News — The (AACN) joins hospitals and other healthcare organizations in recognizing certified nurses for their professionalism, leadership and commitment to excellence in the care of patients and families as part of , Wednesday, March 19.
As healthcare becomes increasingly complex and challenging, nursing certification has become an important mark of excellence. Specialty certification reaffirms nurses’ commitment to using the best evidence to provide care for patients and families. Achieving certification demonstrates to patients/families, employers and the healthcare team that a nurse’s knowledge reflects national standards and a strong commitment to patient safety.
AACN recently published “,” with Brianna Valentine, RN, CCRN, who became certified in 2024, during AACN’s .
“I wanted my colleagues to realize that I’m an experienced nurse whose judgement they can trust. I wanted to truly understand the evidence behind our practices and have the clinical knowledge to justify my approach to patient care – and certification seemed like the best way to do that,” she said.
The article about Valentine joins other and articles on the AACN website that underscore the personal pride and commitment to professionalism and quality care from certified nurses:
- “” is a Q&A interview with Collyn West, MSN, RN, CNL, PCCN, a director of nursing in acute care, about her certification journey.
- In “,” several nurses share what motivated them to become a certified nurse.
- “ highlights three nurses who hold multiple certifications, including a specialty certification as a nursing professional development practitioner.
More than a million nurses and advanced practice nurses in the United States and Canada hold one or more specialty nursing credentials, according to the American Board of Nursing Specialties (). These certifications were granted by 56 U.S.-based credentialing organizations and represent 148 different credentials.
Currently, more than 131,000 critical care, progressive care and advanced practice nurses hold AACN Certification Corporation credentials: CCRN, PCCN, ACNPC, ACNPC-AG, CCNS, ACCNS-AG, ACCNS-P, ACCNS-N, CMC and CSC.
Certified Nurses Day, an annual worldwide event, is dedicated to celebrating certification as a means to help promote high standards of patient care and excellence in the nursing profession. Initially proposed by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the day honors the birthday of the late Margretta “Gretta” Madden Styles, an international pioneer in nursing certification and longtime friend of AACN and AACN Certification Corporation. Styles designed the first comprehensive study of nurse credentialing.
For more information about Certified Nurses Day, visit .
About AACN Certification Corporation: AACN Certification Corporation, the credentialing arm of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, drives patient health and safety through comprehensive credentialing of acute and critical care nurses, ensuring practice consistent with standards of excellence. Since 1976, AACN Certification Corporation has collectively granted approximately 450,000 nursing certifications, with over 131,000 active certifications held.
About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses: For more than 50 years, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has been dedicated to acute and critical care nursing excellence. The organization’s vision is to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. AACN is the world’s largest specialty nursing organization, with about 135,000 members and nearly 200 chapters in the United States.
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 27071 Aliso Creek Road, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656; 949-362-2000; ;; x.com/aacnme
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