An Overview of Nursing Certifications

Nursing certification means more than just some letters after a nurse’s name. It shows that a nurse has the necessary skills to complete their duties effectively. Having the proper certifications can also help you earn a job, advance your career and take on leadership roles.

Every nurse has an opportunity to advance and develop within the field. You don’t want to remain stagnant as a nurse.

Becoming certified provides you with an opportunity to advance your skillset within a specialty or subject. For example, if you want to become a psychiatric nurse, you can get your psychiatric mental health nursing certification.

Overall, certification is an excellent option for nurses.

In this guide, we will explore:

• List of Nursing Certifications
• What are the Certification Requirements?
• Do I Need to Become Certified?
• When Do I Seek Certification?
• How Do I Get Certified?

Nursing Certifications

What are the Certification Requirements?

There are many different certifications, so we have broken this section up into areas of nursing to make it easier to digest. Below are some of the certifications and requirements. This list is not exhaustive.

Community and Family Nursing

Nurse Case Manager

Certifications: You can either pick the Commission for Case Manager (CCM) Certification OR the ANCC Nursing Case Management Certification (RN-BC).

Requirements according to the ANCC:

For ANCC Nursing Case Management Certification, you’ll need:

• An active Registered Nurse (RN) license
• Have practiced the equivalent of two years of full-time RN work experience
• A minimum of 2,000 hours of clinical nurse management experience within the last three years
• At least 30 hours of continuing education dedicated to case management over the past three years

 For CCM Certification, you must have: 

• An active Registered Nurse (RN) or  Advanced Practice Registered Nurse License (APRN)
• 12 months of case management work under the guidance of a CCM-certified case manager OR 24 months of experience under the direction of a case manager without CCM certification
• Passing the certification exam

Family Nurse Practitioner

Certifications: You can either get the American Association of Nurse Practitioners National Certification Board (AANPCB) Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Certification OR the ANCC Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Certification (FNP-BC).

Requirements:

For the ANCC FNP-BC, you will need to:

• Hold an active APRN license
• Have at least a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree from a family nurse practitioner program
• At minimum 500 faculty-supervised clinical hours

  For the AANPCB FNP, you will need to:

• Hold an active Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) license
• Have at minimum a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree from a family nurse practitioner program
• Pass the certification exam

Specialized Concentration Nursing

Informatics Nursing

Certifications: Informatics Nursing Certification (RN-BC)

Requirements:

• Have an active RN license
• Hold a bachelor’s or higher degree in a relevant field
• Have a minimum of two years experience as a registered nurse
• Completed 30 hours of continuing education in informatics nursing within the last three years
• Meet one of the following requirements:
  • Practiced a minimum of 2,000 hours in informatics nursing within the last three years
  • Practiced at least 1,000 hours in informatics nursing in the last three years AND completed at least 12 semester hours of academic credit in informatics courses
  • Completed a graduate program in informatics nursing with a minimum of 200 hours of faculty-supervised instruction in informatics nursing

Psychiatric Nurse

Certifications: Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Certification (PMH-BC)

Requirements:

• Have an active RN license
• Practiced at least two years as a full-time registered nurse
• Have a minimum of 2,000 hours of clinical practice in psychiatric-mental health nursing within the last three years
• Completed at least 30 hours of continuing education in mental health nursing within the previous three years

Administrative Nursing

Clinical Nurse Leader

Certification: AACN’s Clinical Nurse (CNL) certification

Requirements:

• Complete an accredited CNL master’s or post-master’s program approved by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)
• Hold an active, unrestrictive Registered Nurse (RN) license
• Pass the certification exam

Nurse Administrator

Certification: ANCC Nurse Executive, Advanced Certification (NEA-BC)

Requirements:

• Hold an active Registered Nurse (RN) license
• Have a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree with a master’s in another concentration
• At minimum two years of full-time experience in nurse executive level within the last three years
• At minimum 30 continuing education hours in nursing administration within the last three years. This requirement voids with an MSN in nurse administration
• Passing the certification exam

Advanced Practice Registered Nursing (APRN)

Certification: Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)

Requirements:

• Hold an active Registered Nurse (RN) or Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) license
• Have at least a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree (a doctoral degree will be required by 2025)
• Completion of an accredited nursing program within the last two years
• Passed the certification exam

Nurse Educator

Certification: Certified Nurse Educator (CNE)

Requirements:

• Hold an active Registered Nurse (RN) license
• Have at least a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree
• Graduate from a program with an emphasis on nurse education OR at least years of experience as a nurse educator within the past two years
• Passing the certification exam

Do I Need to Become Certified?

The short answer is: it depends. If you want to work in more advanced roles such as a legal nurse consultant, nurse practitioner or nurse case manager, you need to pursue certification.

Some nursing specialties don’t have certification. For the positions that have certifications, it is wise to become certified.

Certification has the capacity to:

• Allow your resume to stick out to potential employers
• Develop your nursing skills in general
• Increase your earning potential
• Allow you to move up within your career
• Qualify for jobs that require certification

When Do I Seek Nursing Certification?

Determining the best time to seek certification depends on your career goals. Not all employers require certification upon hire. Some employers might ask you to obtain a certification within a certain time frame. Some employers may even help pay for certification.

If you don’t know when to obtain a certification, you can always request an informational interview with other nurses who are already in their specialty. This can give you insider information.

Once you get certified, several prominent organizations offer nursing certifications. Some of them include:

• American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certifying Board (AANPCB)
• American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN)
• American Board of Neuroscience Nursing (ABNN)
• American Board of Occupational Health Nurses (ABOHN)
• American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
•  American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL)
• Certification Board for Diabetes Care and Education (CBDCE)
• Commission on Nurse Certification (CNC)
• Competency Credentialing Institute (CCI)
• Infusion Nurses Certification Corporation (INCC)
• National Assistant at Surgery Certification (NASC)
• National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA)
• National League for Nursing (NLN)
• Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation (ONCC)
• Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB)
• The National Certification Corporation (NCC)
• Wound,Ostomy and Continence Nursing Certification Board (WOCNCB)

If you want general information about certifications, you can refer to the American Credentialing Center (ANCC).

How Do I Get Certified?

The first step to becoming certified involves earning your nursing license. You must have an active nursing license that’s in good standing before applying for certifications.

Obtaining licensing is only one of the steps. There are other qualifications you will need to meet before getting certified. Some certifications may require you to have worked a certain number of hours within the specialty.

Sometimes you must take additional classes on the topic or even pass an exam. If there’s an exam, you will need to apply before you take it. You will need to provide supporting documents to prove that you have a license in good standing.