Accepted Certifications in the DDCT

In June 2021 it was announced that the Magnet Recognition Program would only accept nursing and health-care related professional board certifications as of January 1, 2024 Eligibility for inclusion of certifications in the DDCT (Last updated November 2024)
These professional board certifications relate to how the eligible registered nurse influences and provides care within the inpatient and ambulatory setting.

Accepted Professional Board Certifications

For a professional board certification and/or a health-care related certification to be accepted for inclusion in the DDCT, it must be accredited by one of the following accrediting bodies:

National Commission Certifying Agencies (NCCA)

ANSI National Accreditation Board (ISO/IEC 17024)

Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC)

International Certification Accreditation Council (ICAC)

Retired Certifications

Retired certifications that have been validated by ABSNC, NCCA, ANAB (ISO/IEC 17024), and ICAC will continue to be accepted by the Magnet Program Office.

Retired certifications are certifications that are no longer offered by a certifying body, but individuals currently with the certification have the ability to maintain their certification.

Re-establishing Baselines for Certification Rates

With the change in professional board certifications related to the 2023 Magnet® Application Manual, organizations may re-establish their baseline. To do this:

Verify certifications for inclusion by ABSNC, NCCA, ANAB (ISO/IEC 17024) and ICAC.
Remove all certifications that are not professional board certifications accredited or on the retired list.
Calculate new baseline percentage of eligible certified nurses.
Establish Year One and Year Two goals.

Please review the professional board certification guidance based on document submission year Submission Guideline Tool for additional information about eligibility for inclusion of certifications in the DDCT.

Additional Questions
Please contact ddct.certlist@ana.org:

For inclusion of health-care related professional board certifications accredited by ABSNC, NCCA, ISO 17-024 and.or ICAC that do not currently appear in the DDCT.
To seek approval for additional accreditation bodies.
For additional questions about certification.

Please contact your Senior Magnet Program Analyst for any additional questions