Originally a part of the American Nurses Association (ANA), and incorporated as a separate entity in 1991, the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) has offered nursing specialty certification for over 35 years, and today serves as the largest and most prestigious nursing credentialing organization in the U.S. ANCC certificants are all highly qualified, certified registered nurses (RNs), with approximately half who are advanced practice nurses (over 70% of which are NPs – Nurse Practitioners). They all have met strict education/eligibility requirements and passed the exam for their specialty and advanced practice area; which includes gerontology, medical-surgical, pediatrics, perinatal, nursing administration, cardiac-vascular, pain management, psychiatric and mental health nursing (selectable, among others). ANCC certificants are also selectable by position (nurse practitioners, staff nurses, nursing managers, clinical nurse specialist, etc.), gender, and ethnicity.
As a subsidiary of the ANA, ANCC was established to provide tangible recognition of professional achievement in a defined functional or clinical area of nursing. ANCC’s mission is to certify healthcare providers; accredit educational providers, approvers, and programs; recognize excellence in nursing and healthcare services; educate the public, and collaborate with organizations to advance the understanding of credentialing services; and finally, support credentialing through research, education, and consultative services.
Keep in mind - all nursing professionals on the ANCC mailing list are “opt-in”, thus making this database the most direct mail responsive list in the entire nursing industry.