NP Certification Q&A

Dr. Margaret Fitzgerald has successfully prepared over 130,000 NPs for certification through her Certification Exam Review Course. Her monthly column, Certification Q&A is published in the Fitzgerald Health Education Associates newsletter. In each issue, she shares insight she has gained from clinical practice and helping nurse practitioners prepare for certification exams. Published columns are available here as a free resource to all NPs.

General Information

• Frequently Asked Questions about NP Certification
• State Licensure and Certification: Myths and Realities
• Certification Exam: Myths and Realities
• Before Your NP Employment Search, Take Time for Reflection
• As a Certified NP, How Do I List My Credentials?
• Emergency Nurse Practitioner Certification Exam Information
• Certification Q&A: ANCC Family NP Certification Exam Update, Effective May 22, 2019
• ANCC Psychiatric-Mental Health NP Certification Exam Update, Effective December 16, 2019
• ANCC Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP Certification Exam Update, Effective November 1, 2020

Tips for Successfully Passing the Test

• Test Question Analysis
• Preparing for the NP Certification Exam
• Lessons Learned from NPs Who Have Failed the FNP and AGNP Primary Care Boards
• Exam Do's and Don'ts
• Developing a Study Plan for the NP Certification Exam
• NP Certification Exams 101: Getting Certified as a Nurse Practitioner

Honing Your Content Knowledge

• Evaluating Research: Important for Certification Exam and Practice
• Levels of Prevention Important in Certification
• Enhancing your Understanding of Assessment
• What's the Sign?
• Evaluating your Broad Knowledge Base
• Mnemonics and Memory Aids
• Hone Your Skills in Cranial Nerve Assessment
• The Certification Exam: Intersection of Skills Required
• Test Questions about Pregnancy
• Professional Issues on the Certification Exam
• Healthy People 2020: Decreasing Disparity in Cancer Screening
• Cultural Competence Questions on the NP Certification Exam: Curanderismo

In addition to the Certification Q&A column, the Fitzgerald Health Education Associates electronic newsletter publishes a variety of news you can use, ranging from malpractice case analysis, interviews with NP leaders, to practical clinical and pharmacology news. Click here to view the current issue or to subscribe.