Vision, Mission, and Purpose

The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners National Certification Board, Inc. has done business as the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program (AANPCP) since 1993 and changed its business name from AANP Certification Program (AANPCP) to the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB) in 2017. The updated logo and name appear on all official AANPCB documents and materials.

Vision
Nurse Practitioners meet the highest standards of excellence and competence to support quality care and optimal health outcomes.

Mission
Provide excellence in testing and certification for nurse practitioners.

Values
AANPCB operates as an ethical and professional organization, embodying the organizational values and principles of Quality, Integrity, Respect and Responsiveness.

Purpose
The purpose of AANPCBs nurse practitioner certification programs is to provide a valid and reliable program for nurse practitioners to recognize their education, knowledge, and professional expertise, and to provide a process for validation of an advanced practice registered nurse’s qualifications and knowledge for practice as a nurse practitioner.

As an autonomous national nursing certification board, AANPCB is responsible for the:

AANPCB Certificants
An NP who is certified by AANPCB is referred to as a Certificant, indicating that the individual has successfully met the following requirements for certification by AANPCB. All Certificants:

  1. Have met specific educational requirements that assess national competencies of the APRN core, the NP role, and at least one population focus (ANP, AGNP, FNP, GNP, PMHNP) area of practice. In the case of the emergency specialty examination, the Certificant is a currently certified FNP who has met the qualification and eligibility requirements to take the ENP specialty exam.
  2. Hold current registered nurse licensure.
  3. Have demonstrated professional knowledge in the NP role and population focus by passing the national certification examination.
  4. Maintain continued competence in the profession as an ANP, AGNP, ENP, FNP, GNP, or PMHNP through an established certification renewal process.
  5. Subscribe to established scope and standards of practice for nurse practitioners.