American Nurses Credentialing Center

Last updated
American Nurses Credentialing Center
AbbreviationANCC
Formation1991
Headquarters Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.
Parent organization
American Nurses Association
Website www.nursingworld.org/ancc

The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association (ANA), is a certification body for nursing board certification and the largest certification body for advanced practice registered nurses in the United States, [1] as of 2011 certifying over 75,000 APRNs, including nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists.

Contents

ANCC's nursing board certification program is one of the oldest in the USA, and many of its certifications were established before 1980, when nursing certification was still in early developmental stages. [2]

History

In 1966, the American Nursing Association amended its bylaws to allow the creation of certification boards for nurses in various areas of practice. [2]

Two years later, the ANC's Nursing Practice Department published a paper promoting certification standards. From the ideas presented in this paper, the Congress for Nursing Practice drafted guidelines for the certification process in 1969. Within a few years, several nursing practice divisions had drafted certification processes based upon these guidelines. [2]

In 1973, the ANA announced a national certification program for nursing practice. By 1974, the first certification examinations were administered. [2]

Over the following 17 years, the ANA continued to expand its nursing credentialing exams to cover more areas of practice and administration. The ANA decided in 1990 to create the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) as a subsidiary nonprofit corporation through which it would sell its certification services and exams. [2]

In 1999, the ANCC created an international branch of the organization in order to provide its services outside of the United States. [3]

Primary Accreditation Established in 1974, Primary Accreditation recognizes organizations (or components of organizations) that offer continuing education for nurses. This accreditation contributes to health care quality and professional nursing practice by defining standards for the development and delivery of continuing education and by providing a voluntary peer review process to assure compliance.

Services

Other services of the ANCC include an Accreditation Program for nursing continuing education providers and approvers, and the Magnet Recognition Program, which rates medical institutions for their nursing excellence. [4] The ANCC also runs the Pathway to Excellence program to help hospitals improve their working environment for nurses. [5] [6]

In 1998 the ANCC created the Institute for Research, Education, and Consultation (IREC) [7] which provides the following services: Certification, Magnet Recognition Program, Pathway to Excellence, and Accreditation.

  1. Live review seminars
  2. National study groups
  3. Web-based e-learning
  4. Certification review manuals
  5. Web-based practice questions and answers
  1. Annual National Magnet Conference
  2. Magnet workshops
  3. Consulting services
  4. Web-based e-learning
  1. Pathway workshops
  2. Consulting services
  3. Web-based e-learning
  1. Annual Accreditation Symposium
  2. Consulting services

Certification exams

ANCC offers certification programs in 29 nursing specialties: [8]

Related Research Articles

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Nursing credentials and certifications are the various credentials and certifications that a person must have to practice nursing legally. Nurses' postnominal letters reflect their credentials—that is, their achievements in nursing education, licensure, certification, and fellowship. The letters usually appear in the following order:

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Vanderbilt University School of Nursing (VUSN) is a graduate school of Vanderbilt University, located in Nashville, Tennessee. VUSN is closely connected with its parent university and the separate nonprofit Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The School of Nursing is ranked in the top 10 in the U.S. News & World Report rankings. Additionally, its Masters of Science program is ranked 8th, and its Doctorate of Nursing practice program 6th in the report's 2022 graduate school rankings.

A clinical nurse specialist (CNS) is an advanced practice nurse who can provide advice related to specific conditions or treatment pathways. According to the International Council of Nurses (ICN), an Advanced Practice Nurse is a registered nurse who has acquired the expert knowledge base, complex decision-making skills and clinical competencies for expanded practice, the characteristics of which are shaped by the context and/or country in which s/he is credentialed to practice.

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Children's Minnesota is a nationally ranked non-profit, acute care children's hospital system located in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota. The hospital has 384 pediatric beds between their campuses. Children's Minnesota provides comprehensive pediatric specialties and subspecialties to infants, children, teens, and young adults aged 0–21 throughout Minnesota and surrounding regions and sometimes also treats adults that require pediatric care. Children's Minnesota Minneapolis features an American College of Surgeons verified Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center, 1 of 4 in the state. In addition to its two hospitals, Children's Minnesota has 12 primary and specialty care clinics, and six rehabilitation sites representing more than 60 pediatric specialties.

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Sharp HealthCare is a not-for-profit regional health care group located in San Diego. Sharp includes four acute care hospitals, three specialty hospitals, three affiliated medical groups, and a health plan. Sharp has approximately 2,600 physicians, and more than 18,000 employees.

In the United States, a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) is an advanced practice registered nurse trained to provide a wide range of mental health services to patients and families in a variety of settings. PMHNPs diagnose, conduct therapy, and prescribe medications for patients who have psychiatric disorders, medical organic brain disorders or substance abuse problems. They are licensed to provide emergency psychiatric services, psychosocial and physical assessment of their patients, treatment plans, and manage patient care. They may also serve as consultants or as educators for families and staff. The PMHNP has a focus on psychiatric diagnosis, including the differential diagnosis of medical disorders with psychiatric symptoms, and on medication treatment for psychiatric disorders.

The Michigan State University College of Nursing is the nursing college at Michigan State University. It is located on the southeastern side of campus in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. The college is centered in the Life Sciences Building. The dean of the school is Leigh Small. The College of Nursing is among the top 100 graduate nursing programs in the country, ranking at #36 in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report. The College of Nursing at Michigan State University offers a professional student environment that fosters professional and personal development of pre-nursing and nursing students. The college shares the university's research, compassion, and high-achieving educational goals. The college provides several options to become a nurse or advance your nursing education. Those include: BSN Pathways, MSN concentrations, DNP program, PhD program and various continuing education opportunities.

The Jane and Robert Cizik School of Nursing at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston (UTHealth) is an American nursing education institution.

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The Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation (ONCC) is a nonprofit organization established for the development, administration, and evaluation of programs for certification in oncology nursing. Incorporated in 1984 and governed by a board of directors, ONCC is the certifying body for oncology nursing and meets standards established by the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification. It is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies.

The National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC Inc. is a non-profit organization formed in 1960 with the purpose of awarding and maintaining credentialing for Respiratory Therapists in the United States. The NBRC is the only organization in the United States which develops certification examinations for Registered Respiratory Therapists and Certified Respiratory Therapists. The NBRC also offers additional specialization credentialing for respiratory practitioners that hold its certifications. The CRT and RRT designations are the standard credential in respiratory care for licensure requirements in the portions of the United States that have enacted a Respiratory Care Act. States that license respiratory therapists sometimes require the practitioner to maintain their NBRC credentialing to maintain their license to practice. The NBRC is headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas. It has been in the Kansas City metropolitan area since 1974. The NBRC is located at 10801 Mastin St, Suite 300, Overland Park, KS 66210.

The Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing (HBSON) is the nursing school of Hunter College, a public university that is a constituent organization of the City University of New York (CUNY). It is located on the Brookdale Campus, at East 25th Street and 1st Avenue in Kips Bay, near Bellevue Hospital. The school is the flagship nursing program for CUNY.

The Consensus Model for APRN Regulation is a model and document created by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing to create consensus on licensure, accreditation, certification, and education for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs).

Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) are registered nurses with graduate degrees in nursing. APRN roles include: certified nurse midwife, clinical nurse specialist, certified registered nurse anesthetist, and nurse practitioner. APRNs assess, diagnose, manage patient medical problems, order diagnostic tests, and prescribe medications. Rules, regulations, and credentialing for APRNs vary by state. This page outlines the regulatory processes for nurse practitioners in Wisconsin, including education, certification, licensing, and credentialing. Regulatory and credentialing processes are continuously changing, and the information contained on this page is current as of November 2015.

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An acute care nurse practitioner (ACNP) is a registered nurse who has completed an accredited graduate-level educational program that prepares them as a nurse practitioner. This program includes supervised clinical practice to acquire advanced knowledge, skills, and abilities. This education and training qualifies them to independently: (1) perform comprehensive health assessments; (2) order and interpret the full spectrum of diagnostic tests and procedures; (3) use a differential diagnosis to reach a medical diagnosis; and (4) order, provide, and evaluate the outcomes of interventions. The purpose of the ACNP is to provide advanced nursing care across the continuum of health care services to meet the specialized physiologic and psychological needs of patients with acute, critical, and/or complex chronic health conditions. This care is continuous and comprehensive and may be provided in any setting where the patient may be found. The ACNP is a licensed independent practitioner and may autonomously provide care. Whenever appropriate, the ACNP considers formal consultation and/or collaboration involving patients, caregivers, nurses, physicians, and other members of the interprofessional team.

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The Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions contains the nursing school and school of allied health professions at Georgia State University.

References

  1. "About ANCC". www.nursecredentialing.org. Archived from the original on 2012-09-08. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Content Expert Panel Member Handbook". Archived from the original on 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
  3. "Credentialing International - American Nurses Credentialing Center - ANCC". Archived from the original on 2011-02-06. Retrieved 2011-01-21.
  4. Aiken, Linda H.; Havens, Donna S.; Sloane, Douglas M. (March 2000). "The Magnet Nursing Services Recognition Program". American Journal of Nursing. 100 (3): 26–36. doi:10.1097/00000446-200003000-00040. PMID   10738398 . Retrieved 2016-04-10.
  5. "Nursing News & RN Career Information". NurseZone. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
  6. "ANCC Pathway to Excellence Program". The American Nurses Association. 14 October 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  7. Joel, Lucille A. (2003-03-22). Kelly's Dimensions of Professional Nursing. McGraw Hill Professional. ISBN   9780071428538.
  8. "ANCC Certification Center". Archived from the original on December 30, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2018.