American Nurses Credentialing Center
Largest U.S. certifier of advanced practice registered nurses.
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The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) is a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association (ANA) that provides nursing board certification. It is the largest certification body for advanced practice registered nurses in the United States, certifying over 75,000 APRNs as of 2011. Many of its certifications were established before 1980, making its program one of the oldest in the country.
History
In 1966, the American Nursing Association amended its bylaws to permit the creation of certification boards for nurses. Two years later, the ANC's Nursing Practice Department published a paper promoting certification standards, which led the Congress for Nursing Practice to draft certification guidelines in 1969. Several nursing practice divisions then developed certification processes based on these guidelines. The ANA announced a national certification program in 1973, and the first certification examinations were administered in 1974.
Over the next 17 years, the ANA expanded its credentialing exams. In 1990, the ANA created the ANCC as a subsidiary nonprofit corporation to sell its certification services. The ANCC established an international branch in 1999. Primary Accreditation, established in 1974, recognizes organizations offering continuing education for nurses.
Services
The ANCC runs an accreditation program for nursing continuing education providers and approvers, along with the Magnet Recognition Program, which evaluates medical institutions for nursing excellence. Its Pathway to Excellence program helps hospitals improve nurse work environments.
In 1998, the ANCC established the Institute for Research, Education, and Consultation (IREC), which handles certification, Magnet Recognition, Pathway to Excellence, and accreditation. IREC offers live review seminars, national study groups, web-based e-learning, certification review manuals, web-based practice questions and answers, an annual National Magnet Conference, Magnet workshops, consulting services, Pathway workshops, an annual Accreditation Symposium, and more consulting. The ANCC provides certification in 29 nursing specialties.
More in Nursing Organizations in the United States
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: American Nurses Credentialing Center (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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