From the ideas presented in this paper, the Congress for Nursing Practice drafted guidelines for the certification process in 1969.

[2] Over the following 17 years, the ANA continued to expand its nursing credentialing exams to cover more areas of practice and administration.

The ANA decided in 1990 to create the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) as a subsidiary nonprofit corporation through which it would sell its certification services and exams.

This accreditation contributes to health care quality and professional nursing practice by defining standards for the development and delivery of continuing education and by providing a voluntary peer review process to assure compliance.

[5][6] In 1998, the ANCC created the Institute for Research, Education, and Consultation (IREC),[7] which provides the following services: certification, Magnet Recognition Program, Pathway to Excellence, and accreditation.