Capitalization of Advanced Practice Nurse / Advanced Practice (speciality) Nurse, etc

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Specializes in Cardiac (adult), CC, Peds, MH/Substance.

Does anyone have thoughts on capitalization of APN specialties. For example: Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurse, Advanced Practice Family Practice Nurse, and so on.

I realize that if it were, for example: Family Nurse Practitioner, or Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, it's capitalized, since that's a proper noun / title.

However, I am less clear on when it is not necessarily a title.

Yes, this is an APA question. However, it's not really well-defined in the blue book as far as I can see, since you could argue about whether or not it's a title. IE Board Certified Advanced Practice Nurse, versus Board certified advanced practice nurse, versus Board certified Advanced Practice Nurse.

If I had a choice, I'd simply use the ANCC/whatever certification, since it's always a proper noun, but in some cases articles use other names that are not the "real" certification, such as "Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurse." This becomes an issue in sentence case.

If I never have to use APA again, I will not cry.

Specializes in Cardiology nurse practitioner.

I do all caps. ARNP.

Specializes in Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Nursing.

Look at how the major journals treat it and do the same. Enter the words in an journal search to get results.

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