What is Certified Nurses’ Day?

Certified Nurses Day is a national day to honor and recognize the important achievements of Certified Nurses. 

Certified Nurses Day is March 19, the birthday of Margretta ‘Gretta' Madden Styles, the renowned expert of nurse credentialing. Styles designed the first comprehensive study of nurse credentialing and was an accomplished advocate for nursing standards and certification. Styles spent more than two decades advancing nursing practice and regulation. 

NCC recognizes the commitment and demonstrated expertise of the certified nurse. NCC has awarded more than 155,500 credentials to licensed health care professional in the obstetric, neonatal and women's health care specialties and currently there are over 96,000 NCC certified nurses.

Nurses are the foremost providers of care throughout the health care system. . . . Nurses certified in their clinical specialties serve as agents of change and advocates of best practice for the patients they serve. --Robin L. Bissinger, PhD, APRN, NNP-BC, FAAN, Executive Director of NCC.

What makes a Certified Nurse different?

Certified Nurses and Certified Advanced Practice Nurses. . .

• choose to seek out certification to demonstrate expertise, knowledge and commitment 
• have gone beyond licensure to validate their specialty knowledge through a rigorous national examination
• are clinical experts - dedicated to providing quality, evidenced-based clinical care
• are committed to life-long learning, patient advocacy and professional practice
• reassess their specialty knowledge throughout their career as part of their commitment to continuing competency
• maintain their specialty knowledge through specialized continuing education
• meet and exceed nationally recognized standards of proficiency and professionalism

NCC recognizes this dedication and has created multiple public awareness campaigns that show how important the certified nurse is to the healthcare system.  Visit the NCC YouTube Channel to view and share these videos about certification and the certified nurse. Then order your FREE NCC Certification Awareness Kit, containing informational brochures, posters and postcards highlighting various NCC programs and resources. The NCC C E R T I F I E D store has a variety of products with different mottos that show pride in certification and you can buy Certified Nurses Day buttons!