ANA Nurse Practitioner Education Requirements
The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association (ANA), functions as the world's biggest and most eminent nurse credentialing organization. It has credentialing programs for nurse practitioners in seven distinct specialties. Each specialty has its own unique education track required for earning ANCC board certification. Employers take notice when a nurse practitioner (NP) has earned board certification after licensing.
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Nurse Practitioner Certification Specialties
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Nurse practitioners may practice without ANCC board certification as long as they have a license. But board certification sets you apart from other nurse practitioners. It serves as a concrete indicator of your dedication to your field. You may become a board certified NP in one or more of the following specialties: acute care, adult, adult psychiatric and mental health, family, family psychiatric and mental health, gerontological or pediatric. For each of these seven specialties, the ANCC has a webpage outlining the particulars of the requirements for that particular certification exam.
Registered Nurse Licensure Requirement
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The first step in your education for an ANA NP certification, regardless of your specialty, is in attaining your Registered Nurse (RN) license. Your license must be active in a state or territory of the U.S. If your license comes from abroad, professional, legally recognized equivalents will be considered for fulfillment of this requirement. Make sure this RN degree qualifies you for entrance into your preferred graduate studies program.
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Graduate Studies Requirement
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You must have graduated from a master's, post-master's or doctorate in an NP program specifically for your area of specialty. For instance, if applying for acute care NP certification, you must hold one of these graduate studies degrees from an accredited acute care NP program--not just any NP program. Accreditation of your graduate program must come from either the Commission on the Collegiate of Nursing Education or the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission. Know the requirements to sit for the ANCC certification exam so you can assure that your chosen NP program will meet their qualifications.
Supervised Clinical Hours Requirement
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For board certification, your graduate studies degree must include at least 500 faculty-supervised clinical hours within your area of specialty. For example, if you were applying for a family NP certification, your supervised clinical hours requirement must have occurred during your family NP graduate degree program.
Required Areas of Study
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All NP certification eligibility requirements stipulate that your graduate degree includes advanced studies in health assessment, pharmacology and pathophysiology. Almost all the specialty areas require content study in health promotion and disease prevention as well as differential diagnosis and disease management. This varies slightly from specialty to specialty with the most marked differences being in the specialties for psychiatric nurse practitioners. Check each specialty's requirements carefully to ensure your eligibility to take the certifications exam.
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References
- American Nurses Credential Center; My ANCC Certification Video; 2010
- American Nurses Credentialing Center; Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Certification Eligibility Criteria, 2011
- American Nurses Credentialing Center; Family Nurse Practitioner Certification Eligibility Criteria; 2011
- American Nurses Credentialing Center: Adult Psychiatric & Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certification Eligibility Criteria
Resources
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