Top Nursing Certifications Worth Pursuing

A certification is one of the strongest moves you can make toward a promotion or a specialty role. The hard part is choosing among them. Three experienced nurses weighed in on the credentials worth your time.

A certification proves you have mastered a specialty and can practice in it safely. It also signals to employers that you take professional development and best practice seriously. Prerequisites vary, but every certification requires an active, unencumbered nursing license, graduation from an accredited program, and a passing exam score.

Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN)

What it is: Prepares you to treat the most serious injuries and illnesses.

Requirements: Either two years of nursing experience with 1,750 hours in direct care of acute or critical adult patients, or five years with at least 2,000 hours, plus the exam.

Why it matters: "The CCRN is a very popular certification for registered nurses to obtain. Employers often require it, and it covers all acute and critical care specialties, making it the 'jack of all trades' of RN certifications," says Jenna Liphart Rhoads, MS, PhD.

Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN)

What it is: Qualifies you to work in emergency departments with the most critically injured or ill patients across all age groups.

Requirements: The Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing recommends, but does not require, two years of emergency nursing experience before the exam.

Why it matters: "The CEN is the cornerstone of every emergency department, where the RN is recognized as having the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform competent emergency nursing care," says nurse educator Nicholas McGowan.

Progressive Care Nursing (PCCN)

What it is: Lets you provide direct care to acutely ill adults who need more than a standard hospital unit but not full intensive care.

Requirements: Either two years of nursing experience with 1,750 hours in direct care of acute or critical adult patients, or five years with at least 2,000 hours, plus the exam.

Why it matters: McGowan calls it a flexible credential. "Nurses interested in this certification might work in intermediate care, direct observation, stepdown, telemetry, transitional care, or emergency departments."

Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)

What it is: For APRNs who want to work in family practice. Like other NPs, FNPs are qualified to serve as primary care providers.

Requirements: Graduate from an accredited master's or higher FNP program and pass a multiple-choice exam.

Why it matters: Robin Squellati, PhD, APRN-C, faculty in Walden University's MSN program, points to strong job prospects: nurse practitioner demand is projected to climb sharply over the coming decade. She attributes it to physicians choosing higher-paid specialties over primary care, and to the cost savings NPs deliver as primary care providers.

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)

What it is: Qualifies you to work as an NP for psychiatric and mental health conditions, including diagnosing conditions and prescribing treatment.

Requirements: Graduate from an accredited PMHNP master's or doctoral program with at least 500 faculty-supervised clinical hours, then pass the certification exam through the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Why it matters: "The field is diverse and broad," Squellati says, calling it a strong choice as mental healthcare demand grows.

Certified Nurse Educator (CNE)

What it is: Prepares you to teach other nurses, in a nursing school or as an in-house educator within a hospital or health system.

Requirements: A master's or doctoral degree in nursing plus education coursework, such as nine hours of graduate work in education or a postmaster's education certificate, in addition to the exam.

Why it matters: Squellati points to the faculty shortage behind growing nurse demand. "There are not enough nurse educators, due to academic requirements, lower compensation compared to other nursing positions, and an older nursing workforce."

Adult Nurse Practitioner (ANP)

What it is: Lets you work as a primary care provider with authority to diagnose conditions and prescribe treatment.

Requirements: Available for renewal only. Applicants must have graduated from a board-certified program and maintain continuing education, including at least 25 hours in pharmacology.

Why it matters: "This certification prepares nurse practitioners to care for adult and geriatric patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings," Rhoads says.