1TraumaNurse

My school did not cover what to do post graduation at all. For those of you who were fortunate enough to have this covered in your program that's great! I wish my program covered it but they didn't and I'm here trying to figure it out and its confusing. It doesn't help that every state is different. It would be great if it was the same across the board and there was one process.

According to the Indiana State Board of nursing a license to practice as a nurse practitioner does not exist. It appears I must apply for the authority to prescribe independently as an advance practice nurse as well as complete an application to prescribe controlled substances and once those things are done I can go to the DEA website to fill out my DEA application. I see nothing on the Indiana board of nursing site about an NPI. Thanks.

Ok friends, I passed AANP and now I'm not sure what the next step is. I went to the Indiana state board of nursing and from what I can tell, to get my prescriptive authority and DEA I have to have a collaborative agreement, which means I have to have a job before I do anything else. Does this sound right? I haven't really even begun the job search because I thought I would need to get my credentials first. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Hey everyone, just wanted to share that I passed the AANP FNP exam on the first try and wanted to share my experience with you. If your anything like me I was searching around trying to get some wisdom from others about how they passed the exam. Just to give you a little tidbit of info on me, I took the exam a year and four months after graduating with honors from my program. So it can be done! Why did I wait? The financial department decided to mess with what they were awarding for financial aid and I ended up owing the school money when I graduated. It took me longer to pay because I was facing some personal issues at home and I had to cover the bills while my husband was unable to pay the bills. That said, I was extremely nervous waiting so long! Everyone kept saying take it right away so everything is fresh in your mind. I was almost certain I wouldn't pass, but I did, and here is what I did to prepare. I hope it will help some of you who still have to sit for the exam. I will say I was overwhelmed and didn't know where to start. I started by listening to the Fitzgerald CD's. I was working as a travel nurse and had 3-4 hours of driving a day for work so it worked well for me. At home I started to read through the Leik book and make flash cards. I also downloaded the FNP Q&A on my phone (it was 20$ I think and well worth it). In my spare time I would start doing questions wherever I was on my phone. This was all helpful but the thing that helped the most was this: I got the most recent Fitzgerald review book and read/studied it cover to cover. Her book is very thorough and covers everything you need to know. I purchased additional questions from Barkley and Fitzgerald. The Barkley questions just made me feel worse and I never had time to even do the Fitzgerald questions. I also purchased the APEA Hollier online review because that was what my school provided my last semester and I found it quite helpful. I only had time to view a few of the videos so I reviewed what I felt weakest on. Bottom line.... don't waste a bunch of money on all these resources. It will overwhelm you and you will freak out because you run out of time trying to do it all. I would stick to two or three resources that you feel most comfortable with and stay with that. I studied the Fitzgerald book, reviewed my flash cards and watched a few videos the week before my exam. I just didn't have time to do all the other things I had planned in my head to do. The single most helpful thing for me was the Fitzgerald book along with the Hollier review videos. We all learn in different ways so find what works best for you. I had to write things down in binders to help me convert it to memory. I practiced maneuvers on my family to help me as well if it wasn't something I did in clinical or wasn't exposed to. Keep your chin up, you can do it! I had a death in the family right before I took boards and went from my test to the viewing so my mind was in a crazy place anyway and when I got my scores I didn't barely pass, I passed with flying colors. Trust me, if I can do it during a terrible time and after waiting so long you can too. Good luck!

Hello all, is anyone attending or has anyone attended University of Michigan for your grad degree? I recently completed my MSN-FNP and am considering attending University of Michigan for my DNP but would like some input from someone who can give me some advice about the program before I delve into that much debt. I would appreciate it, thanks!

Thaara3, Take a deep breath and relax. I'm in the Chamberlain MSN-FNP program and I have three children and work as well. I have completed 7 courses and will begin advanced pathophysiology in March. It is doable, you just have to know how to stay focused and manage your time. The overall FNP program cost around 35,000 which it says on their website. I found that fairly comparable to B&M programs in my area. The program is 2 1/2 years if you take one class at a time, and if your working full time I would suggest that. However, if you are ambitious you can double after the first course until you get to patho and Pharm and then its one class at a time. Immersion weekend only happens right before you start your clinical which is over a year into the program. It is a long weekend and from what I have seen everyone who has gone has done fine. It is intense but doable. Again, you just have to remain focused and know how to manage your time. Best of luck!

Disneydog, I am in the Chamberlain MSN-FNP program. I have taken 7 courses and have to say so far, so good. I feel I have learned a lot but the courses are 8 weeks and they are intense. Some terms its like you blink and its over. So far the instructors have been mostly helpful, the majority have been interactive in the discussion threads, a couple were distant and didn't say much and took forever to grade posts and papers. CCN FNP program will graduate it's first cohort in April. I have been in contact with those that are close to graduation and the input has been mostly positive. I will say that Chamberlain is incorporating a review as part of the last clinical course the Capstone. That is a pretty big deal and is something I think all FNP programs should offer. Good luck, and welcome!

Thanks for the updates, I am in Chamberlain MNS-FNP program online, and I really like it, and it is accredited! I did not know the DNP was not accredited, that made up my mind about attending chamberlain. I just don't want to worry about that, esp since the program is fairly new. I think my first choice is IU, then I'm looking at Michigan, Duke, Ohio State and BSU. Thanks for keeping us posted, I do hope they get their accreditation soon, I really like the school.

Chris Henshaw has a lecture series, she teaches out of Seattle, and on iTunes you can download her pathophysiology lectures, I have been listening to them every day in prep for my advanced patho class that starts in March. Good luck!

Angel12rn, The workload is very doable. I am taking 12 credit hours a semester as full time and work with three kids. Its a lot of work but very doable. I have found the further I get into the program the more challenging it becomes. I will start my clinical rotations this fall so I'm just working on getting through Pharmacology, pathophysiology and advanced assessment now. You can double classes which I have done for three terms now. Once you hit the more advanced classes though, it is not recommended to double and you cannot double up on clinical courses. It would help you to call and talk to someone at the school to get more information. Good luck!

I agree with Boston, It highly depends on the individual. Some will be highly successful with this while others will struggle. You have to do what you feel is best for you. I think its great you want to pursue your DNP, just make sure you are prepared for the road ahead. Good luck!

I will be honest, BSN to DNP I'm not certain but I do know chamberlain college of nursing has both an MSN and DNP track for the FNP, feel free too look into it. I work 24 hours a week and have three kids and am working on the MSN-FNP program and it is very doable. I would suggest you consider it. Just my .002. Good luck!

Thanks Boston, I appreciate the input. I will check their sites to get more info, although I don't plan on retaking the exam

Im in the program, started July 2014. This is my third time doubling classes. They only allow you to take the first class alone then you can double. The program is good, you do have to be motivated to get your coursework done on time and complete your reading. For me the classes have gotten progressively more difficult and I start advanced pathophysiology next semester and I am in the process of getting prep material for the board exams. Wish you well, if you get in I think you will like it, the program is well organized and so far everyone has been very helpful. Good luck!

I am currently 6 months in to my FNP program and I am just now getting information on board information. Could someone please tell me the difference between the AANP and the ANCC? If you fail one, do you have to take the other or can you prepare and take the one you failed a second time? How many chances do you get to take the exam? I saw one post where someone failed twice, how many chances do we get? Is there a site I can go to get more information on the exams? I am going out today to get the Fitzgerald, Barkley and Leik reviews and also will get some online Hollier and CD's to listen to. I will also probably do a couple of live reviews, I don't want to fail. I appreciate all of your input and wish you all the best it is frustrating to get this far and fail but the good thing is you have another opportunity. I just want to know the difference between the exams, can someone help?