ABOUT PNVC


The Foundational Nursing Credential

Nurse in blue scrubs smiling and holding a patient's arm during a medical examination.

PNVC was founded by Linda A. McCauley, PhD, RN, FAAN, FRCN, former Dean of Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, consistently ranked among the top nursing schools in the U.S. It was in her role at Emory where Linda saw the acute need for professional nursing differentiation for two reasons:

  1. Employers increasingly prefer college-educated graduates but lack a standardized method to validate their advanced knowledge.

  2. With 100,000 BSN students graduating each year and healthcare complexity at unprecedented levels, nurses need a way to validate and distinguish their broad knowledge and skills.

With rising demand for professionally prepared nurses, PNVC bridges the gap between education, career readiness, and advancement. Our certificate ensures nurses demonstrate the essentials of their profession and evidence of their commitment to advanced professional knowledge.

OUR MISSION


Elevating the Profession of Nursing

Academic Alignment and Validation

PNVC validates the full professional nursing curriculum and aligns with AACN Essentials™ to support rigor.

Candidate Differentiation

The certificate helps differentiate graduates in the job market by demonstrating strong academic preparation beyond NCLEX basics.

Faculty and Accreditation Support

PNVC provides a quality metric to evaluate and improve curriculum.

Linking Knowledge to Outcomes

PNVC connects professional knowledge to patient outcomes to enhance quality reporting and workforce development.