NU 577 / AANP
Exam Pearls
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Prep
Exam Format
AANP: Exam Pearls
• AANP FNP exam contains very few nonclinical questions
•
... [Show More] Certification tests are designed for entry-level practice
• AANP has 15 pilot questions which are not graded [there is NO WAY to identify the pilot test
questions from the graded questions]
• New clinical info [treatment and/or guidelines] released in the last 10 months won’t be on the
exam
• Questions will be on primary care disorders – if you are guessing, AVOID PICKING EXOTIC
DIAGNOSIS AS AN ANSWER
Labs
• Normal lab results pertinent to a question WILL ONLY BE LISTED ONCE. Use your scratch
sheet of paper to jot down these values if given.
• Follow the LAB NORMS GIVEN BY AANP not what you learned in NP school
• Learn the significance of abnormal lab values AND type of follow-up needed [i.e. elderly
gentleman with c/o scalp tenderness + indurated temporal artery, NP suspects temporal
arteritis. Screening test is sed rate – which is expected to be MUCH HIGHER than normal
value]
Good to Know
• Expect one question related to dental injury [i.e. completely avulsed permanent tooth
should be reimplanted ASAP! It can be transported to dentist in cold milk (not frozen milk)
• May be a question on epidemiologic terms (i.e. sensitivity is defined as the ability of a test to
detect a person who has the disease. Specificity is defined as the ability of a test to detect a
person who is healthy or detect the person without the disease)
• Learn definition of some research study designs : cohort follows a group of people who
share some common characteristics to observe the development of a disease over time –
Framingham nurses health study
• Emergent conditions that will present in primary care clinics will be on the exam: navicular
fracture, MI, cauda equina syndrome, anaphylaxis, angioedema, meningococcal meningitis
• Know some anatomic areas : trauma to Kiesselbach’s plexus = anterior nosebleed
• Some questions ask about “gold-standard test” or the “diagnostic test for the condition”:
sickle cell anemia, G6PD anemia, and alpha/beta thalassemia = hgb electrophoresis
• Disease states are usually presented in their “full-blown classic” textbook presentation:
acute mononucleosis, teen will have classic triad of sore throat, prolonged fatigue, and
enlarged cervical nodes. If patient is older with same signs/symptoms, it is still mononucleosis
reactivated type
• Ethic background may provide clues to disease: alpha thal = southeast Asia / Filipinos; beta
thal = Mediterranean
• NO ASYMPTOMATIC or BORDERLINE CASES OF DISEASE STATES WILL BE ON THE
EXAM: IDA in “real life” don’t present often with pica or spoon-s [Show Less]