ABNS is a not-for-profit, membership organization governed by an elected group of representatives. We are focused on improving patient outcomes and consumer protection by promoting specialty nursing certification. ABNS member organizations represent more than a half million certified registered nurses worldwide. We have a strong, unified voice. Becoming an ABNS member is the best way to connect with other nursing credentialing organizations and dialogue about the specific issues nurses face. Click here to read the ABNS Fact Sheet.

The ABNS mission statement is, "to promote the value of specialty nursing certification to all stakeholders." Learn more about ABNS in the About Us section.

Please note: ABNS does not verify credentials of individual nurses. To verify a credential, contact the certifying agency that granted the credential. ABNS is a membership organization for certifying agencies and does not actually administer certification program(s).

Please Note: This website contains information specific to specialty nursing certification and is not intended or designed to give medical or nursing advice in any sense.

Announcements

• ABSNC announced the results of the 2013 election for the Board of Directors. (read full text)
• ABNS announced today that it has elected new leadership for 2013 – 2014.(read full tex)
• ABNS announced today that it honored three leaders in the nursing certification industry at their Spring Assembly Meeting in March. (read full text)
• ABNS Offers New Webinar Series - Register for the first webinar, What's New in Testing Psychometrics with Dr. Timothy Muckle, NBCRNA, on May 21 at 12:00 ET. Click here for more information.
• ABNS has announced the future Assembly Meeting Dates for 2014 and 2015. Visit the Meetings page for the specific meeting dates.
• The American Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC) announced today that it has selected Sally Anne Irvin of Winston-Salem, NC to serve as the new Public Member for the Board of Directors. (read full text)
• ABNS announces the Leaders’ Legacy Lecture Series, a special program to recognize the contributions of specialty nursing certification leaders.
• Doing research on nursing certification? Attention all graduate students and researchers: If your research relates to nursing certification, click here to tell us about it.
• ABNS Board of Directors Endorses Statement on Continuing Competence for Nursing: A Call to Action. Read more about the statement and see a list of the ABNS members that have endorsed the statement.
• Download the Institute of Medicine 2010 report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health.
• A link to the Nursing License Map web site has been added the Resources page. This site offers a simple guide to licensure in each state.

The Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC), formerly the ABNS Accreditation Council, is the only accrediting body specifically for nursing certification. ABSNC accreditation is a peer-review mechanism that allows nursing certification organizations to obtain accreditation by demonstrating compliance with the highest quality standards available in the industry. Accreditation is available for both ABNS member and non-member organizations. More...

Visit the ABNS News section for the latest information and updates.