spudster

Greetings, First off, take a deep breath. It is going to be okay. I know the stress is probably through the roof but you have to relax somewhat in order to be successful on any test I believe. Anyway, I studied in the following way for the AANP. I did the online version of the Hollier review, studied tons of Fitzgerald questions and rationales, and my school offered a Comps review course. Now, one thing that cannot be overstated in my opinion is that you must study the rationales of the questions in review books and not simply learn the answers. If you can get the rationales then it doesn't matter how that content is presented on the AANP exam, you will know it. Just my two cents. Good luck on your next attempt.

I have been in healthcare for 16 years now. I can honestly say that I have interviewed for jobs where I was "unofficially" informed that they are looking for a male. They may have been doing this to pander to me since I am a man. I don't know. There may have been others that wanted to hire a woman but they wouldn't have told me that. However, I do believe that there are some administrators out there who want to hire some positions based on gender still. Is it right? No, but it is a reality in some circles still.

I am a recent graduate of Frontier. The remote proctor is actually pretty simple to use. You plug it into your computer. You make sure your workstation is set up like a classroom desk would be (ie. clean and free of materials), you fingerprint in. The remote proctor has a camera and sound capabilities. You must stay at your station for the duration of the test. It really isn't too difficult to work with once you are used to it. Frontier has several exams. I have a buddy who finished a local brick and mortar school and had approx. 4 tests for adv patho. I had 8-10 in my Patho class. Frontier breaks up classes a little differently than other schools. I had a great experience there and would highly recommend it. As far as it being online, do not be fooled. Many brick and mortar schools are offering much of their content online now. I actually had more contact with my professors than my friend did and his school was only an hour and a half away. I agree with the previous poster about networking. Do well in clinical and network. This will yield great dividends in job offers when you are done. Good luck!

I passed my AANP boards this past week. I wanted to share a few facts that I found helpful and one or two that may be useful that I did not use. 1. I graduated from Frontier Nursing University which required me to take a 11 week comprehensive course. This consisted of several tests in each area you will see on boards. If your school offers this course then study hard here and you will not need as much additional study. 2. I utilized Amelie Hollier's online review course. It was arouns 20 hours of lecture. It was her entire review course in an online format. I highly recommend it. If she says that something may be on the test then you want to know that content. 3. I used Fitzgerald's book of study questions and combed over my weak areas there. I took my final comprehensive test on a Tuesday and took my boards on Thursday. One tip I would give others that I did not do would be to go through more study questions. My program did a great job of preparing us through comps but the test questions came from professors of those courses. Having additional questions from another viewpoint was very helpful in the limited time I spent looking at them. I would suggest doing more study questions. That's it! All that work and now I can rest! To those about the take boards....relax, prepare, and go nail it......to those who have passed, congrats!

Check out Frontier Nursing University in Hyden, Ky. It is online and the certifications you sit for afterwards are accepted by the Texas Bon.

I am officially in. I will be attending Frontier Nursing University in class 103 in the CFNP path.

RNewbie, I DID include all of the optional info. I know that Frontier is really focused on bringing healthcare to rural underserved areas. I am from a rural underserved area and will be practicing in this type of area. Therefore, I wanted to let them know this in case it makes a difference. I will keep you posted on the application process as I get info. Good luck on your application.

I am sending my application in tonight. Wondering if anyone else is applying to this class. i am going FNP route.

meghan91, I worked as a nurse aide in critical care through most of my prereqs and then converted to a nurse tech role in my hospital after going through my first semester of BSN classes. I had 3 years of experience in ICU before graduating and was given a spot in critical care immediately upon graduation. The hospital had an excellent residency program and it was a good fit for me. My wife had less tech experience but also was hired straight into critical care as well as a few others. There is no doubt that working in the unit will help your chances of getting a spot after graduation. However, I would caution you to heed the counsel from GRNTEA.....your first priority needs to be whichever job gives you the best chance to do well in school right now. Also, I would caution you to only go to critical care straight out of school if the hospital has a great teaching/residency program. I was in a great facility and they work hard on education. I have met other nurses who were given jobs in small critical care units straight out of school which did not have good residency programs. Small doesn't mean bad but it can mean a lack of resources. Some of these nurses are missing some education that it seems like most ICU nurses should know. This isn't their fault but it is a reality. So, if you are going to try to get into critical care soon after graduation make sure you will get solid teaching specific to the unit you will be in. Good luck no matter what you decide.

Shop around before sticking the vein.....one of the biggest mistakes I see with new nurses is that they try to spot a vein immediately and go after it. Sometimes, waiting a moment or two and looking will reveal a better vein than the first one spotted. So....happy hunting! I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn when I started 9 1/2 years ago and now I am actually a "go to" person for tough sticks. So, hang in there and keep sticking!

I would say that nursing has been a great career path for me as well as my wife. I have been a nurse for about 9 years and there have been many doors open in my life that wouldn't have been in other careers. When I applied to nursing school it was to one school. It was a BSN program and my gpa was 3.39. I don't know if I did it correctly but I got in and finished up without any problems. Looking back, it would have been smart to apply to more than one program. If this is possible then you may consider it. BTW.....not to discourage you but i live in Texas and a couple of years ago met many RN grads from the northeast that were having trouble finding work there. I don't know if that is the case where you are at but you might check into the local job market. If you want then come on down to Texas. Plenty of work and no state income taxes! Anyway, good luck in your ventures.

Man don't sweat it. Certainly, don't take it personally. It most likely wasn't about you as much as some internal conflict they had. They would have likely reacted that way with any male. It probably wasn't about you...it's likely about their issues. Hang in there.

Zippeh, That is typically how it works out for people. This is a big part of why I switched to the BSN program. However, I would still caution you against going into large debt for the BSN if you can get your ADN close to home. Think about it this way.....if it takes you an extra year and you save 60,000 in student loans then you just made 60,000 dollars extra for that one year of work. This, I know is a simplistic way of looking at it. However, I know what it is like to graduate with student loans.....I graduated with near 20k and it has been a pain paying them back. I cannot imagine having 80k even on a R.N. salary. Because when you get out and say you will pay extra on those loans you buy that new car, that nice house, and that boat, and on and on and on. Pretty soon you are paying minimum on student loans (which would be pretty large on 80k) and are committed to them for ten years. Just my opinion. Best of luck to you.

After hearing more of your situation then I could certainly see the benefit of staying near home. I have many friends who have done their ADN and are excellent nurses and had no pay difference straight out of school from me. You are right in the fact there are many accelerated programs nowadays that are user friendly, even after having a family. My wife and I both were in grad school at the same time with a one kid and another on the way. So, furthering your education is possible with a family. My counsel would be to get the BSN if you could do it withing reason financially. However, it sounds like that will not be possible in your location if there are no cheaper BSN schools around. I am in Texas and there are many programs around me that are much more reasonable. So, if I were faced with the options you have listed, I would stay at home and get my ADN. Less debt=good....lots of debt=bad. :)

Zippeh, Also, I forgot to mention. A.D.N. programs take 2 years by themselves,plus the prereqs. So, a lot of A.D.N. graduates have around 3 years invested in their Associate Degree while BSN grads have around 4. So, the difference is a little less than most advisors would have you believe. My wife echoes this as someone who is an Instructor of Nursing at an ADN program. She always advises young students to pursue as much education early on as possible.