Using postnominal letters with your name

You have a given name and a family surname. But commonly in nursing many other letters then follow. I am just as guilty as the next person in having a signature that is much too long. Employers often require you to place your earned degrees, licenses, certifications, and relevant honors at the end of your name, particularly on business cards. When a patient asks me what all the letters behind my name mean, I respond, “The most important one you need to know is that I am a family nurse practitioner and here with you, I am foremost a nurse. [I dropped RN and used my higher license designation.] All the other initials are peripheral but related and do contribute to who I am and my competencies as a provider.” Many patients are familiar with initials for academic degrees, and I typically do not entertain further discussion or explanation of the other postnominal letters. Certifications and honors are achievements to be proud of; they acknowledge your advanced and/or specialized knowledge, skills, and competencies. However, they should not overshadow the core of your existence of being a nurse. DNP DEGREE I have seen many NPs drop the NP credential from their signature when they attain a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, leaving others to guess their nursing role. The initials DNP do not stand for Doctor of Nurse Practitioner. It really becomes a guessing game for me as editor-in-chief when I want to assign peer reviewers to a manuscript. I find it difficult to determine whether the First Name Surname, DNP is a nurse practitioner or holds another title if the person does not specifically list that they are an NP in the contact information. The same frustration holds true for authors. The DNP is not a role; it is an academic degree to be used with your official licensure title. However, I do invite other nurses and affiliated professions to review because a diversity of education, training, and skills will provide a broader review of an author's work. NP COMPETENCIES The journal's mission is “to meet the needs of the nurse practitioner (and other advanced practice nurses and clinicians) by providing practical, cutting-edge clinical and professional information.” This month's annual special DNP issue includes articles on PhD/DNP partnerships; educating preceptors of NP students about competency-based education and American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials; the use of point-of-care ultrasound to increase screenings for abdominal aortic aneurysm (evidence-based practice); providers' adherence to specific guidelines in diabetes care (quality improvement); and the impact of NP experience and education on resilience, self-efficacy, and job satisfaction among NPs (research report). These articles demonstrate the importance and impact of developing a competent NP workforce. The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) continues to endorse the DNP degree as the entry point into NP practice, stating that competencies are to be measured and evaluated at the clinical doctoral level. Attainment of NONPF NP Role Competencies in Domain 4: Practice Scholarship and Translational Science prepares the NP to 1) advance the scholarship of NP nursing practice, 2) integrate best evidence into NP practice, and 3) promote the ethical conduct of scholarly activities. This NONPF domain aligns with the AACN Essentials Advanced-Level Nursing Education Domain 4: Scholarship for the Nursing Discipline.1 REMEMBER The practice of NPs is vital to our nation's healthcare, and you should be readily identified, especially in the practice setting. We are all saddened by the loss of Dr. Loretta Ford during this 60th anniversary year of the NP profession. Remember the challenges the early NPs overcame that gave us a protected title. Keep “NP” among your postnominal letters. Jamesetta A. Newland, PhD, FNP-BC, FAANP, DPNAP, FAAN Editor-in-Chief [email protected]