Every CE requirement verified against official state nursing board sources. How RenewRN verifies the data →
Every CE requirement verified against official state nursing board sources. How RenewRN verifies the data →
Reviewed by Keegan, RN · ER & NICU travel nurse
Updated June 18, 2026
The American Nurses Association recommends listing your credentials in a set order, from the most permanent to the least: highest degree, then licensure, then any state designation, then national certifications, then awards and honors. In practice that means it is BSN, RN (degree first), not RN, BSN. Here is the full order, what goes in each slot, and worked examples.
The order at a glance
Highest degree → Licensure (RN/LPN) → State designation (APRN/NP) → National certification (CCRN, FNP-BC) → Awards and honors (FAAN) → Other.
Example: Jane Doe, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC
Highest earned degree
Doctoral (PhD, DNP, EdD, DrPH), master's (MSN, MS, MA), bachelor's (BSN, BS), or associate (ADN, AD). List only your highest, not every degree.
Licensure
Your license to practice: RN or LPN. It comes right after your degree.
State designations or requirements
Authority to practice at an advanced level, granted by your state: APRN, NP, or CNS.
National certifications
Specialty certifications from an accredited certifying body: CCRN, RN-BC, FNP-BC, and the like.
Awards and honors
Recognition of achievement, such as FAAN (Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing).
Other recognitions
Other certifications you choose to display, such as EMT or a non-nursing credential relevant to your role.
Order and categories from the ANA and ANCC How to Display Your Credentials.
The logic is permanence. Your degree goes first because, as the ANA puts it, it is a permanent credential that cannot be taken away except under extreme circumstances. Your license and state designation come next because they are required to practice but can lapse or be revoked. National certifications are often voluntary, so they follow. Awards and honors are always voluntary, so they come last. The whole string reads from the most permanent part of your identity as a nurse to the most optional.
Susan Jones, RN
An RN with no degree to display (or who lists only licensure).
Anne Peterson, MEd, BSN, RN
ANA example: highest degree, then bachelor's nursing degree, then license.
Jane Doe, BSN, RN
A bachelor's-prepared RN. Degree before license, so BSN, RN, not RN, BSN.
Jane Doe, BSN, RN, CCRN
The same nurse, now with a national specialty certification added after the license.
Jane Doe, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC
A nurse practitioner: highest degree, state designation, then national certification.
Nancy Gordon, MBA, MSN, RN
ANA example: a non-nursing degree relevant to the role goes first, then the highest nursing degree, then the license.
Jane Doe, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, FAAN
A fellowship or honor like FAAN goes last, after certifications.
License, certifications, and their renewal dates change over time. RenewRN keeps your whole credential stack and every expiration in one dashboard, free.
Start Tracking · Free