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 and an emergency nurse practitioner.

Smith has been a nurse practitioner since 2013 and she is currently pursuing a doctor of nursing practice degree. During her years in clinical practice, she remained closely tied to education by serving as an adjunct faculty member and guest lecturer at Spalding University School of Nursing. In addition, she took leadership and teaching roles in her clinical settings to precept NP students and to train and onboard newly hired NPs.

Smith is a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, the Kentucky Coalition of Nurse Practitioners and Nurse Midwives, and Sigma Theta Tau.

Smith sought a position with APEA to pursue her growing passion for teaching. As a member of the growing APEA faculty, she now teaches live review courses for FNPs and AGPCNPs and provides expert advice and direction to NP students who are preparing for their board exams. She works full time as a Nurse Practitioner Education Specialist for APEA, an ATI brand.

When NP students join Smith at an APEA Live Review Course & Clinical Update, they will immediately feel her enthusiasm for teaching and her dedication to helping them succeed. Her answers to the questions below provide a glimpse into her expertise and her dedication to helping new NPs.

Q: What drives you to help NP students be successful?

A: I am appreciative of all of the educators I have had through the years who were both approachable and engaging. I am especially thankful for those who were able to turn difficult subject matter into material I could easily grasp and understand. I strive to be that same resource for all of my students.

Q: What is your No. 1 piece of advice for NP students as they prepare to take their exam?

A: Many students become anxious when thinking about taking their board exam and put off their test date as a result. I would recommend setting a target date for your exam within 3 months of graduation and developing a study plan leading up to the test.

And never underestimate the power of a good review course! I firmly believe these courses are instrumental in solidifying the material and developing your confidence going into the exam.

Q: What is a significant piece of advice you wish you had received when you were an NP student?

A: As part of their developmental milestones, preschoolers often continually ask “why” to every piece of information they receive. Channel your inner preschooler! Always ask “why.” Why would you use that medication? Why would you choose that imaging?

Do not simply memorize the guidelines — instead, understand the science behind them. When you take your studying one step further, it brings these concepts full circle and makes a world of difference in your test-taking skills and in your practice!

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