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Best certified nurse practitioner certifications
Certified nurse practitioner certifications allow job seekers to demonstrate their competency as an certified nurse practitioner to employers. However, not all certified nurse practitioner certifications provide the same value for job seekers.
The best certifications for a certified nurse practitioner are Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA), Certified Nurse Technician (CNT), and Family Nurse Practitioner.
Below is a list of the best certified nurse practitioner certifications. Obtaining an certified nurse practitioner certification will give you a leg up when you apply for jobs and increase your potential salary.
11 best certifications for certified nurse practitioners
| Rank | Certified nurse practitioner certification | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) | American Red ... |
| 2 | Certified Nurse Technician (CNT) | NHA |
| 3 | Family Nurse Practitioner | ANA |
| 4 | Medical Assistant | ASPT |
| 5 | Certified Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurse (CWOCN) | WOCNCB |
| 6 | Basic Life Support (BLS) | AHA |
| 7 | AIDS Certified Registered Nurse (ACRN) | HANCB |
| 8 | Certified Wound Ostomy Nurse (CWON) | WOCNCB |
| 9 | Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP) | SOCRA |
| 10 | Wound Care Certified (WCC) | NAWC |
| 11 | Certified Wound Care Nurse (CWCN) | WOCNCB |
11 best certified nurse practitioner certifications
1. Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA)
Train to be a certified nurse assistant working with other health care professionals to provide quality care for elderly or sick individuals in nursing homes and hospitals and at home.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
- More than two years of work experience required? No
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required?
2. Certified Nurse Technician (CNT)
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? No
3. Family Nurse Practitioner
The ANCC Family Nurse Practitioner board certification examination is a competency based examination that provides a valid and reliable assessment of the entry-level clinical knowledge and skills of nurse practitioners. This certification aligns with the Consensus Model for APRN Regulation: Licensure, Accreditation, Certification and Education. Once you complete eligibility requirements to take the certification examination and successfully pass the exam, you are awarded the credential: Family Nurse Practitioner-Board Certified (FNP-BC).
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 5 year(s)
4. Medical Assistant
The medical assistant job description varies depending on the employer's needs. A medical assistant is a multi-skilled professional and an asset to a physician.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
- More than two years of work experience required? No
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 1 year(s)
5. Certified Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurse (CWOCN)
Becoming board certified is a voluntary process that requires consistent evaluations of a nurse's professional knowledge and skills. While a nurse who is not board certified may possess basic entry-level skills, he or she may not have the specialized skills and experience to adequately provide expert care. Board certification ensures that a nurse is knowledgeable and well qualified to provide specialized care.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 5 year(s)
6. Basic Life Support (BLS)
The Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers Classroom Course is designed to provide a wide variety of healthcare professionals the ability to recognize several life-threatening emergencies, provide CPR, use an AED, and relieve choking in a safe, timely and effective manner.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
- More than two years of work experience required? No
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 2 year(s)
7. AIDS Certified Registered Nurse (ACRN)
In 1996, ANAC supported the creation of a separate corporation, the HIV/AIDS Nursing Certification Board (HANCB). The purpose of the new entity was to develop and administer an HIV nursing certification examination.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 4 year(s)
8. Certified Wound Ostomy Nurse (CWON)
Becoming board certified is a voluntary process that requires consistent evaluations of a nurse's professional knowledge and skills. While a nurse who is not board certified may possess basic entry-level skills, he or she may not have the specialized skills and experience to adequately provide expert care. Board certification ensures that a nurse is knowledgeable and well qualified to provide specialized care to meet patients' wound, ostomy, continence needs.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 5 year(s)
9. Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP)
Clinical Research Professionals (CRPs) come from a wide variety of backgrounds. CRPs may have backgrounds in nursing, pharmacy, medical technology, business administration, health record maintenance, statistics, biology, teaching, or in other areas. CRPs work in various settings such as cooperative research groups; academic and private institutions; private offices; pharmaceutical, device, and biotechnology companies; Clinical Research Organizations (CROs); Site Management Organizations (SMOs); independent research and development organizations; or organizations involved in the management of clinical trials. These varying backgrounds and settings contribute to the unique knowledge and diverse expertise of CRPs.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 3 year(s)
10. Wound Care Certified (WCC)
The NAWC offers the Wound Care Certification Examination to measure the academic and technical competence of eligible candidates in the area of Skin and Wound Care Management. Upon obtaining a passing score on the Certification examination, candidates may use the initials WCC, Wound Care Certified, to designate their status.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 5 year(s)
11. Certified Wound Care Nurse (CWCN)
Becoming board certified is a voluntary process that requires consistent evaluations of a nurse's professional knowledge and skills. While a nurse who is not board certified may possess basic entry-level skills, he or she may not have the specialized skills and experience to adequately provide expert care. Board certification ensures that a nurse is knowledgeable and well qualified to provide specialized care.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? No
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 5 year(s)
What is the best certification for a certified nurse practitioner?
The best certified nurse practitioner certification is Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA). The Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) is awarded by the American Red Cross. This certification is great to have as it shows an improvement in your competency to perform your role. You can earn this certification at the beginning of your career, as it often doesn't require a minimum education level and work experience.
Here's a bit more background on how to obtain this certified nurse practitioner certification:
- To become a certified Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA), you need to pass the exam.
- Lucky you - certification doesn't require more than two years of work experience.
- Renew certification every year.
What are some of the most in-demand certifications for certified nurse practitioners?
The most in-demand certified nurse practitioner certification is Certified Nurse Assistant based on all active job postings. Having this certified nurse practitioner certification will give you access to more certified nurse practitioner jobs with higher salaries.
What certifications can impact a certified nurse practitioner career and salary?
The Family Nurse Practitioner certification will help you to secure a family nurse practitioner position, which will increase your pay and career trajectory. A family nurse practitioner's average salary is $93,196 whereas certified nurse practitioners make an average salary of $102,331.
The most common combination of certified nurse practitioner certifications include: Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA), Certified Nurse Technician (CNT), and Family Nurse Practitioner.
Online courses for certified nurse practitioners to earn certifications
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This course presents basic principles of cancer survivorship to primary-care physicians. Developed by a team of experts in caring for cancer survivors, and narrated by a primary-care physician, this course provides practical tips and tools that can be easily integrated into medical practice. You will learn about the complex physical and psychosocial needs and concerns of the growing number of cancer survivors, along with the key role that primary care physicians have in guiding these patients...
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5. Introduction to Integrative Nursing
This course is designed for nurses who are drawn to practice in a different way – nurses who value whole-person care and know that the essence of nursing practice is truly caring and healing. You will learn about the principles and practices of Integrative Nursing and how you can be a healing presence to all you serve. Then, you will do an integrative assessment and apply the principles of Integrative Nursing to improve symptom management and overall patient outcomes. Finally, you will explore...
6. Trauma Emergencies and Care
Welcome to Trauma Emergencies and Care. In this course, you will learn about some of the mechanics and physics of trauma on the human body, and how this can cause injury. You will continue to expand your new vocabulary with medical terminology, and learn how to describe the different injuries you may see. You will also learn about the trauma system itself- and when it is important to transport patients to a trauma center. Then we will dive into specific injuries based on what part of the body...
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9. Prehospital care of acute stroke and patient selection for endovascular treatment using the RACE scale
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10. Palliative Care Always Capstone Course
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11. Traditional herbal medicine in supportive cancer care: From alternative to integrative
Please join us for an exciting and innovative journey, examining one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of the oncology setting: Traditional Herbal Medicine in Supportive Cancer Care. This course is presented with short lectures offering a wide range of issues related to the principles and practice of herbal medicine in cancer care. The course includes interviews with leading world experts from the field of Integrative Oncology, from the U.S. and Canada, as well as Europe, the...
12. Value-Based Care: Managing Processes to Improve Outcomes
COURSE 3 of 7. This course is designed to introduce you to critical office-based processes that a value-based practice must manage in the drive towards improved patient outcomes. In Module 2, we’ll focus on office-based and clinical patient-based supporting functions. At every level in healthcare, guidelines, processes, and functions exist to improve outcomes, and following a consistent process will return the best effect. Refine your understanding of value and learn strategies to provide real...
13. Health Care Delivery in Healthcare Organizations
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14. Pain Management: Easing Pain in Palliative Care
In this course, you will be able to develop a systems view for assessing and managing pain in the palliative care setting. By the end of the course, you will be able to: 1) Describe the pain problem in the palliative care setting; 2) Assess a person’s pain, 3) Explain the benefits of integrative therapies and pharmacologic strategies to manage pain...
15. Addiction Treatment: Clinical Skills for Healthcare Providers
This course is designed with a singular goal: to improve the care you provide to your patients with substance use disorders. By delving into a model case performed by actors, seven Yale instructors from various fields provide techniques to screen your patients for substance use disorder risk, diagnose patients to gauge the severity of their use, directly manage treatment plans, refer out to treatment services, and navigate the various conditions that may limit your patient’s access to treatment...
16. Emergency Care: Pregnancy, Infants, and Children
Welcome to the final course of lectures in your quest to master EMT basics. In this course, we will cover some of the highest-stress patient populations: pregnant patients and kids, also known as pediatrics. To wrap up your EMT knowledge we will end this course with information about hazmat situations, extricating patients from tight spots and finally how you write a note about your patient care. You will learn to ensure it communicates what your assessment of the patient was, what...
17. COVID-19 Training for Healthcare Workers
COVID-19 is rapidly spreading across the globe and all providers must be prepared to recognize, stabilize and treat patients with novel coronavirus infection. Following completion of this short course physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals will have a unified, evidenced-based approach to saving the lives of patients with COVID-19, including those who are critically ill. Learning modules are broken into short videos presented in a richly illustrated and compelling manner. The...
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19. Nursing Informatics Leaders
In this course, we explore the AMIA Nursing Informatics History Project. By the end of the module, you will understand the resources available that will be used in this course to learn about the first hand experiences, future vision, and lessons learned in becoming a nursing informatics pioneer. Course Objectives: • Explore the history of technology and its relationship to the beginning of nursing informatics to understand historical context and evolution of the specialty • Discover the AMIA...
20. Health Care IT: Challenges and Opportunities
A strong argument can be made that the health care field is one of the most information-intensive sectors in the U.S. economy and avoidance of the rapid advances in information technology is no longer an option. Consequently, the study of health care information technology and systems has become central to health care delivery effectiveness. This course covers the modern application of information technology that is critical to supporting the vision and operational knowledge of the health care...