How to Display Your Nursing Credentials

Nursing runs on layers of education, licensure, certification, and recognition. Listing those credentials correctly tells colleagues, employers, and patients exactly what you are qualified to do. There is a standard order, and using it keeps everyone on the same page. This guide follows the American Nurses Association (ANA) and American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) guidelines.

Standard Order of Nursing Credentials

List credentials from most permanent to least permanent. ANA and ANCC both use this order.

1. Highest earned degree. Your top academic degree first, in nursing or a related field (BSN, MSN, DNP, PhD). Example: Jane Smith, PhD. List only the highest degree in each relevant field.

2. Licensure. Your nursing license, the legal credential that lets you practice. Examples: RN, LPN, or LVN. A state-issued advanced practice designation like APRN or NP can go here too.

3. State designations. Any state-specific credential showing authority to practice at an advanced level. These vary by jurisdiction and role: APRN, NP, CNS. In some states the advanced practice designation is part of licensure, so it may combine with the licensure item above.

4. National certifications. Nationally recognized specialty certifications from accredited certifying bodies, each with its own post-nominal letters. Examples: CCRN, FNP-BC. List the certifications most relevant to your practice first. The letters can differ by certifying body. ANCC uses "-BC" for board-certified NPs (FNP-BC), while AANP uses "-C" (FNP-C).

5. Awards, honors, and recognitions. Professional honors and fellowships, often called honorary credentials. Example: FAAN (Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing) signals major contributions to the profession. These come near the end.

6. Other certifications (non-nursing). Relevant certifications outside nursing go last. Example: EMT-B. Include them only if they enhance your nursing practice or fit your position.

The order is deliberate. A degree is permanent and almost never revoked. Licensure and state designations are required by law and pulled only for serious misconduct. Certifications are voluntary and need periodic renewal, so they sit lower. Awards are prestigious but voluntary. The list runs from most enduring to most temporary, a hierarchy everyone in healthcare reads the same way.

Examples of Credentials by Category

Sorting each credential into the right category lets any reader instantly recognize education versus license versus specialty. Separate every credential with commas after your name, and use no periods inside the abbreviations. Write BSN, not B.S.N.

Using Credentials in Different Contexts

How much you display shifts with the setting.

Legal documents and clinical records

For anything with legal weight, patient charts, prescriptions, medical records, official records, use the credentials your role requires by law, which usually means at least your licensure. An RN signs "Jane Doe, RN" on a chart. A nurse practitioner may need the advanced title ("John Doe, NP" or "John Doe, APRN") when writing orders or prescriptions, depending on state law. Meet your state's identification requirement: boards often mandate a clear professional title (RN, LPN, NP) on clinical documents. Degrees and certifications are usually optional here.

Professional communications and appearances

On name badges, business cards, email signatures, and introductions, use the core credentials most relevant to your audience, typically your degree and license at minimum ("Taylor Swift, MSN, RN"). Add one or two key certifications if space allows. A critical care nurse might use "BSN, RN, CCRN" on a business card. Some workplaces cap badge credentials for readability, often just licensure or highest degree. Use judgment or workplace policy, favoring the credentials that best fit the setting.

Publications, presentations, and testimonies

When you publish, present, or testify, list all relevant credentials after your name. Here they establish your authority on the subject. A journal byline might read "Taylor Swift, DNP, RN, CNE, CCRN-K" to show doctoral education, licensure, and certifications in education and critical care. Relevance still matters. Include credentials that pertain to the topic, and drop unrelated ones like an MBA when writing about clinical practice. In testimony, list your full credentials but be ready to explain them. Publishers and event organizers often have their own style rules, so follow the venue's guidelines.

Resume and job applications

Your resume or CV has dedicated sections for education, licensure, and certifications, so there is no need to string every credential after your name at the top. Highest degree and license is enough ("Taylor Swift, MSN, RN"), with the details in the body. That keeps the header clean while showing you meet the essentials.

Whatever the context, never falsify or pad credentials. Use only what you have earned and currently hold in good standing. Misrepresenting credentials is unprofessional and can carry legal or disciplinary consequences. When in doubt, list fewer correct credentials rather than ones that are not recognized or current.

Managing Multiple Credentials and Degrees

Careers stack up letters. Here is how to keep the name line clean.

Highest degree only. List only your highest earned degree in a field. With an MSN or DNP, drop the BSN. Write "Susan Lee, MSN, RN," not "Susan Lee, MSN, BSN, RN." A higher degree implies the lower one.

Degrees in different fields. If you hold relevant degrees in different fields, list the highest in each, non-nursing first. A nurse manager with an MBA and a BSN writes "John Doe, MBA, BSN, RN." If the non-nursing degree is not pertinent, leave it off routine credentialing. An ICU nurse with an MBA might skip it on charts but include it on a CV or in a management context.

Multiple licenses. Nurses licensed in more than one role list only the highest relevant license. Listing RN and LPN together is unusual since LPN is lower and few maintain both actively. For a nurse practitioner, the NP or APRN designation already includes RN, so "APRN" or "NP" plus your specialty certification may suffice where permitted. Many NPs still list both ("Jane Doe, MSN, RN, NP-C") because the RN license stays active and clarifies their background. It is never wrong to include RN, though some NPs drop it in everyday use.

Multiple certifications. List all current certifications, but watch readability. Prioritize the ones tied to your current practice or target position. Order them by sequence earned or by importance. A nurse with CCRN and CEN who works the ICU might write "BSN, RN, CCRN, CEN"; if she primarily works the ER, she reverses them. Nursing certifications come before non-nursing ones, and anything unrelated to healthcare goes last or gets dropped.

Retired or inactive credentials. Do not list expired credentials. If you let a certification lapse, drop it. Some certifications offer an official retired status (often "-R"), which you use only if the certifying body permits and you hold that status. If you are not actively licensed or certified in something, it does not belong after your name.

Non-nursing credentials. Include outside credentials (CPA, PMP) only if directly relevant to your nursing role or image. A nurse informaticist might add a networking certification; a bedside nurse with a real estate license would not list it. When included, non-nursing credentials follow all nursing credentials and honors.

Putting it together. Say Taylor Swift holds a PhD in nursing, is a licensed RN and Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner, is board certified in Adult-Gerontology Primary Care (AGPCNP-BC through ANCC), and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN). She also has a bachelor's in computer science. The order: highest degree (PhD), licensure (RN and her NP state designation), national certification (AGPCNP-BC), then honor (FAAN). The computer science degree is unrelated, so it goes. Her line reads "Taylor Swift, PhD, RN, APRN, AGPCNP-BC, FAAN."

Formatting and Style Conventions

A few conventions keep credentials clear.

Use commas as separators. Place a comma between your name and the first credential, and between each one after: "Gregory Rivera, RN, BSN, OCN." The comma is standard in the U.S., Canada, and many other countries. Skip slashes and vertical bars in formal writing.

No periods in acronyms. Write RN, BSN, MSN, DNP without punctuation. "R.N." with periods is outdated and cluttered. The same goes for certifications: CCRN, not C.C.R.N.

Spacing and capitalization. Credentials are usually all caps because most are acronyms, but copy the official format exactly. Write PhD (capital P, H, D) or EdD, and FNP-BC with the hyphen as given. RN-BC is hyphenated to mean "Registered Nurse, Board Certified." Some include a lowercase marker, like CCRN-K, where "-K" denotes a knowledge professional not in direct care. When unsure, check the certifying body's website.

International Practices for Nursing Credentials

Conventions vary worldwide.

United Kingdom

UK nurses register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), and the protected title is "Registered Nurse," often with a field designation (Adult, Mental Health, Children). It is not common to list "RN" after a nurse's name in daily UK practice; it is implied by the job title. British nurses tend to emphasize academic degrees and honors instead, like "Jane Doe, MSc, BSc (Hons), RGN." RGN means Registered General Nurse, a legacy qualification roughly equal to RN. Post-nominal letters follow a strict traditional order: honors and decorations (OBE, MBE) first, then degrees, then professional qualifications. A highly honored British nurse might read "Dame Jane Doe, DBE, PhD, RN, FRCN." Midwives register separately and may use RM (Registered Midwife). Overall, UK practice is less standardized than the U.S., and many nurses use their name plainly except in formal writing.

Canada

Canada mirrors the U.S. with a few differences. Credentials run degree, license, certification, and Canadian nurses often use BScN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) instead of BSN: "Sandy Thompson, BScN, RN." Licensure terms vary by province. RPN means Registered Practical Nurse in Ontario (equivalent to LPN) but Registered Psychiatric Nurse in British Columbia, a distinct designation in Western Canada. The Canadian Nurses Association adds "(C)" to its specialty certifications to mark Canadian certification, like CNCC(C) for critical care or CON(C) for oncology. Commas separate credentials, no periods. In bilingual regions like Quebec, nurses sometimes list French equivalents, such as "Jane Doe, B. Sc. Inf." in French-language documents, but "RN" is understood Canada-wide in English.

Australia and New Zealand

Australian nurses commonly earn a Bachelor of Nursing (BN or BNurs), equivalent to a BSN, then license as a Registered Nurse through the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency: "John Smith, BN, RN." Multiple degrees are rarely listed unless one is a graduate degree like MN. Nurse practitioners use "NP" or "Endorsed Nurse Practitioner," reading "Terry Miller, MN, NP." Australia also has Enrolled Nurses (EN), similar to LPNs, who use "EN" as a title rather than a degree. Nurses with dual midwifery registration list "RN, RM." New Zealand is similar, with a Bachelor of Nursing and RN. Both follow the no-periods, comma-separated rule. Some hospitals list only a first name and role on badges ("Alice, Registered Nurse") to feel more approachable, which does not mean credentials are undervalued.

Philippines

A BSN is the standard entry to nursing in the Philippines, so nearly all licensed nurses hold it. Filipino nurses use "RN" after passing the national licensure exam: "Maria Clara Delos Reyes, RN." Additional degrees like MAN (Master of Arts in Nursing) or MSN appear when earned ("Glen Reyes, MAN, RN"). There is one national license, not state-by-state, and specialty certification is less formalized in post-nominals. Nurses who pass the U.S. NCLEX and hold a U.S. license sometimes add "USRN" informally on resumes ("Juan dela Cruz, RN, USRN"), which is colloquial rather than official.

India

Indian nurses hold a diploma or degree and license as Registered Nurse (RN) and Registered Midwife (RM). The Indian Nursing Council certificate often reads "RN, RM," and nurses list both to reflect dual qualification. Example: "Priya Singh, RN, RM." Many use RN day to day, with RM in maternal-child fields. India also has Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANM) and General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) diploma holders, who usually do not append those as letters. Academic degrees (BSc Nursing, MSc Nursing) show up for teaching or leadership roles, sometimes in long strings like "Professor ABC, MSc (N), PhD, RN, RM."

The core purpose of credentials is universal: signal your qualifications. The style and emphasis shift by country, some leaning on degrees, others on licensure titles, others displaying little in daily practice. If you work or present internationally, learn local norms and adapt. Either way, using your credentials correctly is about professional transparency and pride in what you earned.