NeldaFNP

I am in Indiana, I make over $55/hr in urgent care, and over $100 K/yr in my real job (with benefits, paid phone, great CE allowance, paid licenses, etc).

I totally agree with this. Brick and mortar schools usually (not always) have arrangements for preceptors. That is why I chose a B&M school, even though I did find my own preceptors. That being said, PAs are also refusing to take NP students as well. My friend who is a PA said that PA schools as a whole have taken the stand that they will not allow any on-line PA schools to develop. They want to protect the profession from a glut of on-line PAs and provide adequate support for the schools that are already in place. I think there is wisdom in their position.

AANP also certifies nurse practitioners. They also do not offer a certification in PNNP. i had a co-worker who received a degree in something similar, her degree was in perinatal care and she was considered a APN. But only our hospital recognized the degree (They paid for her to get it through an on-line programo)because there was no certification, and no way (I think) to get reimbursed by insurance. She no longer works here and her degree is not recognized as anything other than a masters in nursing. To the original poster, I would discourage you from pursuing this degree since it is likely offered by a "for profit" university who is more interested in providing courses for money than anything else. You will get a degree but if no one recognizes it, what use is that degree? You will have spent a lot of money on something that does not provide with the education to pursue what you want. I also have have a coworker who works as a perinatal CNS. She is actually an Adult CNS who did her thesis on the perinatal condition. There are actual perinatal CNS degrees as well. Perhaps you would consider that?

CONGRATS!!! What advice would you give others who are studying for a second go-around?

Emily, I sent you an email with the link.

Carmen, I just sent you an email.

Fitgerald, Hollier go system by system, information followed by questions on the information, as well as Barkley. Codina like has the information system by system but the questions are all mixed up. CL is actually better because it is more like the actual exam. If you are study neuro, you are thinking of neuro conditions but on the exam, you are not given the focus of the question. No matter what, use at least two different sources for studying, you will get a better perspective and will not be "locked" into studying the way one reviewer teaches.

I have a blog devoted to this, what worked for me (everyone is different but at least you get some tips), and a complete study plan that can be started anytime after starting school. The complete plan takes about 4 months but that includes some intensive weeks after graduation. PM me or send me your email, the regulations prohibit me posting the link here.

Medical school and PA school require many, many, many more hours. Most NP coursework only requires 500 hours total because they are basing a lot of the experience on previous RN experience. PAs may have 400 hours in just one rotation, so there is a HUGE difference in what they are exposed to in clinical. I think they have closer to 2000 hours total, the equivalent to one year of work, 40 hours a Week. As as a previous poster noted, you will find Afro profit school that will accept you and your money. But you are not doing yourself nor the profession a favor, so I hope you don't consider it. I will not even give students a recommendation if they are going to a school,like that because I think it is a bad idea for the profession and the person.

Daring101, i just sent you an email, let me know if you don't get it. Good luck!

I used Fitzgerald first, and then Barkley since a friend and I shared them. I liked having two perspectives, makes the information easier to integrate. But I think any would work as long as you listen and study from them, either by using the manual or by taking notes, whichever works best for you.

I used an older CD review (2011) and then attended a live session in 2015 by a different lecturer. I feel that I benefited from the information from 2 different lecturers. If I had to choose, I would do CDs because I reviewed them over and over, I would listen to them while driving, etc. I had the manual that went with it and sat down with the manual and went through it as if I were at the live course, 8 hour sessions and made notes in the manual like I would have at a live session. Buy an older version (cheaper) and listen to the CDs all the time, then sit down and do the sessions after graduation and at least 1-2 weeks before your exam is scheduled. Study very little the last week before the exam and nothing the day before. If you do the Barkley review, he guarantees that you will pass if you take the exam at least 3 weeks after the review session but not more than 3 months. I think Liek also has a guarantee. Barkley has a discount if at least 4-5 people sign up as a group. Beware, Liek has many wrong answers! I have a list of them that I can send you. I did find her book helpful after I corrected the wrong ones. I also thought Hollier book was helpful ( almost no incorrect answers and more questions). I have a blog about tips to studying for the AANP exam if you would like to visit it. Just pm me for the link (it can't be posted here due to the rules). 6.....HESI exam, yes, our school made us take a HESI exam before graduation, and my scores (in the 90s) were similar to my passing score (732/800) for the AANP FNP exam. But I do have to say that I studied for 5 weeks straight, at least 20 hours each week, after the HESI exam/graduation and before the AANP exam. I felt ready after those 5 weeks. I think most people know when they feel saturated and ready. 5....the benefit of practice exams is that they help you to identify weak areas and to study those areas. Memorizing answers does not help you but studying areas of weakness will help you. I had a friend who used them exclusively (with some review books but no review course) and she passed the ANCC exam the first time.

I am not an independent contractor, I will be an employee of the agency, and malpractice is covered by them. They also help with DEA and licenses. Current starting rates here in Indy are about $45/hr for new grads at a local hospital system. I asked for closer to $55 especially since there is no health insurance, no vacation, no CME allowance. They pay mileage (reimbursed later) and hotels (through their account) if the site is more than 1hour away from my home. I think my rate was rather low but I had no guide on what to ask.

I am looking at per diem work with an agency and would appreciate any help from any experienced FNPs. I have 13 yrs as a CNM but am new to FNP, but the agency is willing to work with me since I have experience in the office as a CNM. I am wondering what is a reasonable expectation of hourly rate for per diem work as an FNP. Any suggestions are welcome. I have worked as an RN for an agency and know they low ball you so that they make more money, but I really do not know where to start. Any help appreciated!

I agree, and what is sad is that I trained at a practice with an Adult NP who is regularly seeing pediatric patients 1/3 to 1/2 of her patients). If one little thing goes wrong she will loose her license as well as face reprucutions. I can't believe she allowed herself to be put in that position.

Kat2020 and FNPDuke, I sent both of you pms with the information. Good luck!

Congrats! I think #7 and 8 are key, keeping track of your progress, and studying what you have missed more than once. I would take a set of 100 questions and think, "Hey, I think I did pretty good!" But then score it and see that I got 72%. Sometimes you think you are doing better than you really are. I did something similar with my studying, although I started while in school and then intensively studied for 4 weeks after graduation. I retook those tests until I was getting in the mid to high 90s. I used Leik and Hollier for my questions, just keep going through them, studying the wrong answers and making flash cards. I did this until I got good scores, then I knew I was ready for the test.

I can send and receive PMs now. If you don't want to leave your email here, just PM me!

Miah MSN I sent you an email

Llui, I sent you an email.

I agree with what you said, "I feel confident in knowing the information but I don't' think I am used to the questions." This is where the review books helped, I probably went over at least 3000 questions from four different sources. It helped me to get used to the testing technique and how they question.

I have a study plan that I can send you if you provide me with your email in a pm. I cannot send pms yet. The study plan starts out easy (15 minutes a day at first) and intensifies after graduation to at least 10-12 hours a week for four weeks. The entire plan takes about 3-4 months so it could easily be started in your last semester. It is based on the study plan that I used. I just got my score back and received a 731/800 on the AANP exam.

You may be in a better position to negotiate your class work if you attend a local university and deal directly with the dean. Just went from CNM to FNp and can share some f my experiences. You will needs peds (probably about 140 hours), OB and women's health (100 hrs) and probably a family residency portion (mine was 120 hours). You may also need behavioral/mental health (45 hrs) depending on what you had in your program. They will take a look at your classes and see what is appliCable t their program. It should be about 1 year full time. good luck!

I have a study plan that I used that I can send to you. But I can't send pm yet since I only have 11-12 posts. Btw what is a "quality post"? Can I just post or does it have to be something special? The study plan requires at least 2-3 months, although I suppose you could do the first 2 months accelerated, all in one month. Then 1 month of more intensive study just before the exam. I used a Review course on CDs, and the Hollier and Leik, and a flashcard app called Brainscape (free). I was also working 24 hours a week, so I based the plan on someone working. I had signed up for a review course but felt ready so I took the exam before the review course. Be sure you take the test questions several times (I did it four times) and keep track of what you get right or wrong. I knew I was ready when I was getting them right about 97% average.

I had an old manual and took notes in it when I reviewed the CDs. This helped me remember more. In the actual review course, I did not take notes in the manual, I just listened but that was because I had plans to sell the CDs and the manual. Most people take notes and they can still the set, just for a little less. you could also take large post it notes and take notes on them instead. Just a thought.