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To NaShaH, Success2014np , Bizconchiz3, I have not logged in quite some time, so I've just seen your posts. Sorry to hear about your difficulties & I hope things work out for you in the long run. Bizconchiz3, I was not confident at all when I took the AANP about 2 weeks after the AANC. I think I tend to underestimate myself so I thought I had a good chance of failing, but as it turned out, the AANC test was the more difficult one, clinically and otherwise. For anyone studying for the AANC, the majority of the questions are the ones with clinical content so you need to spend the majority of your time preparing for those questions. As for how to prepare for the non-clinical portion of the AANC, my best suggestion is go back to the texts you had in your 1) nursing research course, 2) nursing leadership/management course, & 3) NP ethics course. The most important content includes 1) levels of research, 2) basics of research vocabulary (like variables, controls, population, etc.), 3) understanding different study types & what is better (e.g. controlled, random sample with a large sample size is better than convenience sampling, with large sample & control), 4) basics from your NP ethics course concerning license maintenance obligations, privacy, etc., 5) a little of basic types of management theory (I think I did have maybe one or two questions of this type but I wouldn't spend as much time in this area.) As I said before, the Fitzgerald course seemed very much geared towards the AANC, and if you are prepared for the AANC I think you would also pass the AANP as I did. The Fitzgerald course had the non-clinical portion in the supplemental portion required to complete the course, not in the live portion. If you decide to take Fitzgerald, complete the entire course, live & not live portions, and make sure you allow plenty of time for that, so you don't miss any of the subjects. Success2014np, I would not judge the live NP courses on the live NCLEX prep courses. I also did not feel like the live prep for the NCLEX was all that helpful but I did feel like the Fitzgerald was a helpful prep for the NP exams (that may not be true for everyone and I hesitate to suggest that you take it since it is so expensive!). They are just completely different beasts. For me, the thing that I think it was helpful that I did not rely on just one source for study material. I did not make a point of just answering question after question. I spent plenty time actually reviewing content from my coursework as well as the other sources such as the ANCC texts. I think BostonFNP might be suggesting that you owe it to yourself and your patients to be clinically well-prepared and that the clinical questions on both exams cover just the basics of practice (sorry if I misinterpreted, BostonFNP). I do agree with this, but I am so sympathetic to the extreme stress of exam taking. It's easy to psych yourself out about such a crucial single exam, plus, some people are just not good test-takers!!. I got a job soon after completing the exams and there just isn't time to be spent on the most basic aspects of the job so being well prepared is extremely important. Best of luck to you all!

Thanks for the advice! I have looked at the requirements for both certifications and they look pretty similar...

Do you know of any benefits to maintaining both? Are you writing both sets of initials after your name? Thanks for your input!

I just thought I would post something about the two exams: AANC and AANP for family NP certification. I was in search of people's experiences with the two exams before I took them and maybe this will help someone else! I signed up for the AANC exam and then became worried that I had chosen the wrong exam because it seemed everyone else I knew had taken the AANP one and the AANC exam has the added component of non-clinical questions. With continued anxiety, I decided to sign up for the the AANP exam and scheduled it for about 2 weeks after the AANC. I did pass AANC exam. I debated about whether to take the AANP exam since I had passed the AANC, but the AANP gives no refund at all if the test has already been scheduled, so I decided to go ahead and take that exam as well. I passed the AANP exam as well. For anyone trying to decide which test to take, I can offer the following: For me, the AANC exam was much harder. The clinical questions required a more in-depth understanding of the conditions and treatments. There were a few questions showing pictures which required a very good understanding of what I seeing. The questions that pertained to research, cultural issues and professional issues were a real mix of easy and difficult. As for the AANP exam, the clinical questions were shorter and more direct. There were no picture questions, no questions requiring multiple selections and no sorting questions. I used all of the 4 hours allowed for the AANC because I went back and reviewed a bunch of questions I had flagged. I did not need all of the 3 1/2 hours allowed for the AANP exam even after reviewing my flagged questions. I studied quite a bit for the AANC exam. I did not study (during the 2 weeks between the two exams) for the the AANP - after the AANC, I was a little mentally fried;-). I had taken the Fitzgerald review well in advance of both exams and found the example questions to be similar to the AANC so I would recommend the Fitzgerald especially if you plan to take the AANC. I purchased the 2 volume review book set from the AANC and used that to study from. I found it to be very helpful for covering the clinical information but surprisingly, found the professional issues, cultural and research areas to be lacking somewhat. I also purchased the sample tests from the AANC. Those were pretty representative of the real exam but without any picture questions. In preparing for the AANC exam I would recommend reviewing some materials from your leadership/managerial course and know your levels of research. Also, make sure you know your medication categories. Both tests required an understanding of physical examination tests and expected results. Both also covered required a solid understanding for diagnosis and treatment of the most common chronic conditions. Some other sources I used for studying included the review book by Leik and the online questions at FamilyNPPrep. Although I purchased a package at FamilyNPPrep, I personally did not find it similar enough to either exam to really recommend it. I liked the book by Leik but did find it to have some mistakes - so be careful in using it! That's about it! Hope this helps someone else who is as anxious as I was! I think I will probably keep the AANC certification and drop the AANP rather than maintain them both, but if anyone has any opinions to offer on which one to keep or if there is any benefit to keeping them both, then I would appreciate the advice!

I really enjoyed the PNP program. I like working with kids and feel like I was well prepared by the end. I agree that adults are a handful! Don't forget though... Kids come with parents :)

That's a good point. It will be more work to keep up both.

Thanks for feedback!

Any advice for my situation would be appreciated! I am a recent graduate of a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner program and I'm finding very little employment options in my location. I am applying to a program to obtain a post-graduate certificate with either Family Nurse Practitioner or Adult Nurse Practitioner. I'm unsure whether to go with the FNP or the ANP. The program I am looking at would not require additional pediatric hours if I went with the FNP so my real question is which additional certificate would make me more employable? I think that either way I will have covered the entire lifespan. Any advice? Thanks!