Advice on AACN acute care NP cert

lj774263 · Nov 6, 2016

Hello there congratulations on your upcoming graduation. I took my CCRN exam through the AACN in March 2015 after studying for about 2 months, and having NEVER worked ICU on a regular basis, just floated in their to take step-down/tele patients when it was my turn to float. I passed doing well in cardio, 92 or 95 %, Respiratory 95%. Subsequently my job( who shows favoritism to filipino nurses) had to place me( African American) into CCU( after I had been begging for over a year, everyone else who looked nothing like me went ahead of me), until I received my CCRN, that many of them with 5-10 years of ICU training, still did not have. Then my request coud no longer be ignored, and I was finally granted entry into this elite unit, which I hated, and quit 6 months later. Never a lick of english spoken, even during a "code blue", tagalog was the primary language spoken. I hated being in that third world environment, I HATED IT!!!!

I graduated from ACNP-AG program in Dec 2015. Subsequently, I started a business from the ground up using my own money for the entire start up ($57,000). I was so busy. I would study a day or two here and there. I ended up moving my exam date 6 times and finally took it, after studying for about two weeks in that total 10 month period post-graduation. I passed, just barely though. I needed 107, scored 111. The questions were very similar to the AACN CCRN questions, especially cardio and resp. The only thing different that I saw was in the NP educational role, how the NP would educate staff and patients; maybe about 15-20 of those types of questions. I just guessed on those, and probably got 5-7 correct. They weren't hard questions. None of the questions were hard. I mean, how many times can you define the assessment findings/presentation of "aortic stenosis". I have seen this topic and its question types so many times, the answer you will pick it out in 3 seconds flat. Lead II, III, avl...what treatment( out of the four choices) would cause you concern? picked out the answer in three seconds flat. I work ICU exclusively since June 2015, so some of this knowledge in the exam, icu nurses will come across in practice and or when shooting the breeze with doctors in the unit. They love to talk to educate.

Question types that threw me were something like this:

1. gram negative rods...what would you order to treat? vanco, rocephin, flagyl, levaquin....i only got about 3 or 4 of these, and I am very sure I got them ALL wrong. This part of our pharm class was a blur to me. We studied so many things, I don't think we focused on main stay of treatment for common ailments. We studied categories, and it was just too many for me to remember, too rushed with all that useless information/projects we had to to do; the main things such as standards of care/JNC-8/national guidelines on common illnesses, they just breezed through it, but those are the EXACT areas we need to focus on. My professors who were still in practice while teaching, had the most relevant course information, often would delete the course curriculum assignment, and interject in its place, their own assignment. I loved it!!!

Prep material I used:

Barkley Review audio's 2015 version got off eBay for 150.00, it was a knock off (not from the author) but the cd's were clear and the binder was put together nicely.

Fitzgerald's 2014 prep book (no audio) for primary nurse practitioners. Its white with blue writing, or blue drawing on it. I got it from Amazon for about 78.00 in Nov 2014 but it was not available, they hadn't printed it yet. Once I started reviewing this book, about a week before my exam, I regretted that I had not started with this book first. THIS BOOK IS AMAZING!!!. Very very concise. It does not overwhelm you with just data. All the main things you need to know about the top 10-20 diseases for each body system, she covers really very well. It has about 1000 questions in the book and she also provides a cd. Even though Fitzgerald's book is for primary care, it was really very helpful for the acute care np exam as well, and simply, she had a lot of need to know information that you need to know, just in case it was missed by you or your np professor/curriculum did not touch upon it well. I love this book, it really is priceless!!!

Sally Miller newest (2015) acute care np book, two thumbs way-DOWN....Boo!!! this book sucked big time. I returned it back to amazon 2 days later. It only had 48 questions for the acute care np. Also the explanations of why the answers were incorrect, was never touched up. Hemodynamic's questions and answers where it discussed things such as cardio output, cardiac index, paop, pas, padp, wrong-answer explanation was very poor. I guess she forgot that wrong answer explanation is a huge part of learning about things you aren't that familiar with. Other people liked her book, but I did not because it lack the meat and potato in the explanation section.

The only two you will need to pass the AACN book is Fitzgerald and Barkley review cd's were pretty good but Fitzgerald is a must have for me because it seems my program missed a lot, and Fitzegerald does a little more than just skim a topic, she's quite thorough in her explanation.

ACNPmomof2, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Nov 7, 2016

lj774263, thank you so much for your awesome response. I have a friend who did the Barkley course and has the CD's - she was going to give those to me. I will look into the other book you spoke about.

I am so sorry that job in the ICU went like that for you. That is AWFUL! Where are you working now? I passed my CCRN after studying about a week with the Pass CCRN book. I was hoping the questions would be much like what was in that book!

lj774263 · Nov 8, 2016

Youre welcome. The questions were exactly like their CCRN exam type questions. When you register with AACN to take ur exam, they will give you an online review course that has about 25-30 questions on each body system (about 200 questions in total). The speaker works through the rationale for the correct answer, beautifully. That online exam prep course is about 12 hours. It is an absolute must. I learned so much, to be honest, those questions contained within that 12 hour review is way more meatier and complicated than the actual exam. Pass CCRN! (2007) question types were meatier than the exam. The questions were not difficult nor hard.

I took my exam Oct 22, and was expecting to retake it after Cheistmas, so I took a 13 week ICU float pool travel assignment that started Oct 30 and ends Feb 4. My store is due to open the week after this contract ends. But then I passed my exam. So now I need to figure out what Im going to do.

rtwumbarima · Oct 31, 2017

I am due to take the AACN exam in December. Does anyone has any tips? Study reviews, which review, Fitzgerald, Barkley questions? Would appreciate any advice out there. Thank you.

imuscle, MSN, NP · Apr 4, 2018

Yesterday, I took the AACN AGACNP exam and failed...failed by only 4 but still failed. I have the Barclay CDs, I also used the AACN review...neither helped at all. I had been studying for months and can recite most of the information. I have been a critical care RN since 1996 and attribute that to many of my right answered questions. I will try the ANCC exam in a couple of weeks. Has anyone found any material that does help prepare you for the exams?

Thanks,

rtwumbarima · Apr 4, 2018

Continue to review the AACN material online, including the practice questions. Also Sally Miller's review helps. Good luck next time

ldc156 · Aug 4, 2018

Just starting to read theses post. I recently graduated and is beginning to review. I am surprise that this kind of hatred posted here was allowed by "allnurses."

Filipinos are usually hard workers and great to work with, sometimes you just have to mention to them to speak English and they are willing to adjust.

I think you are over reacting and got really insecure because you were not admitted early enough to your expectation in the ICU.

Stop the hatred. Life is too short.