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The designation ending in C means the NP has taken their boards with and is credentialed by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP).
The designation ending in BC means the NP is certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and passed the ANCC boards.
Both are national certifying bodies and the NP can choose which exam he or she wishes to be certified by.
This is copied off of the Fitzgerald website:
The credentials for the American Certification Credentialing Center (ANCC) certified NPs is NP-BC preceded by a letter indicating the particular specialty,
- Family nurse practitioner: FNP-BC
- Adult nurse practitioner: ANP-BC
- Adult-gerontologic primary care NP: AGPCNP-BC
- Acute care nurse practitioner: ACNP-BC
- Adult-gerontologic acute care NP: AGACNP-BC
- Pediatric nurse practitioner (primary care): PNP-BC
- Gerontological nurse practitioner: GNP-BC
- Psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioner: PMHNP-BC
Here is an example of an ANCC-certified family nurse practitioner:
- Hugo Moreno, MS, FNP-BC
Family, adult-gerontologic, adult, and gerontologic nurse practitioners certified by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) are granted the designation of NP-C, or nurse practitioner-certified. Here is an example:
- Melissa Hammond, DNP, NP-C
The NP-C can be modified, if desired, to include a first letter consistent with area of certification such as a family NP using the designation FNP-C.