Listing Credentials After Name

[Summaboy]

Does anyone know if there is any 'correct' way of listing credentials after your name on something like a business card? Until recently I've been a med/surg nurse and never really thought twice about it. The hospital just slaps 'RN' after my name and that was it. But I've recently accepted a job in hospice care and I'm going to want to have some cards made for my clients.

I have a prior degree in psych (BA) and would like to list it along with my RN,BSN credentials since 1) there is a large psych component to hospice nursing, and 2) I worked hard to earn the degree.

So given BSN RN and BA to work with, can anyone tell me the proper way (if there is one) to list them after my name? Is it my own preference? The preference of my employer?

Thanks, all.

[just1, MSN]

I received my MSN from a private university where all of the instructors listed their name, followed by their degree, then their RN. The thought--they can take away my RN but not my MSN. I don't plan on losing either one though!

Hope this helps.

[Informatics RN, BSN, RN]

Ok, so i got my RN in 75, BSN in 98, MS in 2005 & RN-BC in 2007. How do I write this? BSN, MS, RN-BC? RN, BSN, MS, RN-BC?

[NeoNurseTX, RN]

Weird, at my facility, the name tags are listed NAME, RN, BSN

[asmith1913]

Hi, I'm adrienne and I earned my BS in biology in 2004, then my MPH in 2006 and my BSN in 2009. Now that I'm an RN, how will I list these degrees/licenses behind my name? It seems ambiguous, but I want to know if there is really a correct way. Thanks.

Adrienne, RN, MPH, BS, BSN??

[iNurseUK, RN]

I don't bother.

So that's iNurse BA(Hons) First Class, RGN. Great High Poohbah of Upper Butt Crack and Very Reasonable Plumber. Plus I have an "O" level in Classical studies.

?

[cmw6v8]

What other marketing tools are you going to use other than business cards? For business cards, I would keep it brief and maybe not spell out nursing or psychology (I would definitely list BSN and possibly BA). But if you have a website, a rack card, or even just an email signature, those might be appropriate places to spell out all the credentials you want to draw attention to because your prospective clients will probably spend more time reading those materials to learn about you, versus using your business card simply for your contact information.

[BabyLady, BSN, RN]

In most situations, the custom is to list academic degrees prior to professional designations. (For example, "Jane Doe, Ph.D., RN) But there's nothing hard and fast about it.

However, for those doing patient care, I think it's sometimes confusing to those we're caring for. (Remember, if nurses have trouble dealing with the whole ADN/BSN/etc. debate, imagine the situation for the public :-)

If I were in your shoes, I'd list my name, and then spell out your academic stuff: "John Doe, RN," then "BSN, Nursing, BA, Psychology." (Trust me that 95% of the population has no idea what a BSN is). This makes it clear that you are a nurse, and educates them about your background, as well.

Jim Huffman, RN

I've never seen credentials listed that way.

Explanations, are not necessary, when you have a degree in the medical field and are using a degree consistent with what is used in the medical field.

The proper way would be to list it (in the order you received your degrees":

Jane Doe, BA, BSN, RN

[llg, PhD, RN]

While there are no laws that dictate the proper order, there is a generally accepted way of doing it. The link below is an article from the American Nurses Credential Center that explains it. Even if your certifications, etc. are not from ANCC, this is a common system used by many professional organizations.

Go to the ANCC homepage and do a search for "credentials." That will give you a list of links, one of which is this article on how to list your credentials.

llg, PhD, RN-BC