Last week we went over the definition of credentialing, and with that comes a lot of paperwork. There’s a lot to keep track of now that you have to organize your credentials as an np, which I break down step by step here. If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the paperwork and deadlines to keep track of, then this video and article should be helpful!

Take a look at my 2-step method for organizing your NP credentials. That way you never miss a deadline or get stuck searching for something you need right away.

This quick video will show you:

1. How I organize my current NP credentials, include certifications and licenses
2. How I sort and store all my continuing education certificates and archived professional papers

Copy My System for Organizing Your NP Credentials

I accepted a new position recently at a new hospital. With that comes the hospital credentialing process and also the hospital onboarding process. Both of these processes can be rather daunting for an NP.

So on Monday, with very short notice I’ll go into my future place of employment and be asked to present all of my documents. Fortunately, I have a good system in place so that I literally just have to take one binder with me and everything will be there. But had I not had this binder already created and organized, I would be scrambling right now.

So I want to share my binder with you so that you can get inspired!

Start organizing your NP credentials with these two resources:

1. What is NP credentialing?
2. How to keep track of your NP renewals

Then, when you’re ready to put this new practice into action, come back and see my exact system!

Because I think it’s easiest to understand my system or keeping my NP credentials organized and up-to-date by physically seeing it, I think it’s best to watch the video above. But I’ll also highlight a few key points below.

First, I maintain two physical storage systems.

• I have a traditional 3 ring binder to store and organize all current documents.
• And I keep a file box to store all of my professional documents box, which is essentially my archive of the same documents.

What’s In My Binder of NP Credential Documents

My current documents stay stored in a regular three-ring binder with tabbed folders.

• I’ve organized each section into licenses, certifications, DEA, NPI, CPR, insurance credentialing, and academics.
• Plastic document sleeves are great to store each important document
• I create a little cover page for each section. Essentially, I created a table that keeps track of dates like when each license or certification was issued, and when it would expire.
• I also keep track of all the requirements for each license or certification in the cover sheet.
• And then the actual certifications go in the the file pages behind the cover sheet.

What’s in My File Box of Professional Documents

My file box is organized very similarly to my binder, with sections for big categories like licenses, certifications, credentialing, and academics. 

• I use manila folders to represent past years, where I keep track of all out of date documents for up to 10 years.
• I also keep track of these on my computer as well. So whenever I need to kind of update anything, I sit down with my computer, and I sit down with my hard copies. And I make sure I kind of cross check everything. In a perfect world, I will scan all these and just keep them all online at some point.
• In my file box I keep an education related folder. In here I keep things like copies of my transcripts, and student loan documents.
• And I keep an entire folder for past employment in my file box too. This might include official documentation like offer letters, salary letters, and also records of performance review, awards, evaluations, random thank you notes etc.

So if you are organizing your nursing professional information, this is a really good way to do it. You might be tempted to keep copies of everything online, but inevitably, you’re going to have to present paper documents of something at some point. So I think it’s a good idea to at least keep track of the most important things in a physical organization system too.

And on an annual basis, I go through and make sure that I don’t have any duplicates, I get rid of things that I don’t need anymore. And then I also make sure that this binder is updated!

Benefits of Organizing NP Credentials

You’ll be amazed at the benefits of organizing your NP credentials this way, especially when you’re tracking renewals, applying for new positions, or updating your résumé. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions, or if you have other ideas for how to organize your credentials!

And if you’re interested in other information that will help you get started on the right foot as a new NP, download my free Nurse Practitioner Graduation Survival Kit. This includes an outline and glossary of all the different nurse practitioner credentialing elements we’ve discussed today. And a timeline of what you should be doing in each month before, during, and after graduation!