Rn, C?

Nurses General Nursing

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What does the "C" in RN, C mean? What kind of certification is it?

It does mean "certified".....I'm thinking in medsurg nursing?

I didn't know if it meant ACLS or what. I keep seeing one person write RNC every time she signs something and I was wondering what it meant.

If you're certified by ANCC in whatever type of nursing, and have an Associate's Degree, you get a C (Mary Nurse, RN, C). If you have a Bachelor's, you get BC (Mary Nurse, RN, BC).

To make it even more confusing, the National Certification Corporation (NCC) offers the RNC (no comma) to specialty-certified nurses in various areas. The RNC is mainly for maternal/perinatal specialties.

In other words, if you are curious about someone's RN,C or RNC, you'll have to ask what the specialty certification is!

I've seen it for psych nursing, too, btw.

Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

Sometimes, you might also see "MSNc" or "PhDc", which means they are studying for their Master's or PhD, therefore, a "candidate".

....a nurse who takes care of my daughter actually is an RNC....and she used to work in a NICU at a big teaching hospital....so I am just guessing here but it is a special certification for neonatal icu nurses.....

Specializes in SRNA.
If you're certified by ANCC in whatever type of nursing, and have an Associate's Degree, you get a C (Mary Nurse, RN, C). If you have a Bachelor's, you get BC (Mary Nurse, RN, BC).

In other words, if you are curious about someone's RN,C or RNC, you'll have to ask what the specialty certification is!

I've seen it for psych nursing, too, btw.

Looking at the ANCC's website, the credentials are the same (RN,C [Certified] or RN,BC [board Certified, requires BSN]) but the specialty can vary. You can get certified for RN,C for any of the following:

Cardiac/Vascular Nurse

Informatics Nurse (Bachelor’s degree in nursing)

Informatics Nurse (Bachelor’s degree other than nursing)

Nursing Administration

Community/Public Health Nurse

Gerontological Nurse

Medical-Surgical Nurse

Nursing Professional Development

Pediatric Nurse

Perinatal Nurse

Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse

Nursing Case Management

Ambulatory Care Nursing

Pain Management

So, like RNsRWe said, you'll have to ask if you're curious which type of certification one has received.

Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

definitely not ACLS. There are many professional organizations that offer certification in various types of nursing. The American Nurses Credentialing Center is one example, through ANA. Certification means you are "specialized" in a certain area of practice.

Thanks!

Does getting ACLS allow you anymore credentials?

Just curious... as I just got mine last week! :)

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