When you’re ready to take your career to the next level and pass your Nurse Practitioner board exam, you might be surprised to learn that you actually have to pick one. There are a few different options for which Nurse Practitioner certification exam you can take, and there isn’t one that works for everyone. In this article, we’ll go over the available certifications and how to choose the one that’s best for you.
Related: Optimizing your NP Career (free with Passport Membership)!
What are the Nurse Practitioner board exam options?
There are now four different Nurse Practitioner certification exams offered by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). These are:
- Family Nurse Practitioner
- Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
- Emergency Nurse Practitioner
- Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Depending on what population you want to serve and what setting you prefer to work in, you may choose one credential over another. The Family Nurse Practitioner exam is by far the most common. The breakdown for 2023 first-time test takers looks like this:
- Family Nurse Practitioner: 17,362 (89%)
- Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner: 1,864 (9.6%)
- Emergency Nurse Practitioner: 261 (1.3%)
Because the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner certification was added in January and first offered in April 2024, statistics are not yet available.
Does Nursing Scope of Practice differ for different AANP certifications?
If you’re wondering what your job might look like and what your scope of practice could be, keep in mind other sources than just the AANP certification. Nursing Scope of Practice is determined by your state or territory’s laws, not by your specific certification. Similarly, your job responsibilities will be determined by your employer. A different certification might qualify you better, in the eyes of an employer, for one role versus another.
In terms of the certification itself, all Nurse Practitioner certification exams require you to have the same baseline clinical competency across patient populations. The certification you choose simply adds to the general Nurse Practitioner competency by displaying your extra knowledge in a specific topic area.
What factors should you consider in choosing the Nurse Practitioner Board Exam right for you?
With this information about scope of practice in mind, how should you choose which certification makes the most sense for you? The most important criteria for choosing your Nurse Practitioner certification are patient population, clinical settings, and areas of interest.
Which patient populations do certified Nurse Practitioners work with?
Patient population is one consideration that might lead you toward or away from the Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner certification. The other certifications (Emergency, Family, and Psychiatric Mental Health), all offer opportunities to work with populations of all ages.
It goes without saying that if you are particularly passionate about working with older populations, the Adult-Gerontology specialty might be the one for you. On the other hand, if you love working with children, you may choose the Family or Psychiatric Mental Health specialty.
Which Nurse Practitioner Certification should I take for my preferred clinical setting?
In terms of clinical settings, it is important to consider all the places a Nurse Practitioner might work and where you might be happiest. If you plan on working in a hospital or urgent care clinic, the Emergency Nurse Practitioner certification exam could be a good fit. If you would prefer to work in a primary care setting, the more generic Family exam may be your best bet.
The Adult-Gerontology certification offers a lot of flexibility in terms of clinical setting. You may find a job in an assisted living facility or hospice care center. You could also work with older adults in a primary care setting, a hospital, or a visiting nurse job. The Family Nurse Practitioner certification will also qualify you for any number of clinical settings, as it is generally considered the standard certification. In addition to outpatient, Family Nurse Practitioners can work in hospitals, rehab centers, or home visit careers.
Finally, the new Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner certification is a versatile certification that would qualify you for a wide range of practice settings. Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners are in high demand and may find roles in psychiatric care facilities, hospital psych wards, school psychiatry positions, or even private practice. This certifying exam is offered in response to a growing recognition in healthcare of the importance of mental health, and your certification would highlight your competency in this important field.
Which Nurse Practitioner Certification fits my interests?
Finally, let’s consider how your areas of interest are best suited for one certification versus another. An easy place to start is a particular interest in mental health, as you would be well suited to the Psychiatric Mental Health specialty. Or say you are particularly interested in family planning, pregnancy, and neonatal care. In this case, the Family Nurse Practitioner certification would be the best bet to get you in a suitable role. Or maybe your interests lie in injury and acute illness. In this case, a specialty in emergency medicine could be a good fit for you.
What material do the Nurse Practitioner Board Exams cover?
If you are not sure which areas of nursing interest you most, look directly at the exams’ knowledge areas for inspiration. This will give you a good idea of the specialty each certification awards. Something mentioned might pique your interest. Below, we briefly outline the material covered in each of the four certifying exams so you can understand the differences and pick the one that speaks to you.
What material does the Family Nurse Practitioner Board Exam cover?
The Family Nurse Practitioner board exam covers four of the five main steps of the nursing process: assessment, diagnosis, planning, and evaluation. In terms of populations served, this exam runs the full lifespan, with around a fourth of questions for each stage of life. Here’s the breakdown of the questions:
- Newborn through Adolescent: 20%
- Young adult: 22%
- Middle adult: 26%
- Older adult: 30%
In terms of the knowledge areas covered, the exam will test you on Health Assessment, Pathophysiology, Therapeutics, and a wide range of Professional Practice topics.
Related: Family NP Pharmacology Package
What material does the Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner Board Exam cover?
The Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner board exam covers the same four main steps of the nursing process as the Family Nurse Practitioner exam, with a slightly greater focus on evaluation. In terms of populations served, the exam also skews greatly toward older adults (as you would expect). It devotes much less focus to ages below young adults. Here’s the breakdown of the questions:
- Adolescent: 2%
- Young adult: 13%
- Middle adult: 28%
- Older adult: 40%
- Elderly: 17%
The exam covers the same topics, though you can expect a greater emphasis on Professional Practice topics that affect geriatric populations such as end-of-life care, pain management, and disaster preparedness/public health emergency response.
Related: Adult-Gerontology NP Pharmacology Package
What material does the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Board Exam cover?
The Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner board exam covers the same four main steps of the nursing process as the above two exams. It places a heavy focus on assessment. In terms of populations served, the exam focuses heavily on youth and adult populations. Here’s the breakdown of the questions:
- Infant through Pre-Adolescent: 14%
- Adolescent: 16%
- Adult: 50%
- Older Adult: 20%
You will need to augment your standard Nurse Practitioner exam studying with some extra information on clinical disorders from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The exam includes questions on common disorders such as depression, anxiety, personality disorders, trauma and stress disorders, substance use and addiction disorders, and sleep disorders.
Related: Psychiatric-Mental Health NP Certification Exam Review (MP3)
What material does the Emergency Nurse Practitioner Board Exam cover?
The Emergency specialty is the most unique of the certifying exams. The exam requires a greater knowledge of emergency procedures and techniques. Rather than ages, the emergency exam is broken down by condition type:
- Abdominal and Gastrointestinal Disorders: 13%
- Cardiovascular Disorders: 11%
- Thoracic-Respiratory Disorders: 10%
- Ear, Eye, Nose, Oral/Dental, and Throat Disorders: 8%
- Traumatic Disorders: 8%
- Musculoskeletal Disorders (Non-traumatic): 7%
- Renal/Genitourinary Disorders: 7%
- Cutaneous Disorders: 6%
- Neurological Disorders: 6%
- Psychobehavioral Disorders: 6%
- Endocrine, Metabolic, and Nutritional Disorders: 5%
- Obstetrics and Gynecology: 5%
- Systemic Infections, Hematologic, and Immune System Disorders: 5%
- Environmental and Toxicological Disorders: 3%
The exam also tests various competencies in various emergency techniques and procedures including intubation, resuscitation, foreign body removal, interpretation of ECG and diagnostic imaging, and more. If these areas are exciting to you, then the Emergency Nurse Practitioner certification might be the way to go.
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