AANP or ANCC

1. AANP or ANCC By: Allyson Schumacher, Natalie Amerson, and Christina Deason

3. About AANP • American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board • Credential: NP-C. Stands for Nurse Practitioner-Certified • Credential is recognized by all U.S. state nursing boards, Medicaid, Medicare, Veterans Administrations, and all private insurances. • Purpose statement for AANP organization: “Assess entry-level nurse practitioner knowledge and practice competencies required to provide safe and quality health care” NP-C

4. Pass Rate • 2018 Pass Rate for Family NP Examination: 85% • Retaking the test: • Candidates are allowed to take the test 2 times per year • Must complete 15 hours of advanced practice CE hours in areas of weakness as reported on score report before retaking the exam

5. About the Questions • 150 questions. All multiple choice. 135 are scored, 15 are pretest questions. • Questions are created by practicing nurse practitioners • Each is reviewed a minimum of four times for: • Relevancy to current best practice • Importance and harm level of topic • Appropriate competency level • Scoring accuracy • Elimination of bias and sensitivity to culture, age, gender and other stereotyping • Item redundancy

6. Exam Blueprint Domain 1 Domain 2 Prenatal: 4 items, 3% Pediatric (newborn & infant): 19 items, 14% Adolescent: 24 items, 18% Adult: 50 items, 37% Geriatric: 29 items, 21% Elderly: 9 items, 7% • Assessment: 48 items, 36% • Diagnosis: 33 items, 24% • Plan: 31 items, 23% • Evaluation: 23 items, 17%

7. Knowledge Areas Covered • Health promotion, harm reduction, and disease prevention • Anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology • Therapeutic communication, change management, and crisis management • Health history • Sign and symptoms • Physical examination • Diagnostic and therapeutic tests and/or procedures • Clinical decision-making • Differential diagnosis • Pharmacological therapies • Non-pharmacological/ complementary/ alternative therapies • Biopsychosocial principles/theories • Patient and family education and counseling • Community resources • Healthcare economics • Evidence-informed practice • Legal and ethical issues • Cultural competence • Principles of epidemiology, population health, and social determinants of health • Practice management

8. Procedures Covered • Minor lesion removal • Microscopy • Pap tests • Joint aspirations and injections • Skin biopsy • Therapeutic injections • Wound closure • Splinting • Casting • Wound management • Incision and drainage • Diagnostic interpretation of ECG • Diagnostic interpretation of x-ray • Cerumen removal • Pulmonary function testing and office spirometry • Fluorescein dye • Long-term contraceptive management • Long-term hormonal implantation • Foreign body removal • Nail removal

9. Extra Practice • 75 question AANP Practice tests are available for $50 • Can apply to take the practice test online at PSI learning academy • http://www.psilearningacademy.com/psipracticeexams/aanpcp-certification-practice-exam/

10. Requirements to be Approved to Test • Successful completion of an accredited NP academic program • Completion of APRN core classes: Advanced physical assessment, Advanced pharmacology, and Advanced pathophysiology • Completion of minimum of 500 hours clinical hours • Current RN license • Applicants are not eligible to sit until after completion of all didactic and clinical coursework required in the NP portion of their program • If enrolled in an MSN program, you may begin the application process 6 months before completion of the program • An interim transcript showing completed academic coursework to date is required to initiate the process

11. Recertification • Required every 5 years • Renewal Requirements: • 1,000 hours in clinical practice • 100 contact hours of advanced CE • 25 hours must be pharmacology • Precepting is optional, 125 hours of precepting may replace 25 CE credits • Hold current RN licensure • 2nd option to test out of CE requirements by taking the certification exam again

13. About ANCC • American Nurses Credentialing Center is a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association. • Credential – FNP-BC, stands for Family Nurse Practitioner – Board Certified FNP-BC

14. Pass Rate • According to the 2017 statistics, 5316 tested and 4409 passed (83% pass rate). • Retaking test – • Candidates are allowed to test 3 times in a 12-month period. • If unsuccessful, candidates may retest after 60 days from the date of last testing. Candidates must submit a retest application and meet eligibility requirements in effect when the retest application is submitted.

15. About the Questions • Examination questions are computer-based and in multiple-choice format, some exams may have drag and drop, hot spot and multiple response questions. Questions are written by certified nurses and inter-professional content experts in their discipline who have received training by ANCC staff. Test results are immediately available after completion of the exam. Officials scores are mailed approximately 4 weeks after successful completion of the exam.   • Current exam allows 4 hours for 200 questions (175 questions scored plus 25 pretest questions that are not scored)  • ** As of May 22, 2019, the exam will allow 3.5 hours for 175 questions (150 scored plus 25 pretest questions that are not scored)  • Cost: $395 non-member; $295 ANA member; $340 AANP member

16. Exam Blueprint • Found on ANCC website. Two different blueprints: Blueprint for exam if taken before May 18, 2019 and the Blueprint for exam if taken after May 22, 2019. • Before May 18 – Divided into three categories: • Foundations for Advanced Practice (64 questions, 37% of exam) • Professional Practice (30 questions, 17% of exam) • Independent Practice (81 questions, 46% of exam) • After May 22 - Divided into four categories: • Assessment (31 questions, 21% of exam) • Diagnosis (39 questions, 26% of exam) • Clinical Management (65 questions, 43% of exam) • Professional Role (15 questions, 10% of exam)

17. Requirements to Test • RN License • must hold current unencumbered RN license in a state or territory of the United States. • Degree • Must hold a master’s, postgraduate, or doctoral degree from a family nurse practitioner program accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) or the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). A minimum of 500 faculty-supervised clinical hours must be included in the family nurse practitioner program. • Comprehensive Graduate-level courses • Must have 3 separate courses in: Advanced physiology/pathophysiology, Advanced health assessment, and Advanced pharmacology with content in Health promotion and/or maintenance, differential diagnosis and disease management, including use of prescription of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions. • Candidates may be authorized to sit for the examination after ALL coursework and faculty-supervised clinical practice hours for the degree are complete, prior to degree conferral and graduation, provided that all other eligibility requirements are met. ANCC must have Validation of Education form and official/unofficial transcripts showing that coursework is completed are required before authorization to test will be issued. 

18. Recertification • Certifications are valid for 5 years • Requirements include: • Renewal fee • Current active RN license • Current ANCC certification that is expiring in 12 months • Mandatory 75 continuing education hours in certification specialty plus 1 or more of the 8 ANCC renewal categories • academic credits, presentations, evidence-based practice or quality improvement project, preceptor hours, professional service, practice hours, and assessment • ALL APRNs are required to complete 25 hours of pharmacotherapeutics as a portion of the mandatory 75 hours in the NP certification held

19. FNP Interviews: AANP • 1. Preparation for the test: the final month of preparation before your boards stick to the preparation books • Recommended review material: Barkley, Fitzgerald, Liek • Some NPs thought it was more beneficial to do a live review, others thought the books or CDs were enough • They all agreed that you should do some type of review • 2. Taking the boards: sign up and take your board review exam between 1-3 months after graduating • All recommended not taking longer than six months to take your certification exam • 3.CEU's for renewal: You need to collect CEUs for your state license and your certification • Stay on top of your CEUs • Most employers will pay for magazine subscriptions or conferences to attend • Make sure you discuss this when discussing your contracts • 4. Renewal process: You need to renew your RN license and your APRN license separately. • RN and FNP license needs to be renewed every 2 years • Certification needs to be reviewed every 5 years • 5. Day before the test: • Relax • Get enough sleep! • Make sure you know where the testing center is before the day of the test

20. FNP Interviews: Why ANCC and not AANP • ANCC is still more widely accepted than AANP • Had a study guide for ANCC • Thought the ANCC exam was more reflective of my education during my program • The ANCC exam was less expensive 

21. References • American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. (2018). Certifications. Retrieved April 8, 2019, from https://www.aanpcert.org/ • American Nurses Association. (2019). American Nurses Credentialing Center | ANCC. Retrieved April 8, 2019, from https://www.nursingworld.org/ancc/ • Board Vitals. (2019). Pass Your Board Exams. Retrieved April 8, 2019, from https://www.boardvitals.com/ • PSI Online - One stop Solution for Test Takers. (2019). Retrieved April 9, 2019, from https://candidate.psiexams.com/

22. You’ve got this Stay Positive