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11 Fitzgerald Health Education Associates, Inc., March 2015 fhea.com AS A NEWLY or soon-to-be graduated nurse practi- tioner, the challenges of NP certification, licensure, and practice are ahead. In preparing for this role, you have earned new professional credentials. Now for the challenging part: how do you sign your name? Should you omit your academic credentials, drop the RN, and just add NP, as advocated by many? This would be a great idea for all NPs, regard- less of area of certification, specialization, and prac- tice. Indeed, increasing public and professional awareness of the NP title will benefit all of us. How- ever, at times, such as in your CV, when making that well-earned desktop nameplate, or when listing all your designations, that alphabet-soup list that now follows your name is warranted. Here is some advice on how to do this. Now that I have an advanced degree, how do I list my academic credentials? Your highest academic degree should be placed im- mediately after your surname, before professional designation and certification credential. Most NPs have a master of science (MS), with some earning a master of nursing (MN) or master of science in nurs- ing (MSN), and a growing number earning a doctor of nursing practice (DNP), doctor of philosophy (PhD), or doctor of nursing science (DNSc). In addi- tion, some NPs who have returned to school for post-masters or post-doctoral NP preparation have earned a certificate of advanced study (CAS). Check with your school to make sure you are using the ap- propriate academic designation. I am now a certified NP. Is there a special way to designate this? The NP certification credential differs according to the certifying body. Here are the designations of the various certifying organizations. American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) The credential for ANCC-certified NPs is NP-BC pre- ceded by a letter indicating the particular specialty: • Family nurse practitioner: FNP-BC • Adult nurse practitioner: ANP-BC • Adult-Gerontology primary care nurse practitioner: AGPCNP-BC • Acute care nurse practitioner: ACNP-BC • Adult-Gerontology acute care nurse practitioner: AGACNP-BC • Pediatric nurse practitioner (primary care): PNP-BC • Psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner: PMH- NP-BC • Gerontological nurse practitioner: GNP-BC Here is an example of an ANCC-certified family NP: • John Hammond, MS, FNP-BC American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) Family, adult-gerontology, adult, and gerontology NPs certified by the AANP Certification Program are granted the designation of NP-C, or nurse practition- er-certified. Here is an example: • Melissa Levasseur, DNP, NP-C The NP-C can be modified, if desired, to include a first letter consistent with the NP's area of certifica- tion such as a family NP using the designation FNP-C. NP Firsts Certification Q&A; As a Certified NP, How Do I List My Credentials? Margaret A. Fitzgerald, DNP, FNP-BC, NP-C, FAANP, CSP, FAAN, DCC Continued on page 13