NURS 603 AANPCB FAMILY NURSE PRACTITIONER ADULT GERONTOLOGY PRIMARY CARE NURSE PRACTITIONER

AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NURSE PRACTITIONERS CERTIFICATION BOARD A-GNP FNP Candidate Handbook– August 2017 The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB) About AANPCB AANPCB was established by Dr. Jan Towers PhD, NP-C, CRNP, FAAN, FAANP in 1993 as the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program (AANPCP) for the purpose of providing a valid and reliable program for the evaluation of individuals wishing to enter, continue, and/or advance in the Nurse Practitioner profession through the certification process. Effective January 2017, AANPCP changed its business name and acronym from the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program (AANPCP) to the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB). Because AANPCB offers more than one certification program, Certification “Board” more accurately represents and describes the full scope of the AANPCB certifying organization. While the name and logo changed slightly, the website domain and contact information remained the same. AANPCB is separately incorporated under the name American Academy of Nurse Practitioners National Certification Board, Inc. AANPCB is a nonprofit organization. Vision, Mission, and Core Values VISION To be the leading organization upholding the highest certification standards for nurse practitioners in promoting high quality healthcare. MISSION To provide excellence in professional nurse practitioner certification. CORE VALUES ACCOUNTABILITY, QUALITY, and TRANSPARENCY are the core values that support the mission and vision of the AANPCB. PURPOSE The purpose of the AANPCB is to assess the knowledge and practice competencies of nurse practitioners required to provide safe and quality health care. As a national nursing certification board, AANPCB: • Is responsible for facilitating the application processes for Nurse Practitioner (NP) certification. • Is responsible for providing a reliable, valid, competency-based examination for NPs to assess knowledge, skills and abilities for entry-into-practice. • Provides initial certification of the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (A-GNP) and Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) meeting eligibility requirements for certification by exam. • Provides processes for renewal of certification for certified A-GNPs, FNPs, Adult Nurse Practitioners (ANPs), and Gerontologic Nurse Practitioners (GNPs) meeting requirements for recertification. • Retired the GNP exam in December 2012 and the ANP exam in December 2016 to comply with the national Consensus Model for APRN Regulation: Licensure, Accreditation, Certification and Education. • Launched its first specialty certification examination, the Emergency Nurse Practitioner Certification Examination, for certified Family Nurse Practitioners (ENP) working in emergency care in January 2017. The ENP examination CURRENT ACTIVE CERTIFICATIONS* AANPCB FNP-C 78,649 ANP-C 8,584 AGNP-C 7,900 GNP-C 117 ENP-C 85 TOTAL: 95,335 *NUMBERS AS OF AUGUST 16TH, 2017 It is a Candidate’s responsibility to read and understand the contents of this HANDBOOK* before applying for the certification examination. This A-GNP & FNP CANDIDATE HANDBOOK provides important information concerning eligibility requirements, application processes, testing information, and exam blueprints. It is written for individuals desiring to take the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGNP) or Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) certification exam offered by AANPCB. *Content in this Handbook is subject to change without notice. AANPCB I P.O. Box 12926 Austin, TX I Phone I Toll I Fax I 4 AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NURSE PRACTITIONERS CERTIFICATION BOARD A-GNP FNP Candidate Handbook– August 2017 meets the requirements of the Consensus Model for both specialty certification and APRN role/populationfocused competencies. Board of Commissioners AANPCB is an independent, nonprofit organization governed by a Board of Commissioners (BOC) composed of dedicated, knowledgeable, and experienced NPs representative of the certificant population. Commissioner names are published on the certification website. The BOC governs all of the major decisions affecting the certification programs and processes, and offers input and guidance into organizational decisions. Elections for the Commissioners are held annually in October; all active AANPCB Certificants are eligible to vote. One public member (who is not a healthcare professional) is appointed to represent and protect the public. Accreditation, Affiliation, Recognition ACCREDITATION The A-GNP and FNP certification programs offered by AANPCB are accredited by both the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification, Inc. (ABSNC) and the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). Changes to the certification program align with certification accreditation standards promulgated by ABSNC and NCCA. The Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification, Inc. (ABSNC), formerly known as the ABNS Accreditation Council, is the only accrediting body specifically for nursing certification. ABSNC accreditation provides a peer review mechanism that allows nursing certification organizations to obtain accreditation of their certification programs by demonstrating compliance with the highest quality standards available in the industry. The National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), the accrediting body of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE), serves to ensure the health, welfare, and safety of the public through the accreditation of certification programs and organizations that assess professional competence. Accreditation by NCCA indicates AANPCB compliance with the NCCA Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs. MEMBERSHIP ORGANIZATION AFFILIATION AANPCB is affiliated with two national nurse practitioner membership organizations. Affiliation with a membership organization is neither a requirement for, nor an indication of, certification. Certification and Membership organizations are independent organizations, therefore, certification and membership account information is held separately by each organization. Certification numbers and membership numbers are uniquely different. Please contact the membership organization if assistance is needed with membership, continuing education, or professional opportunities. - American Association of Nurse Practitioners – AANP is the largest full-service national professional membership organization for NPs of all specialties. For more information, visit . - American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners – AAENP is the professional membership organization for NPs who practice in emergency care settings and provide emergency care for patients of all ages and acuities. For more information, visit . RECOGNITION AANPCB certifications are recognized by all U.S. Boards of Nursing, Canadian provincial nurse regulators, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Veterans Administration, private managed care organizations, institutions, and health care agencies for credentialing purposes. AANPCB I P.O. Box 12926 Austin, TX I Phone I Toll I Fax I 5 AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NURSE PRACTITIONERS CERTIFICATION BOARD A-GNP FNP Candidate Handbook– August 2017 AANPCB NP Certifications Individuals certified by AANPCB will continue to be certified, credentialed, and recognized by AANPCB as Nurse Practitioners as long as the minimum requirements for renewal of certification are met within the 5-year period of certification and certification does not lapse. Individuals who allow their AANPCB NP certification to expire are not authorized to use the NP-C credential and may not represent themselves as being certified by AANPCB. ADULT-GERONTOLOGY PRIMARY CARE NURSE PRACTITIONER (A-GNP) The Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner examination tests clinical knowledge of young adults (including adolescents and emancipated minors), adults, elderly, and frail elderly. Certificants who are dual-certified by AANPCB as both an ANP and a GNP are eligible to apply for conversion to the Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner. FAMILY NURSE PRACTITIONER (FNP) The Family Nurse Practitioner examination tests clinical knowledge in family/individual across the life span (prenatal, pediatric, adolescent, adult, elderly, and frail elderly primary care). ADULT NURSE PRACTITIONER (ANP) The Adult Nurse Practitioner examination was retired December 2016 to meet the regulatory requirements of the Consensus Model for role and population foci. ANPs should check with their individual State Boards of Nursing for further requirements or stipulations regarding practice as an Adult Nurse Practitioner. Individuals certified by AANPCB as an ANP will continue to be certified and recognized as a NP-C as long as current requirements for renewal of certification are met and the certification does not expire. ANPs who allow their certification to expire will be unable to renew it. GERONTOLOGIC NURSE PRACTITIONER (GNP) Like the ANP examination, the Gerontologic Nurse Practitioner certification examination was retired in December 2012 to meet the regulatory requirements of the Consensus Model for role and population foci. GNPs should check with their individual State Boards of Nursing for further requirements or stipulations regarding practice as a Gerontologic Nurse Practitioner. Individuals certified by AANPCB as a GNP will continue to be certified and recognized as a NP-C as long as current requirements for renewal of certification are met and the certification does not expire. GNPs who allow their certification to expire will be unable to renew it. EMERGENCY NURSE PRACTITIONER SPECIALTY CERTIFICATION FOR FNPS (ENP) AANPCB collaborated with the American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners (AAENP) in 2016 to develop the Emergency Nurse Practitioner Specialty Certification Examination for certified Family Nurse Practitioners who work in emergency care specialty areas. NPs certified by AANPCB as an ENP must maintain active certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner in order to renew ENP certification. For more information, see the ENP Candidate Handbook