FNP Boards: ANCC or AANP?

Nursing Students NP Students

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Hello! I'm in my final semester of my family nurse practitioner program, and am planning on taking the credentialing boards this summer. As many of you already know, there are two options for family nurse practitioners: the ANCC exam, and the AANP exam.

As I'm preparing to register for the boards, I wanted to ask you all: Which credentialing exam did you take, or which are you planning to take? Why?

I know that there's a lot of feedback on the topic out there, but I thought it would be helpful to get some more current opinions about this.

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Specializes in Cardiac, Home Health, Primary Care.

I took the AANP for a couple of reasons mostly:

1. From what I read the process was quicker

2. The questions were strictly clinical

I do also like that the AANP is an actual organization for NP's rather than a company handing out extra letters for your signature if you pass an exam (I know that sounds bad toward ANCC.....not necessarily meaning it to). I always planned on doing clinic type patient care with my FNP versus research and such. Made sense to take a completely clinically based exam.

ANCC is very reputable obviously. They credential thousands of nurses as experts in their fields.

Also the recertification for AANP reads a little less rigid as ANCC though AANP recertification requirements will be increasing in 2017 I believe.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Adult Internal Medicine.

Hello, I also took the AANP exam merely because of how quickly I was able to test post graduation. I share the thoughts of the previous poster. Good luck!

ALLOYRN MS, FNP-C

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