When I graduated with my BSN many years ago, I was filled with pride; pride for having completed a rigorous course of study and pride for having passed the most anxiety-producing exam I had ever taken – the NCLEX. I remember my professors saying that my
professional signature should always include my licensed title and degree; RN, BSN. RN – the holy grail of credentials for those who take the challenge of nursing education and dare to confront the NCLEX. They said all other denominations of nursing come after the RN. So, I became Lisa J. Sundean, RN, BSN and now I am Lisa J. Sundean, RN, MSN, MHA and soon-to-be Lisa J. Sundean, RN, PhD. Aside from my name, what is the constant in this lineage of credentialing ancestry? You got it – RN. Registered Nurse. Hello, I am Lisa and I am a Registered Nurse. In that you can trust according to annual public polls. RN is the only designation that allows me to practice as a nurse. No other credential allows me to practice legally except the RN license.
According to the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the proper way to display licensure and credentials is by highest degree earned followed by licensure, state designations, awards/honors, and others (ANCC, 2013). So apparently, I need to tweak the order of my signature. I will consider it. But note, RN is still clearly in the signature. Some would argue that APRN can substitute for RN, but not according to ANCC. I’m not going to argue that point. I will leave that for the APRNs. What matters is that RN is displayed somewhere in the alphabet soup of acronyms.
Several years ago, I was volunteering for a local hospital fundraising organization. While recruiting sponsors for the flagship fundraising event as co-president of the organization, I was signing letters directed toward potential sponsors and donors. Of course, my signature was Lisa J. Sundean, RN, BSN (I didn’t have the MSN, MHA yet). The hired event planner took issue with my credentials saying it would be confusing for sponsors and donors. Naturally, I argued with him and I kept the signature intact. I argued that if people knew a nurse was asking for support they would feel more confident about giving. Revenue for that event increased by more than 100% over the prior year (yes, you read correctly!). Okay, maybe my signature was not the only reason, but nurses do have credibility. For sponsors and donors, knowing a nurse was leading the fundraising effort probably helped.
Not so many years ago, I was finishing my Master’s degree program. The capstone project had me combing through hospital websites and board directories looking for RNs serving on hospital boards. I’d heard of certain hospitals that had RNs on their boards but I was challenged to locate them in the board directories. I was perplexed that very few hospitals listed nurses on boards with their RN titles. The reasons for this are complicated, but in talking about it with a particular hospital CEO and RN, I was told that as nurses move up the career ladder to more senior level executive positions, they sometime drop the RN title because it can become an impediment to further career advancement. Pause. Think about that for a moment. The very licensing credentialing that allows nurses to practice, to deliver educated care to people in need, to advocate as educated and licensed professionals becomes an impediment to personal/professional development…(sigh).
Recently I have noticed that some nurses from academia and other work settings have retired the RN title in favor of using state designations and certifications. It may be obvious to those of us who are familiar with the constellation of initials that these people are, in fact, RNs with superlative credentials. However, the general population, who apparently trust nurses inherently, have no idea how to decode these initials. They wonder, “Is this person a nurse, a professional bill collector, a doctor of neuroscience, a professional health director, or a certified entrepreneur of noetic perspectives?” In all of the high level credentialing that nurses accumulate, the only letters that really stand out to the general population are RN – Registered Nurse.
At a time when nursing is entering its “golden age” as Donna Shalala declared so emphatically in 2010 at the release of the Institute of Medicine report, The Future of Nursing; Leading Change, Advancing Health (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2015), some nurses choose to hide their licensing credential. At a time when we need nurse representation and participation at so many levels for healthcare transformation, some choose to stow the RN away. It is concerning that some feel the need to hide their professional identity to advance and have influence in leadership positions.
Now is the time to display the RN prominently along with other credentials. How else can we take credit for nurses’ roles in health, healthcare, and social justice? The public trusts us. Do we trust in the power of the RN? Let’s commit to leadership influence using the licensing credential that we worked so hard for; the licensing credential that we must hold to advance our nursing education, to provide bedside care, to be recognized as nurse leaders. The RN is not a license to hide. The RN credential is one to display proudly and be empowered by. If career advancement is at risk by our credentials, perhaps the alternative approach is to advocate for all that the RN stands for.
2016 is just days away. Now is nursing’s time. Be an RN. Happy New Year to all my colleagues.
References
American Nurses Credentialing Center. (2013). How to display your credentials. Retrieved from http://www.nursecredentialing.org/DisplayCredentials-Brochure.pdf
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (2015). Campaign for Action Five-Year Celebration Video. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLM5zC7zmF4&feature=youtu.be
h call has been made… how will you respond?
NurseManifest 