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In this discussion, I will compare and summarize the requirements that are needed for the AANP and ANCC certification exams for a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP). I will describe the value of having an FNP certification and how it can enhance your professional advancement in nursing. I will also discuss how applying nursing theory can benefit you personally and advance the nursing profession.

Comparison and Summarization of AANP and ANCC Certifications

The AANP certification board was established in 1993 with a primary purpose to evaluate individuals who wish to advance their nursing career toward the nurse practitioner profession (American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board [AANPCB], 2018). You must meet specific eligibility requirements to take their certification exam. A person must be a graduate from an accredited MSN-NP education program, complete all APRN core courses, all didactic and clinical NP program coursework, and have a current U.S. or Canadian registered nurse license (AANPCB, 2018).

The ANCC is a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association. The ANCC promotes nursing excellence through various credentialing programs. One of their credentialing programs is the Family Nurse Practitioner certification. When you pass their exam, you will receive the credential: Family Nurse Practitioner-Board Certified (FNP-BC) (American Nurses Credentialing Center Website, 2019). To be eligible to take the ANCC exam, one must hold a current, active RN license. They must also hold a master’s, postgraduate, or doctoral degree from an accredited family nurse practitioner program that contained comprehensive graduate-level courses in advanced pathophysiology, advanced health assessment, and advanced pharmacology (American Nurses Credentialing Center Website, 2019).

Value of FNP Certification

By obtaining a family nurse practitioner certification, it can benefit your career and healthcare. The value of the certification can improve patient care by advancing your education in the nursing field. The FNP will develop new skills that can enhance the analysis of data to make the best decisions possible for the healthcare consumer. It can also help in increasing the awareness in community health by using the newly acquired skills to evaluate health programs and services to those who may need them.

Applying Nursing Theory to Benefit You and the Nursing Profession

With the development of nursing theory, it has evolved nursing from a task-oriented profession to a distinguished expert profession. Nursing theory has provided a moral and ethical structure to the profession and promotes a means of systematic thinking about nursing and the practice (McEwan & Wills, 2019). How this can benefit you, the nurse, is that you can analyze a patient not just medically, but also personally. This can create positive nurse-patient relationships and better outcomes in a patients care.

In conclusion, if you are going to advance your nursing career by being certified as a family nurse practitioner, understand that there are two certification programs and choose the one that best fits your needs. By obtaining this valuable certification, you can improve the care of your patients through the advancements in nursing education and skills. You can also enhance your practice and the nursing profession by having a greater knowledge of nursing theory. This will not only benefit yourself, but also the patients you care for through improved patient-nurse relationships.

References

American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board. (2018). Family Nurse Practitioner and Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner candidate handbook [Handbook]. Retrieved from https://www.aanpcert.org/resource/documents/AGNP%20FNP%20Candidate%20Handbook.pdf

American Nurses Credentialing Center Website. (2019). https://www.nursingworld.org/our-certifications/family-nurse-practitioner/

McEwan, M., & Wills, E. M. (2019). Theoretical basis for nursing (5th ed.). [vital source]. Retrieved from https://ambassadored.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781496351210/cfi/6/6!/4/2/6@0:0

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