There's good news. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects nurse practitioner employment to grow much faster than the national average.¹ Unfortunately, there's also bad news. A specialized workforce demands a specialized pipeline, and NP education is struggling to meet the skyrocketing demands of the healthcare industry.

Not surprisingly, …

Technology doesn’t create systems of learning. It makes them better.

Libraries have helped people preserve and share knowledge for thousands of years, and they've never stopped evolving. Catalog systems, digitization, text search, and online repositories. These technologies didn't change the value of knowledge. They just made it easier to access, navigate, …

Annual nurse practitioner pass rates are an important part of the student readiness story. They aren’t the whole thing—not even close—but they are strong top-level indicators about the state of NP education and candidate preparedness.

The results for 2024 showed a rebound in pass rates for FNPs, underscoring …

Fishing can be a funny thing. The lake can be stocked with fish. The weather can be perfect. Everyone around you can catch their limit in under an hour. Yet, YOU still can’t get a single nibble. Somewhere or somehow, you missed a step, and that is making all the …

Psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNPs) are in serious demand. The stigma around mental health treatment is softening and people are prioritizing mental well-being more than ever. Not surprisingly, medical resources are racing to keep up.¹

In 2024, over 23% of US adults were affected by a …

Punishment is a fascinating concept. It isn’t really effective—at least not in the ways we assume it is. Studies show the severity of a punishment has almost no impact on how much it deters bad behavior.¹

So, what does promote integrity? Certainty of detection and clarity of …

Jane Doe, DNP, APRN, FNP‑C

Jane Doe, RN, MSN, DNP, FNP

One of these is an accurate listing of professional credentials. The other contains all three of the most common mistakes nurse practitioners make when deciding on the specifics of their own working title.

The difference is …

Clinical placements for nurse practitioner students are getting harder to secure. Sites and preceptors can afford to be selective, not only because they’ve reached capacity but because too many NP students are not adequately prepared.

One of the most effective ways academic programs can support both students and preceptors is by …

Today’s nurse practitioner students are learning critical thinking in classrooms while artificial intelligence is reshaping clinical practice in real time. Your students will graduate into healthcare settings where algorithms assist with triage, generate documentation, and suggest differential diagnoses. Yet many programs still view AI as a future consideration rather than …

Nine days after completing the 2026 APEA Live Review Course & Clinical Update, Kourtney Perdue sat for her FNP certification exam. She passed.

The outcome wasn't a surprise to the NPs who interacted with the recently graduated nurse practitioner at the APEA course. But the circumstances that led Perdue …

By Jennifer Smith, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, ENP-C

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) developed The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education as a foundational framework for nursing education, to ensure that graduates are practice ready and prepared to meet the demands of today’s complex …

After 5 years of steady decline, family nurse practitioner pass rates on the most prevalent certification exam made a dramatic comeback in 2024.

This rebound — a 10% increase — contrasts with continued declines on other NP certification exams. The mixed results highlight both progress and gaps in nurse practitioner preparation.

This …

Since the first edition was published in 2011, Hollier's Clinical Guidelines in Primary Care has been an essential resource for nurse practitioner practice. For NP students, it complements their curriculum and serves as a vital study resource for certification exams. For experienced NPs, it is a trusted …

AANP or ANCC Certification Exam?

As nurse practitioner students near the end of their programs each year, they inevitably confront the same question: Which certification exam should I take?

As the leader in NP certification preparation since 1997, APEA has developed a deep understanding of the differences among the certification …

Preparing nurse practitioner students for board certification and clinical practice requires academic programs to provide didactic and experiential teaching that builds the foundation for advanced practice. Programs that go a step further can reinforce that foundation and graduate more new NPs who are ready to pass and ready to practice.

This …

The end of your academic journey through an NP program brings you to the start of an exciting and rewarding career. But before you can work as a nurse practitioner, an important achievement awaits: Passing the national board certification exam for your specialty.

Thousands of NP graduates (and their faculty) …

Graduation from a nurse practitioner program brings well-deserved excitement — and for most people, some anxiety. You stand at the threshold of your new role as an advanced practice nurse, yet successfully crossing it may feel as formidable as scaling a mountain.

This article serves as your climbing harness, providing …

By Lindsey Luther, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, CNE

As you prepare for your nurse practitioner certification exam, it's crucial to develop a systematic approach to answering questions. When you use the method described here to answer study questions prior to your testing day, the process will become second nature and you will …

The "3 Ps" — pathophysiology, pharmacology, and physical assessment — are the core courses in every nurse practitioner education program. They form the foundation for competencies that are essential to advanced practice nursing, which means academic programs are responsible for determining whether NP students master 3P course content.

The challenge: Building …

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The psychiatric-mental health specialty is the fastest-growing choice among nurse practitioner students, and the interest couldn’t come at a better time. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that more than 1 in 5 U.S. adults is affected by a mental illness. Yet the supply of professionals trained …

Budgeting for an NP Review Course

A certification review course and clinical update is a powerful investment in exam prep or continuing education. To assist students and practicing NPs in making this investment, Advanced Practice Education Associates (APEA) offers three resources for discounts and budgeting. All three options are available for …

Pass rates on the most common certification exam for family nurse practitioners decreased for the fifth consecutive year in 2023 — a 13% drop since 2018.

What is behind this downward trend? NP education specialists and faculty consultants cite changing academic delivery models, varying admission requirements, preceptor challenges, and increased patient …

By Anitra Ingram, MSN, APRN, FNP-C

"Plan your work and work your plan." — Napoleon Hill

Prepping for a nurse practitioner certification exam can be overwhelming. I feel your pain. We’re talking high stakes here — a pivotal moment on a path that requires a ton of grit and sacrifice.

If you’re …

After seeing patients all day, reviewing and completing charts, and making follow-up calls, the average nurse practitioner isn’t driving home thinking, “Gee, I need to get involved in advocacy.”

But they should.

For your patients, your profession, and yourself, advocacy is realistic for even the busiest NP. It can produce numerous …

By Lindsey Luther, DNP, FNP-C, CNE

New academic standards for nurse practitioner programs have moved competency-based education, curriculum relevance, and increased clinical practice experiences into priority focus. Meeting these and other requirements in the 2022 Standards for Quality Nurse Practitioner Education (NTF Standards, 6th edition) requires faculty to rethink …

Students in psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) programs have a new option for national certification. This spring, the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB) will administer its first PMHNP exams.

The introduction of the AANPCB exam for PMHNPs means that the American Nurses Credentialing …

Advice from APEA Nurse Practitioner Education Specialist Jennifer Smith

Jennifer Smith is a family nurse practitioner with clinical experience in multiple settings, including primary care and emergency medicine. She teaches the APEA Review Course & Clinical Update for FNPs and AGPCNPs and has earned dual certification as a family nurse practitioner …

By Kathy Baldridge, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP

Organized medicine is actively campaigning to “stop scope creep.” Try saying that 3 times really fast! It’s a tongue twister, but it is often a brain twister as well. Defining scope of practice can be confusing to …

Family nurse practitioner candidates seeking certification by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB) will take exams based on a new test blueprint starting Jan. 2, 2024. The blueprint incorporates a slightly higher percentage of questions reflecting assessment, …

Imagine that you are planning a road trip. You’ve packed your bags, put together the perfect playlist, and placed your travel snacks within arm’s reach. It’s time to go! You get in your car and load the destination address into your navigation app, only to discover that the drive will …

In today’s mobile world, we use apps for all kinds of reasons. Apps can help us keep track of our bank account, our favorite sports teams, and the whereabouts of family and friends. Apps can also help NPs and NP students find and apply essential information for the assessment and …

Contributing factors include pivoting curriculum delivery and pandemic-related trauma

Certification data for 2022 show that pass rates for family nurse practitioner candidates dropped by 10% on one of the two available exams — the most significant decline in the history of this certification.

Pass rates for the FNP exam from the …

Advice from Dr. Lindsey Luther

Lindsey Luther, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, CNE, EBP(CH), is a family nurse practitioner who teaches the APEA Review Course & Clinical Update for FNPs and AGPCNPs and develops content for APEA education programs. She is a certified nurse educator and earned a certificate in evidence-based …

Advice from Dr. Kathy Baldridge

Kathy Baldridge, DNP, FNP-C, FAANP, is a family nurse practitioner with clinical experience in multiple settings, including primary care and neurology. She teaches the APEA Review Course & Clinical Update for FNPs and AGPCNPs and is a frequent invited speaker at …

An Overview of the 2022 NTF Standards

Nurse practitioner education programs in the United States are now tasked with meeting a new set of standards designed to ensure quality in the academic preparation of NPs. The National Task Force (NTF) for Quality Nurse Practitioner Education endorsed the standards and released them …

How do I make the smartest decision about attending a review course right now? How can I stay focused and motivated if I’m unsure of my testing date?

These are common questions we’re asked by NP students and recent graduates who are navigating the unique challenges of preparing for boards …

By Kathy Baldridge, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP

Building upon the strong foundations of the nursing model, APRNs can diagnose patients, prescribe medications, and initiate and manage patient treatments. Another distinctive difference from that of our nursing foundation is the ability to bill and be reimbursed for healthcare services, making APRNs “revenue-visible.”

Federal …

What exactly is a live webinar?

A webinar is a live virtual event that is delivered online. Webinars are a way for participants in many different locations to see and hear a live presentation remotely. Webinar software enables interactive participation through chat boxes and Q&A features. Participants view the presenter …

NP students seeking to certify with the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) as adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioners (AGPCNPs) will see a new exam content breakdown starting in December 2019. ANCC recently announced that a new exam blueprint will go into effect on Dec. 16.

As it did with …

The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) recently published a new blueprint for its family nurse practitioner exam that will significantly change how FNP students prepare for ANCC certification. The blueprint implements new content domains that reflect a move toward more clinical content and significantly less questioning on professional …

Note: This blog post was updated on Dec. 28, 2021.

The concerns surface every year: questions about rumored “new” versions of the AANP and ANCC certification exams for FNP and AGNP candidates. Worried students want to know whether it’s true that a completely new exam will be introduced—and even more …