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.

• Assess entry-level nurse practitioner (NP) knowledge and practice competencies required to provide safe and quality health care.
• Meet the needs of employers, practitioners, and the public by identifying individuals with certain knowledge and skills.
• Assure consumers that professionals have met current standards of practice.
• Demonstrate an individual's commitment to a profession and to lifelong learning.
• Provide an individual with a sense of pride and professional accomplishment.

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

• Development and administration of entry-level and specialty NP certification programs;
• Application processes for NP certification;
• Providing a reliable, valid, competency-based examination for NPs to reflect their knowledge and expertise for each of its programs;
• Initial certification of the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care, Emergency, Family, and Psychiatric Mental Health NP candidates who meets eligibility requirements for certification by entry-level exam; and
• Providing the processes for renewal of certification for the Adult, Adult-Gerontology Primary Care, Emergency, Family, Gerontological, and Psychiatric Mental Health NP who meet requirements for renewal of their NP certification.

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.