My Credentials: How do I organize all of the little letters after my name?

***in progress***


I learned in nursing school to write the degree (BSN), the license (RN), then the certification. We were told to list our highest degree, a BSN for us at that point, first because that cannot be taken away from you. Some employers do not do so because an RN is an RN, but they might list the RN first instead. For example, an RN with a BSN would be titled Jane Doe, BSN, RN. Some people might also have a BS instead of a BSN and can use that instead. If you are working after graduating but have not taken your NCLEX, there may be a title in your state since you are a testing applicant (ex. RNA).


Now, NPs seem to have their titles a variety of ways from what I have seen. I am still trying to figure it out because some people don't understand NPs are RNs too, and especially because I want RN to appear somewhere for some of the jobs I apply to. You graduated with some sort of NP, then you are certified by a board and might add C or BC, but some states consider you APRNs so you might have that in your title, and so on. Once you figure out your designated NP title, there is the order and the RN that may or may not fit in there.                 

How Do I Sign My Name (http://fhea.com/certificationcols/sign_name.shtml)  on the Fitzgerald website is helpful for NPs.

Wikipedia is helpful if you are wondering what some different credentials mean and when to use some of them, just check out the Nursing Credentials and Certifications article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nursing_credentials). For NPs, you can check out the Nurse Practitioner page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nurse_practitioner).