How to Write and Order Nursing Credentials: A Complete Guide
| 9 Min Read
Nursing credentials communicate your qualifications to employers, colleagues, patients and licensing boards at a glance, so listing them in the right order matters. The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) has established a standardized sequence for listing nursing credentials that is recognized across healthcare settings nationwide. For registered nurses considering an advanced degree to move into leadership, understanding this credentialing order is a useful step before earning additional credentials.
Benedictine University’s online Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) program prepares registered nurses for administrative and leadership roles in healthcare through its Nursing Leadership concentration, including the credentialing requirements those roles carry. The program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), which ensures the quality and integrity of baccalaureate, graduate, and residency/fellowship programs in nursing.
This guide breaks down each of the six credential categories, in order, with examples for common nursing roles. Whether you are a new nurse building your first credential set or an experienced RN advancing into a specialized role, following this order keeps your qualifications easy for employers, colleagues and patients to read.
Why Nursing Credential Order Matters
Credentials listed after your name signal your scope of practice to patients, licensing authorities, third-party payers and employers. When credentials appear in an unexpected order or are missing, it can create confusion about your scope of practice and affect your professional standing. The ANCC’s standardized sequence ensures your credentials are immediately readable by anyone in healthcare.
This matters most in moments where clarity is non-negotiable, such as when a code team is scanning badges for the most senior clinician present, a hiring manager is comparing candidate resumes or a patient is trying to understand who is treating them. Getting the sequence right the first time also saves you from updating every name badge, signature block and directory listing later.
The Correct Order of Nursing Credentials
The ANCC recommends listing credentials in the below sequence. This order moves from the credentials that establish your qualifications to those that highlight individual achievements.
- Highest earned degree
- Licensure
- State designations or requirements
- National certifications
- Awards and honors
- Other recognitions and certifications
Each of these six categories groups a different kind of credential, from the degree you earned to the licenses, certifications and honors you’ve received along the way. The sections below break down what belongs in each category and the order they should appear in after your name.
Highest Earned Degree
Your highest academic degree comes first, before your license, because your education is permanent. Degrees, once earned, cannot be revoked the way licenses or certifications can be.
Degrees are listed from highest to lowest if you choose to include more than one. The four categories, from doctoral to associate, are:
- Doctoral degrees: Ph.D., D.Ph., Ed.D., D.N.S., D.N.P.
- Master’s degrees: M.S.N., M.S., M.A.
- Bachelor’s degrees: B.S.N., B.S., B.A.
- Associate degrees: A.D., A.D.N.
For example, a nurse with both a master’s and a bachelor’s degree in nursing would list them as Jane Smith, M.S.N., B.S.N., RN. The master’s degree comes first since it’s the higher of the two.
Licensure
Licensure follows your degree. The most common nursing licenses are:
- RN: Registered Nurse
- LPN: Licensed Practical Nurse
- APRN, BC: Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Board Certified (recommended by ANCC for family, adult, pediatric, geriatric and acute-care nurse practitioners)
- NP-C: Nurse Practitioner-Certified (issued by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners)
A registered nurse with a master’s degree would display these two credentials as Jane Smith, M.S.N., RN. The degree still leads, even though licensure is what legally allows her to practice.
State Designations or Requirements
State designations follow licensure. These represent your authority to practice in more advanced roles within a specific state. Common state designations include:
- APRN: Advanced Practice Registered Nurse
- CNS: Clinical Nurse Specialist
APRN can appear twice in a credential list for different reasons: as “APRN, BC” under Licensure, it reflects ANCC board certification. Listed alone as a state designation, it reflects your state’s authorization to practice at an advanced level. Check with your state board of nursing for the specific designation it requires.
National Certifications
National certifications are issued by professional nursing organizations and validate specialized clinical expertise beyond basic licensure. Common national certifications include:
- RN-BC: Registered Nurse, Board Certified (ANCC)
- FNP-BC: Family Nurse Practitioner, Board Certified
- CCRN: Critical Care Registered Nurse (AACN)
- CPNP: Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
- CEN: Certified Emergency Nurse
More than 100 distinct nursing certifications are available across specialties, according to an analysis of current certifying-body listings. Not every nurse needs one, but choosing a certification aligned with your specialty can strengthen your credentials list.
A critical care nurse with a master’s degree and two national certifications would list them as Jane Smith, M.S.N., RN, FNP-BC, CCRN. Both certifications appear after licensure, in the order most relevant to her current role.
Awards and Honors
Awards and honorary recognitions follow national certifications. Examples include:
- FAAN: Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing
- FCCM: Fellow of Critical Care Medicine
These designations are earned through peer nomination or a body of career achievement rather than examination, so they’re rare enough that most nurses who hold one list it every time.
Other Certifications
Non-nursing certifications relevant to your practice come last. Common examples include emergency medical technician (EMT) certification, health privacy compliance credentials, project management credentials and specialized technology certifications relevant to your practice setting.
These credentials round out your qualifications without competing with your nursing-specific ones for position, so keep them at the very end of the sequence no matter how relevant they are to your daily work. Getting this last category right completes a credential list that accurately reflects your education, licensure and expertise, in the sequence employers and colleagues expect to see it.
Nursing Credential Examples by Role
The six-category order looks different depending on how many credential types apply to a given role. Here’s how it comes together for a few common nursing positions:
- Staff RN with BSN: Jane Smith, B.S.N., RN
- Critical care nurse: Jane Smith, M.S.N., RN, CCRN
- Family nurse practitioner: Jane Smith, M.S.N., APRN, FNP-BC
- Nurse educator: Jane Smith, Ph.D., RN, CNE
- Nurse executive with fellowship: Jane Smith, D.N.P., RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
Notice that no example lists every category at once. Most nurses will only ever fill three or four of the six slots, and that’s expected. If your goal is to move into an advanced role like nurse educator or nurse leader, Benedictine University’s online MSN program can help you build the credentials to get there.
Is It RN, BSN or BSN, RN?
The correct order is BSN, RN: degree first, then licensure. Your academic credential (B.S.N.) precedes your professional license (RN) because the ANCC sequence places highest degree before licensure.
So, Jane Smith, B.S.N., RN is correct, not Jane Smith, RN, B.S.N. Reversing the two is among the most common credentialing mistakes.
How to List Nursing Credentials on a Resume
On a resume, your credentials appear in the same ANCC-standardized order. Most nurses place credentials in the header next to their name for immediate visibility. Within the licensure section, spell out full credential names alongside abbreviations so non-clinical reviewers can understand them. For nursing license numbers, include them in a dedicated “Licensure” section separate from your name credentials.
If you’re customizing your resume for a specific role, lead with whichever credential the job posting emphasizes, without changing the underlying ANCC sequence. For example, a nurse educator role might call out CNE prominently, while a bedside critical care posting will care more about CCRN or RN-BC. This approach lets you highlight what a specific employer wants to see first while keeping your credentials organized in the sequence hiring managers and licensing boards expect.
How to List Nursing Credentials After Your Name on Documents
The same ANCC order applies to your email signature, name badge, published materials and professional correspondence. For legal documentation, prescriptions and progress notes, your credentials must appear exactly as required by your state and institution. Advanced practice nurses writing prescriptions should verify state-specific formatting requirements with their board of nursing.
Keep a single, consistent credential string across every one of these surfaces. Switching formats between your badge and your email signature is a common source of the exact confusion the ANCC sequence is designed to prevent.
Putting Your Nursing Credentials in Order
Nursing credentials are a professional representation of your education, licensure, specialization and achievement. Following the ANCC-standardized order ensures your credentials are read correctly by employers, patients and regulatory bodies across all healthcare settings.
As you take on more responsibility, from bedside certifications to administrative leadership roles, keeping this sequence consistent is what makes your credentials useful at a glance, not just accurate on paper. If you’re ever unsure where a new credential belongs, work backward through the six categories starting with your highest degree. The order rarely changes, even as the credentials themselves do.
Learn more about Benedictine University’s online M.S.N. program.
Frequently Asked Questions About Listing Nursing Credentials
A few questions come up often once nurses start applying this order to their own credentials. Here are quick answers to the most common ones.
What is the correct order of nursing credentials?
The ANCC-recommended order is: highest degree, licensure, state designations, national certifications, awards and honors, other certifications. Degree always comes first.
Is it RN, BSN or BSN, RN?
BSN, RN: degree before licensure, per ANCC standards.
Do I need to list all of my degrees?
No. Most nurses list only their highest degree. A second degree is worth listing when it is in a field directly relevant to your role.
Can nurses list more than one national certification?
Yes. Multiple national certifications are listed after state designations, in order of relevance to your current role.
Where do nursing credentials appear?
After your name on professional correspondence, email signatures, name badges, resumes, published articles, legal documentation and any official clinical documentation.
About Benedictine University’s Online M.S.N. Program
Benedictine University’s CCNE-accredited online Master of Science in Nursing program prepares registered nurses for administrative and leadership roles through its Nursing Leadership concentration. The program develops the collaboration, critical thinking and organizational skills nurses need to effectively manage departments, clinics and service lines within a healthcare organization.
Delivered 100% online in flexible 8-week terms, the program is designed for working RNs looking to gain in-demand credentials without stepping away from their careers. Recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the best online nursing master’s programs, Benedictine University’s online M.S.N. program curriculum aligns with American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) outcomes for master’s-prepared nurses.