Proper Way to List Credentials?

Nurses General Nursing

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Ok I have a question. What is the proper way to list your credentials? I've seen Susy K, RN, BSN and Susy K, BSN, RN. Why do some people put the BSN first? Does it mean anything?

But what does "TNCC" and "ENPC" stand for??

Ted [/b]

efiebke,

TNCC- Trauma Nurse Core Cirriculum

ENPC- Emergency Nurse Pediatric Course

In reality, they mean very little. When I took my refresher for TNCC, not one of the instructors had ever worked in a level one trauma center, none had ever worked on a patient who chest had been cracked open by a trauma surgeon, and what I heard most from the instructors was " I've never seen this". I took the CEN exam and passed with only FOUR months ER experience. I passed because I read the review book and could recite the info back, not because I was experienced. You never have to work a day in the ER to take the CEN or flight nurse exam. Amazing? Atleast the CCRN exam requires you to have worked several thousand hours in an ICU before you can sit for the exam.

Looking back on it now, it amazes me that several of these certifications exist. I feel they are money makers for their respective organizations(they can cost several hundred dollars). Take a look at what has happened to ACLS. It is now concidered a "learning experience". Almost everyone passes even if they have to take the test over and over again. People used to be terrified of taking the course because a large percentage would fail and you had to wait six months to take it again. Now it is a joke with nearly a 100% passing rate. I wouldn't want someone who took 4 or 5 tries to pass taking care of me or any of my family in a high stress situation.

I apologize for getting of the subject of this forum, I guess I just needed to vent.

Go with the order you received them. If you got your RN before BSN then Jane Doe, RN, BSN...if you got your BSN before your RN then Jane Doe, BSN, RN and everything happens after that

According to The Etiquette Advantage in Business (2 ed) by Peggy Post and Peter Post ( 2005), "Academic degrees (Ph.D., LL.D.) and professional ratings (CPA)..." In an Article by Mary C. Smolenski (Playing the Credentials Game) she lists them as degree, licensure, state designation (as required) and national certification. I would have to say that the masters prepared nurse who is certified in nursing administration would be listed as:

Suzy P. Smith, MSN, RN-BC (certified by ANCC)

or

Suzy P. Smith, MSN, RN, CEN (certified by specialty area)

I believe the proper way to do it is this:

Susie Smith, RN, BSN.

Not everyone that has a BSN maintains a current RN license.

To prevent the alphabet soup effect, for someone with several degrees, you only list the most advanced degree that you are currently using:

Susie Smith, MSN, FNP or Susie Smith, MSN

If you have a doctorate, you never use Dr. and PhD or MD in the same line.

You either use:

Susie Smith, PhD or Dr. Susie Smith

I believe I saw somewhere that the only time you list the entire alphabet soup-type degrees, is in an educational setting or in a published wor.

Specializes in Staff Dev--Critical Care & Trauma.

Oy.

I was going to read through everything to see if what I was going to say had been said already... then I realized how much I'd have to read. So if I'm repeating old information, kindly ignore.

My understanding has always been that you list "most permanant first" out to "least permanant". That is, once you have an academic degree, it can't be taken from you. On the other hand, certifications are fragile and can lapse quite easily.

So...

Nancy Nurse, BSN, RN, CNS, CCRN

-- CCRN is most likely to go first if not maintained by the correct number of CEUs.

-- CNS is harder to lose, but still needs to be maintained steadily.

-- RN would go next, but is harder to default, because it need BON authority to remove (not maintaining CEUs for licensure is a BON requirement).

-- Even if Nancy purposely killed a patient and had her license revoked, NO ONE (other than the granting University) can take away her BSN. So even if she was no longer a Registered Nurse, she could still list herself as, Nancy Nurse, BSN (in the same way as Anakin Skywalker, PhD).

Make sense?

Again, if this is repeated information, kindly ignore and I'll go back to drinking.

Well congrats on the BM. I have a question as I am about to graduate with my MBA. Do I list my name as Jane Doe RN, BSN, MBA? Or does the BSN drop off?

I am confused

the proper way to list credentials according to my english professor from college is degree first. believe it or not i was told the reasoning behind this was because you can never lose your degree, but your license can be taken away. ex. jerod smith bsn, rn.

nurses here is information i have searched from wikipedia.com. please read below if you want to know the proper way to display your nursing credentials.

list of nursing credentials

from wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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postnominal nursing credential usage

a nurse's postnominal (listed after the name) credentials usually follow his or her name in this order:

  • highest earned academic degree in or related to nursing (e.g. "msn")
  • nursing licensure (e.g. "rn")
  • nursing certification (e.g. "ccrn")

generally credentials are listed from most to least permanent. a degree, once earned, cannot be taken away. state licensure is only revoked for serious professional misconduct. certifications generally must be periodically renewed by examination or the completion of a prescribed number of continuing education units (ceus).

nurses may also hold non-nursing credentials including academic degrees. these are usually omitted unless they are related to the nurse's job. for instance, a staff nurse would likely not list an mba, but a nurse manager might choose to do so.

nursing credentials are separated from the person's name (and from each other) with commas. there are usually no periods within the credentials. (e.g. "bsn" not "b.s.n.")

In this economic downturn RN just is not enough

On my resume I list RN MLIS

I hope someone will read the resume to find out what my Masters is in....

Specializes in Critcal Care.
Stylistically, I think the "R.N., B.S.N." looks better. Also, it seems like degrees are usually listed in order of acquisition or importance (as in, So-and-So, M.D., M.P.H.--the M.P.H. was acquired to abet the M.D., so it comes afterwards). I can't find anything in the style manuals that refer to professional degrees specifically.

The only thing that I think looks really stupid is people--like a nursing advisor of mine who has a serious case of "M.D. envy" and shall remain nameless--who put every degree they've ever earned after their name...e.g., Jane So-and-So, A.A.S., B.A., B.S.N., R.N., M.P.H., M.S.N., C.M.H.C., Ph.D. ("call me DOCTOR So-and-So"; I really, really wish I was kidding on this one, but I'm not. This is the same woman who spent a half-hour telling our advising class why we shouldn't go into nursing).

Although this advisor sounds a bit thorny, it is entirely appropriate for someone with a PhD who works in an academic setting to be called Dr. An example would be someone who has PhD in chemistry and who teaches that subject in a university.

Well congrats on the BM. I have a question as I am about to graduate with my MBA. Do I list my name as Jane Doe RN, BSN, MBA? Or does the BSN drop off?

I am confused

People in healthcare usually don't list any degrees that don't directly apply to their professional role in the healthcare setting (i.e., someone with a BA in something else entirely who then became an RN wouldn't list the BA after their name in healthcare settings). However, assuming you are getting the MBA to use within the healthcare context, you would drop the BSN because the MBA implies the previous degree (you would have had to have a baccalaureate degree to get into the graduate program) and, usually, only the highest degree is listed -- so I would go with (for what my opinion is worth! :)) Jane Doe, MBA, RN.

List of nursing credentials

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Postnominal Nursing Credential Usage

A nurse's postnominal (listed after the name) credentials usually follow his or her name in this order:

Highest earned academic degree in or related to nursing (e.g. "MSN")

Nursing licensure (e.g. "RN")

Nursing certification (e.g. "CCRN")

Generally credentials are listed from most to least permanent. A degree, once earned, cannot be taken away. State licensure is only revoked for serious professional misconduct. Certifications generally must be periodically renewed by examination or the completion of a prescribed number of continuing education units (CEUs).

Nurses may also hold non-nursing credentials including academic degrees. These are usually omitted unless they are related to the nurse's job. For instance, a staff nurse would likely not list an MBA, but a nurse manager might choose to do so.

Nursing credentials are separated from the person's name (and from each other) with commas. There are usually no periods within the credentials. (e.g. "BSN" not "B.S.N.")

List of nursing credentials - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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