should be listed after your general licensure. This credential indicates that you have met the unique requirements of your state’s Board of Nursing. For example, some states use APRN as the official designation, which may already be covered under licensure. Others may use titles like Certified Nurse Practitioner (CNP) or Licensed Nurse Practitioner (LNP). Check with your state board for specific requirements.
Example:- ► Jane Doe, DNP, RN, CNP
4. National Certifications
The national certification shows that you possess the specialized knowledge and skills to offer quality care to a distinct patient population. That is an essential facet of your identity as an NP and should come after your license and state-mandated titles. This certification comes from a national certifying organization: the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB), for instance. If you have more than one certification, the primary certification should be placed first, and the others should follow, ranked according to their pertinence to your current practice.
- FNP-BC: Family Nurse Practitioner-Board Certified (ANCC)
- FNP-C: Family Nurse Practitioner-Certified (AANPCB)
- AGACNP-BC: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner-Board Certified (ANCC)
- PMHNP-BC: Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner-Board Certified (ANCC)
- PNP-BC: Pediatric Nurse Practitioner-Board Certified (ANCC)
- WHNP-BC: Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner-Board Certified (ANCC)
When adding this to your credential line, you append it after the state designation.
Example:- ► Jane Doe, DNP, RN, FNP-BC
- ► John Smith, MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC
5. Awards and Honors
If you have received significant awards or honors, such as being inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN) or the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (FAANP), these are listed after your national certifications. These are prestigious recognitions and should be included.
Example:- ► Jane Doe, DNP, RN, FNP-BC, FAANP
6. Other Recognitions
Finally, you can list any other non-nursing certifications that are relevant to your practice. This could include certifications like Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) or certifications in wound care.
Putting It All Together: Examples
Let’s look at a few complete examples to see how these rules apply in practice.
- A Family Nurse Practitioner with a DNP:
- Name: Maria Garcia
- Degree: DNP
- Licensure: APRN
- Certification: FNP-C
- Full Credentials: Maria Garcia, DNP, APRN, FNP-C
A Psychiatric-Mental Health NP with a Master’s and a Fellowship:
- Name: David Chen
- Degree: MSN
- Licensure: RN
- Certification: PMHNP-BC
- Honor: FAAN
- Full Credentials: David Chen, MSN, RN, PMHNP-BC, FAAN
An Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP with multiple certifications:
- Name: Sarah Jenkins
- Degree: DNP
- Licensure: APRN
- Certifications: AGACNP-BC, CCRN (Critical Care Registered Nurse)
- Full Credentials: Sarah Jenkins, DNP, APRN, AGACNP-BC, CCRN
The Benefits of Outsourcing Medical Billing Services for Small Practices
One of the issues that I see often that are definitional as they look unprofessional, or create confusion for whoever is looking at the documents are the following mistakes, let’s see some of the more frequent ones and provide more detail on why they are to be avoided or corrected:
- Out of Sequence: One of the more frequent mistakes is placing credentials outsequence, it’s improper to have certifications ahead of the degrees (i.e. John Doe, FNP-BC, MSN). Always have the degree, then the license, then the state title, and finally the national certifications.
- Incorrect Degree Order listing: Ensure that, if possible, you do not list lower degrees, when you have an higher advanced degree in the same field. Like if you have an MSN, you do not have to list your BSN or ADN since the MSN means you’ve completed the lower levels of nursing education.
- Periodization: For some, as a general rule of thumb, for your credentials if it’s in the abbreviated form, there are no periods to be included after the letters (like it’s MSN, not M.S.N.). It is something to keep uniform, like if you choose one, it should be the one you stick to for all the other documents or professional pages.
- Including the Specialty Area: Without the certification, try not to include the specialty area as the credentials. Your specialty is already included in the national certification (like FNP-BC). It’s redundant to say Jane Doe, MSN, Family Nurse Practitioner when it is not to be that way and should use the certificate abbreviation at the end.
- Forgetting to Update Credentials: After you obtain a degree or certification, it is important to update your credentials as soon as you receive them to avoid having an outdated signature or professional profile, which may indicate a misalignment between your current credentials and your professional expertise.
- Confusion between Licensure and Certification: A state board provides your license (RN, APRN) and allows you to legally practice. National organizations provide certification (FNP-C, PMHNP-BC) and attest to your expertise. Keep this distinction clear, and order the items on your resume as indicated.
How A2Z Billings Simplifies the Credentialing Process
Properly listing your credentials is the first step in the provider credentialing process. NP credentialing involves education, licensure, and certification verification needed to be paneled with insurance providers, including Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurers. This is usually a delicate, lengthy process taking several months and hindering your ability to see patients and receive reimbursements.
As A2Z Billings thrives, the partnership is even more valuable. You need to concentrate on your main duties and obligations and leave to us the intricacies of medical credentialing for Nurse Practitioners.
We offer the most advanced technology and the most dedicated personnel to manage all your NP credentialing in record time. We assist with:
- Preparation and Submission of Applications: We take care of the unending paperwork, completing every application thoroughly and conscientiously. We take responsibility for the submission to all chosen insurance payers, removing the correspondence and communication that often creates unnecessary hold-ups.
- Management of Documents: We gather and manage all the paper materials, from your diploma and license to your board certification and DEA registration. We use a protected platform to help keep your important materials in a structured and efficient manner.
- Payer Follow-Up: After we submit your application, we do not simply wait. Our staff follows up with insurance companies about your application status, resolves any issues, and attempts to move the approval process along as quickly as possible.
- Compliance and Re-credentialing: Credentialing does not occur just once. Payers demand that re-credentialing occur once every few years. A2Z Billings tracks these timeframes and handles the re-credentialing process for you, ensuring that you continue to be in-network without any gaps in participation.
- Navigating State-Specific Rules: Every state has its own special rules for NP practice and credentialing. We have the skill to deal with these issues so that your applications are in full compliance with the state and federal guidelines.
With A2Z Billings, you transfer a great deal of the administrative burden of credentialing. We save you time, lower the chances of expensive mistakes in your application, and allow you to begin generating revenue more quickly. Leave the administrative tasks to us so you can focus on expanding your practice and great patient care.
Make An Appintment With A2ZFrequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
That relies on your state’s rules. Some states have a separate APRN license that is an upgrade from an RN license, while for other states, it is merely a designation on an RN license. The most prudent course is to include the highest level of license of which you must have to legally fill that position. In many cases, it is enough to state “APRN” because it reflects RN licensure. Your state board should be the first place to check to verify their particular requirement.
You should include all your correct and complete credentials for each of your professional contexts which include email signatures, business cards, LinkedIn and other professional social media platforms, provider biographies, and lab coats and name tags worn at your site of practice.
Degree holders must write out their highest relevant degree before listing their other qualifications. In a clinical scenario, you have to append “MSN” having a PhD in English because that is the qualification needed for the role. However, in an academic or research scenario, more often than not, you have to put the PhD first. Use your professional judgment based on the context.
As a Nurse Practitioner student, you can show your status in your signature line. It is common practice to list your credentials then add your student status. For instance, a registered nurse in an FNP program may write, “John Smith, BSN, RN, FNP Student.”
Certification is a matter in use of uppercase and lowercase, and it differs from certifying bodies (FNP-C vs FNP-c). The AANPCB uses “C” (FNP-C), while the ANCC uses “BC” (FNP-BC). The best practice to use is what your certifying organization provides to you in order to represent your credential properly.