Nursing credentials go in a set order after your name. The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) publishes that order, and the American Nurses Association's position statement on credentials uses the same one.
The order ANCC publishes
- Highest earned degree, such as DNP, PhD, MSN or BSN.
- Licensure, such as RN or LPN.
- State designations or requirements, such as APRN, NP or CNS.
- National certifications, such as FNP-BC or MEDSURG-BC.
- Awards and honors, such as FAAN.
- Other recognition, such as a non-nursing certification.
ANCC explains the logic. The degree comes first because it is "permanent"; licensure and state designations come next because you need them to practice; national certification is sometimes voluntary, and awards and other recognition always are.
Examples
- Priya Shah, BSN, RN, MEDSURG-BC: degree, licensure, national certification.
- Maria Lopez, MSN, RN, CCRN: degree, licensure, then a certification from another body (CCRN is awarded by AACN).
- James Carter, DNP, RN, APRN, FNP-BC: degree, licensure, state designation, national certification.
- Dana Kim, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN: the award comes after the certification.
ANCC's own examples cover two more cases:
- Michael Anderson, PhD, MSN: with a doctorate and a master's degree, list the highest degree first and leave out the bachelor's.
- Anne Peterson, MEd, BSN, RN: a relevant degree outside nursing can be listed, highest non-nursing degree first.
Several nursing certifications can go in the order you prefer; ANCC suggests either relevance to your practice or the order you earned them, most recent first. Non-nursing certifications always go last.
Where the order does not apply
On legal documents, such as prescriptions and notes in a medical record, ANCC says to use the credentials your state requires for your area of practice, for example "Susan Jones, RN" or "Joyce Smith, APRN." Journals sometimes set their own order, and ANCC says it is fine to follow them.
In an email signature
The credentials go on the same line as your name, with your role on the next line:
Maria Lopez, MSN, RN, CCRN
Nurse Manager, Cedar Hollow Family Health
In a practice where everyone's signature shares one layout and footer, each nurse keeps their own credentials line. The healthcare email signature page shows a practice's signatures side by side, from the physician to the nurse manager, along with what HHS says about emailing patients.
Sources
Checked October 2, 2026: