Email signatures for nurses
Nurses email colleagues, managers, students, families and sometimes patients. A good signature shows your credentials in the order people expect, gives the right number to call, and keeps health information out of email. Here are four examples for different nursing roles.
Credentials: the order to use
The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) recommends listing nursing credentials in this order, after your name:
| # | Credential type | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Highest earned degree | DNP, PhD, MSN, BSN, ADN |
| 2 | Licensure | RN, LPN |
| 3 | State designations or requirements | APRN, NP, CNS |
| 4 | National certifications | FNP-BC, MEDSURG-BC |
| 5 | Awards and honors | FAAN |
| 6 | Other recognition | for example, EMT |
So a nurse with a bachelor's degree writes Maria Gonzalez, BSN, RN, and a board-certified family nurse practitioner with a doctorate writes Kevin O'Brien, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC. In Fairsig, put the credentials in the name field, right after your name.
What to include
- Name and credentials, in the order above.
- Role and unit or department: Charge Nurse, Cardiac Step-Down Unit.
- Hospital, clinic, school or university.
- The number people should call: the unit, clinic or health office line, not your personal mobile.
- A short note that steers clinical and private questions away from email, if your role involves patients or families.
4 nurse email signature examples
All names, organisations and phone numbers are fictional.
Charge nurse, hospital unit
| Maria Gonzalez, BSN, RN Charge Nurse, Cardiac Step-Down Unit · Lakeshore Regional Medical Center |
| (312) 555-0193 [email protected] |
| Please don't send patient information by email. For clinical questions, call the unit. In an emergency, call 911. |
| Made with Fairsig |
Credentials follow the ANCC order (degree, then licence). The unit's phone, not a personal number, is the contact, and a short line keeps clinical questions out of email.
Family nurse practitioner
 | Kevin O'Brien, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC Family Nurse Practitioner Riverbend Family Health |
| Email is not for urgent or private health questions. Patients: please use the patient portal or call the clinic. In an emergency, call 911. | |
| Made with Fairsig | |
Patients and referring offices need the appointment line and the clinic name. The note points patients to the portal for anything about their health.
Clinical nurse educator
| Angela Brooks, MSN, RN, CNE | Clinical Nurse Educator, College of Nursing | Westfield State University |
| (413) 555-0158 · [email protected] · Office hours: Tue & Thu, 1–3 pm, Room 214 |
| Made with Fairsig |
Educators email students, preceptors and managers. The department line and office hours matter more than a mobile number.
School nurse
| Hannah Wells, BSN, RN School Nurse Maple Grove Elementary |
| For your child's health information, please call the health office rather than email. |
| Made with Fairsig |
Parents need the health office line and a clear expectation: health details go by phone or the district's secure channel, not in an email thread.
Patient privacy
Never put protected health information (PHI) in a signature or in any saved text: no patient names, room numbers, conditions or appointment details. A signature is repeated in every reply and forward.
A disclaimer doesn't make an email compliant with HIPAA or any other privacy rule; it only sets expectations. In the US, HHS guidance says health care providers may communicate with patients by email when they apply reasonable safeguards, and that patients can ask to be contacted by other means. What counts as a reasonable safeguard is your organisation's call: follow its policy, and if it has mandatory disclaimer wording, use that text exactly. Source: HHS, HIPAA FAQ on email with patients.
A short, useful note covers two things:
- email is not for emergencies or urgent clinical questions (in the US, call 911 in an emergency);
- where private health details should go instead: the patient portal, a phone call, or your organisation's secure channel.
Keep it simple
Hospital and school email systems often block images or show them as attachments. A text-only template such as Minimal or Compact always displays correctly, and is quick to read on a workstation between tasks. If you add a photo, keep it small; see the photo guide.
Questions
Is it “RN, BSN” or “BSN, RN”?
The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) recommends the highest earned degree first, then licensure: “BSN, RN”. Your employer may have its own style; if it does, follow it.
Should I list every credential I have?
No. List the ones that matter to the people you email: your highest degree, your licence and the certifications relevant to your role. A string of eight abbreviations is hard to read and pushes your contact details down.
Does a confidentiality disclaimer make email HIPAA compliant?
No. A disclaimer tells readers what to expect; it doesn't protect information. Whether and how you may email patients is set by your organisation's policies and safeguards. Follow your employer's email policy and use its approved channels.
Sources
ANCC, How to Display Your Credentials; HHS, HIPAA FAQ 570 (linked above). Both checked in October 2026. This page is general information, not legal or compliance advice.
Related: doctor and clinic signatures and therapist signatures.
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