APRN, CNP, ACNP, NP, CNS: Advanced Practice Nurses and the Acronyms Defined

Let’s face it, nursing can be confusing. It used to confuse me so much, that I wasn’t even sure what my title would be until three months before I graduated. So, in an effort to decipher the acronyms and make it easier for you, I have tried to organize as many advanced practice nursing roles as possible below and their associated acronyms with an explanation. My apologies if I missed one, but I’m going to give it my best shot.

Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN)

Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) is an umbrella term and at the top of the pyramid. This term comprises all of the roles in advanced practice nursing including: Certified Nurse Practitioners (CNP), Certified Nurse Midwives (CNM), Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS), and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA).

Nurse Practitioner (NP)

Nurse Practitioner (NP) is a generic term, but generally, NPs are separated by the populations they treat, and then further by specialty.

Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP): Before taking a certification exam, or a generic acronym for a Family Nurse Practitioner is FNP.

 

Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner (AGNP): Before taking a certification exam, or a generic acronym for an Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner is AGNP. To further complicate this, AGNPs can be certified in primary or acute care depending on their education.

 

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP): Before taking a certification exam, or a generic acronym for a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner is PNP. To further complicate this, PNPs can be certified in primary or acute care depending on their education, like AGNPs.

  • Primary care: If the PNP decided to take her or his certification exam through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), and specialized in primary care, the certification awarded would be, “Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner-Board Certified,” or PPCNP-BC.

    • Please note: The ANCC retired this certification in December of 2018.

  • Primary care: If the PNP decided to take her or his certification exam through the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB), and specialized in primary care, the certification awarded would be, “Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner-Primary Care,” or CPNP-PC.

  • Acute care: The Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB) is the only choice for an Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner certification. The certification awarded would be, “Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Acute Care,” or CPNP-AC.

 

Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP): Before taking a certification exam, or a generic acronym for a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner is NNP.

 

Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner (WHNP): Before taking a certification exam, or a generic acronym for a Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner is WHNP.

 

Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP): Before taking a certification exam, or a generic acronym for a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner is PMHNP.

  • Across the lifespan: PMHNPs can only newly certify through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the certification awarded would be, “Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (Across the Lifespan)-Board Certified,” or PMHNP-BC.

  • Of note, the outdated certifications mental health nurse practitioners through the ANCC were divided as adult and family. Those exams are still available for renewal only.

  • If you are pursuing this certification, BoardVitals has a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Question Bank to help you prepare for the certification exam.

 

Emergency Nurse Practitioner (ENP): This is the newest NP certification and before taking the certification exam, or a generic acronym for an Emergency Nurse Practitioner is ENP.

Nurse Midwife (NM)

Certifying as a Nurse Midwife is fairly straightforward. There is only one certifying body called the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB). Once the certification exam is passed and awarded, the midwife will be titled, “Certified Nurse-Midwife,” or CNM

Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)

Clinical Nurse Specialist is a generic term, but generally, CNSs are separated by the populations they treat; adult-gerontology, pediatric, and neonatal. CNSs can certify through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN). Once certified, some CNSs will simply use “CCNS,” to indicate they are “Certified Clinical Nurse Specialists.”

Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist (AGCNS): The AGCNS can obtain a certification through the ANCC or the AACN.

Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist (PCNS): The PCNS can obtain a certification through the AACN.

Neonatal Clinical Nurse Specialist (NCNS): The NCNS can obtain a certification through the AACN.

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)

Certifying as a Nurse Anesthetist can only be done through the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA). Once the exam is passed the certification awarded is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist or CRNA.

And finally…

This post concluded the acronyms for APRNs. Since it took me nearly four years to figure this out, I hope you learn a lot faster than I did. Best of luck to all of you on your journey to becoming an APRN.

***Please email me if I left any new certifications out or if you find wrong information.

Danielle LeVeck

Danielle LeVeck (DNP, ACNPC-AG, CCNS, RN, CCRN) is a practicing Adult Geriatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner in a busy Cardiovascular Surgical Intensive Care Unit. She graduated as a second degree BSN student in 2011 and has been working as an Intensive Care Registered Nurse ever since. Her experience includes cardiac medical and surgical intensive care patients, medical-surgical intensive care patients, and intensive care travel nursing.

When Ms. LeVeck became a nurse, she instantly recognized the beautiful quirks of nursing culture and healthcare in general. She was driven to share the stories of these  “nurse abnormalities” because it was clearly evident how brilliant and instrumental nurses were in providing optimal patient care. Becoming a nurse positively transformed Ms. LeVeck’s life and she hopes to give to the profession as much as it has given to her.

Through her writing and storytelling, Ms. LeVeck strives to inspire and empower the next generation of nurses and renew the previous generation. Her additional passions include promoting synergy within the multidisciplinary team and incorporation of palliative care in the ICU. Overall, she attempts to use humor, raw vulnerability, and clinical precision to achieve authenticity in her online presence.


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