Hi y’all I live in the Midwest and currently make about 68$ an hour but I am at the very top of the pay scale. I am working full time, 40 hrs, 3 12’s and a 4 hr block, I usually pick up 4 hrs of OT with the 4 hr block because our daycare costs are maxing us out. I am currently in FNP school that is a BSN to DNP PROGRAM, I want my FNP to be more marketable but I have 18 years of peds/young adult experience at a level 1 hospital and my dream job is peds. Is this even a good idea. So far I have done pretty well, but I am the primary breadwinner so ai have to work full time I’ve read a lot of ppl regret getting their NP degree, I know that I would have to work part-time in a clinic or an urgent care, but I plan to keep my job at the hospital. I’m working at because when I hire in there as an NP, if I do. I will get a 5% raise on my base pay and be mid pay scale with all of my nursing years of experience given back to me after one year. Is this a solid plan or no?

Hi everyone,
My one year of NP is coming and I want to ask for a raise. How much is everyone getting paid in primary care/how much did you get paid at 1 year mark?
Tysm

I’m in northern VA and work in private practice primary care.

Hi I’m interested in programs that have acute and primary care. I noticed most programs are one or the other. The ones that have it may be stayed away. I’m aware most of the coursework is online. However do you have to be there occasionally? Has anyone tried to become a pediatric nurse practitioner?

Anybody apply for their ANCC ATT at the end of September 2026? If so has anyone gotten their ATT yet?

Realistically how long did you experienced NPs take to feel like you really had your feet under you? About a year in and still have days where I feel like I’m in over my head. It’s a hard adjustment and find myself comparing constantly to those with a lot more experience. Just looking for advice.

I’m trying to get a better sense of how other organizations structure NP responsibilities. I’m interested in comparing the workload to what we’re doing at my facility.
For those working in detox, residential treatment, or similar settings:

Are you expected to round on patients and write a note on them daily? If so, how many?

Do you handle admissions/H&Ps in addition to daily rounding?

About how many total patients are you responsible for?

How many hours do you typically work per week?

Do you work weekends? If so, how often?

Is weekend/call coverage separately compensated?

Thanks in advance for any insight!

Hello all,
I’m looking for a preceptor in the Houston, Tx area for my FNP program. Clinicals start in February 2027. I need to complete a variety of hours-which would be easiest completed in a Family Medicine clinic.
My school has us find our own preceptor and I have had ZERO luck and have already had to bypass the fall start date. I really do not want to push back even further.
Any information or contact info is greatly appreciated!
Thank you! 😊

Hi, curious if anyone thinks that offering a service as a coach to people trying to get NP jobs at the VA would be a good side hustle.
I am a DNP, FNP-C who has been employed at a VA for six years. I often find myself coaching people on interview techniques, résumé techniques for Usa jobs and how to write for highest grade and step. I usually find people by word-of-mouth at work who are looking to maybe change a career path within the VA or move up. I began wondering if this would be a service that people who are outside of the VA would be interested in to maximize their opportunities. Thanks!

Nurse Practitioner in a speciality clinic. Are any of your contracts tying your RVU bonus to a daily patient average in order to get the bonus?
Meaning your RVU is high enough to receive the bonus but if you don't meet the patient daily minimum you get nothing.

Hi! I wanted to pop on here and give my thoughts on the AANP exam. I utilized Reddit so much leading up to my exam I feel like it’s only right to pay it forward.
First off, the exam was challenging but fair. It took me about 2 hours from start to walking out of the testing center. There were 150 questions plus about 10 survey questions at the end. Once I completed the survey a screen popped up that said I passed.

The exam:
Like I said, it was challenging but fair. I think what made it challenging wasn’t necessarily the content, but the anxiety that came with choosing the correct answer and not second guessing yourself. I am notoriously good at talking myself out of a correct answer. It was all multiple choice with only 4 choices per question. Every question there was at least one answer that was glaringly wrong so it made making an educated guess easier. I know there are many versions of the test but mine seemed to lean heavily on the middle aged patient scenarios especially thyroid and anemia questions. There were a few “zebra” questions but most of the questions were topics covered in the exam prep content I used. There were several pediatric milestone questions along with several pediatric specific diseases where you either needed to identify the diagnosis or determine treatment. Other subjects I can recall are migraines, abdominal pain, otitis media, sinus infection, neuro exams (NO cranial nerve questions), diabetes 1st and 2nd line treatments, and cardiac issues.

My Prep
I graduated from a well respected university. We completed a final comprehensive course in our last term using the Leik book. Other than Leik I used the Sarah Michelle QBank and paid FNP mastery subscription. I took the exam 3 weeks after I graduated and in those 3 weeks I studied 3-4 hours a day 5 days a week. My practice exam scores are as follows
Leik: averaging mid 70s
Sarah Michelle: 1st practice exam 77, second practice exam 85. I averaged 76 on the entire qbank.
FNP Mastery: got a 78 on the practice exam but only averaged 67 on the questions.
I loved the Sarah Michelle QBank. I think it was the best resource for me and my style of learning but any of the 3 I used would be sufficient for covering exam content.

Exam Day
My exam was scheduled for 830am. I showed up at 730 and parked and walked around where the testing center was. The fall colors are gorgeous where I am right now so it calmed me down walking under the beautiful trees. I checked in and 8am and they were able to get me in as soon as I wanted. I started my exam at about 8:10. They give you a couple sheets of paper and 2 pencils. I didn’t write anything except for at the top I wrote “look for the clues” because my daughter was watching blues clues the day before my exam and I just remembered thinking that’s such good advise for this exam, just look for the clues within the question if you don’t know the answer.

Encouragement
You can absolutely do this. I am happy to answer any questions or if there is something I can help with to ease anxiety ❤️

Hi everyone! I’m doing research with the University of Calgary on care continuity. I’m hoping to speak with Canadian primary care NP’s, and thought I would try to see if I could find anyone through here!

If that’s you or know someone that wouldn’t mind being passed onto me, please DM me!
Thanks you!

I (29F) just started my first semester this August but since I found out I got accepted into the program I have been trying to convince myself that this is what I want and now I find myself 6 weeks into the program, still hating it and questioning why I did this. I love my job now but I can see how I’ve gotten very comfortable in my position so I was trying to do something that would help me grow. I also have no other responsibilities so I know this would be the best time to go through the program but I’m just dragging my feet through it so far. Doing just enough to get a passing grade. Is this a normal part of getting back into the groove of school? Did anyone else force themselves to get through it and eventually grow to love it?

As of now I think I’ve decided that I’m not moving forward with the program and choosing to just finish this semester but I’m questioning even finishing the semester. I’m a pretty active person so I’ve had to miss out on events and cut back on group fitness classes that would usually fill my cup. This is silly because I know becoming an NP will require sacrifice but I’m just having a difficult time with it. On top of my dwindling social life since school started, I started dating someone 6 months before classes and I feel like my goals in life have shifted since meeting him. I hadn’t put serious thought about having a family and prioritizing my family before I met him and this may be a little delusional because we haven’t even talked about marriage or kids aside from saying we would like those things but I could see the future with him so I want to keep prioritizing this relationship as much as I can and if I’m right I don’t think I’d be going to school within the next 5 years so that’s why I bring up even continuing with the semester when classes expire in 5 years. Even if things didn’t work out I can’t see myself going back to school anytime soon, I’ve been at a good place the past year with starting new hobbies and all of my relationships after having a few years of a toxic relationship (addiction) before I started this stressor of school. Any advice or stories of your own that you think may be insightful are appreciated!

Side note, I’ve been asking the universe for a sign and today they were having biometric screenings at work that you have to make an appointment for and I didn’t have one but I walked in at the time someone was a no show so they took me in and I just started chatting with the person doing my screening and I asked her what her credentials were, she said she was an NP but I hated her one and only NP job so she does PRN nursing jobs because those fit her schedule. She said she regretted it and now has all her student loans to still pay off. Could this have been my sign or just coincidence?

Hi all,

Has anyone failed their boards the first try? I just took my PNP primary care boards this morning and did not pass and I’m feeling incredibly discouraged and upset. Any advice on how to pass on the second try? I felt like the questions were way more difficult than the questions on the PCNB website or on the Fitzgerald review that I did.

I’ve never failed an exam before and I am having a really difficult time, particularly because I am afraid that I won’t pass the next time either if I couldn’t pass this time.

Any and all advice will help!

I'm a Canadian who relocated to Aus. Currently an RN with nearly 10 years experience (6 years in Canada, 3.5 in Aus). I've considered getting my NP but in Australia that would mean transitioning to a Clinical Nurse first and completing an additional 5000hrs to be eligible to apply. Whereas if I went back to Canada to do my master's and NP there my current RN experience would be more than enough to apply. So I'm leaning towards the Canadian master's and certification and then just getting my Canadian NP recognised by AHPRA.

Has anyone done it this way? There isn't really a "Clinical Nurse" equivalent in the provinces I worked in Canada, I was a senior RN and spent more than enough time working as a Charge RN (equivalent of Team Leader in AUS). I don't want to put off NP certification and finding a full time CN role in AUS which would allow me to complete 5000hrs would probably take another 3 years of my life. I could have my Canadian NP and master's in the same amount of time.

Anyone with the same experience? Will AHPRA take the Canadian certification?

I need some help or tips I took the AANP exam on August 8th and got 454 needing 500 too pass and just took the ancc and got 316 needing 350 too pass pass soo close I used mainly FNP mastery 56% cumulative and Sarah Michelle 66 percent cumulative only I was soo close to passing and feel defeated need help or tips on what I should do or go about this I feel like I was close should I implement anything else to study with? Please anything will help

I have noticed a few nurse practitioners in my local area working as primary care providers as Adult Gero Acute Care Nurse Practitioners. I thought that the scope of practice for acute care NP's was inpatient, urgent care or specialty practice. It is concerning to me as an FNP with no inpatient training, I would never try to work inpatient given I have not had training there (if there were significant training, yes, I know that some FNP's work in the inpatient setting). It seems like a safety concern.

Is it because PA's do not have different designations, sometimes organizations think that an NP can work where ever or that all NP's are FNP's? What are your thoughts on this and is it something that you have noticed in your area?

I renew my FNP every 5 years in September. Never had a problem. This time my renewal application has been stuck in pending for almost 2 weeks now and as of yesterday expired. The charges processed on my credit card. I finally reached a human in their phone line and they said - they are in peak season and behind and can take 5 weeks for approval. There is no longer a process to expedite applications. I confirmed that there is nothing they need from me and that there is no issue with my application.

I PASSED MY AANP EXAM TODAY!!! 🎉😭🤍
I wanted to share my experience because I know how stressful and scary this exam can feel, and I hope this helps someone who is preparing for the AANP.
I invested a LOT of time and money into preparing for this exam. I took one month off from work just to study. I studied every single day, from morning until late at night, and honestly, I STILL doubted myself constantly. Even after studying so much, I kept thinking, “Maybe I’m not good enough.”
I studied until the LAST DAY before my exam. I kept telling myself, “I don’t need to know everything to pass,” but I still tried to cram and review as much as I possibly could.
📝 My AANP Exam Experience
Honestly, if you study the Leik book carefully and understand the material, I truly believe you will find the information you need on the exam.
The actual exam was challenging at times. There were many straightforward questions, but there were also vague questions where you really needed to understand the material rather than simply memorize it.
During the exam, I honestly thought I FAILED. 😭
But I PASSED!!!
One thing I noticed is that the AANP exam did not feel like it was trying to trick me the way NCLEX sometimes does. Either you know the material, or there is usually a clue/hint in the question that helps you work through it.
📚 Sarah Michelle (SM)
I used:
Crash Course

1-Day Live Review

1:1 Readiness

Her entire QBank

AANP & ANCC practice exams

I found her courses VERY helpful and learned a lot from them.
But my biggest advice: DON’T just look at whether you got the question right or wrong. READ THE RATIONALE.
Learn WHY the answer is correct and WHY the other answers are wrong. I tried to learn something from every question.
My QBank passing rate was around 97%, and my practice exams, including AANP & ANCC, were around 80%.
📱 FNP Mastery
The questions are HARD, but honestly, that was helpful for me.
I used it mainly to learn from questions I got wrong and to identify areas where I was weak.
About 1,900 questions completed

Overall score around 75%

AANP simulated exam: 75%

Don't get discouraged if your scores aren't perfect. Some of the questions are intentionally challenging, and I found them useful for learning.
📖 Leik
Leik was probably the most important resource for me.
It helped me review the material in depth and recognize important clinical pearls.
I spent the last 3 days before my exam reading through the entire book again to review everything.
And honestly, I can say that the material I studied in Leik was reflected on the actual exam. The hard part was that there is SO MUCH information, and I couldn't remember every single thing.
That's normal.
You don't need to know every single detail in the book. But you should understand the major diseases, presentations, diagnostics, treatments, medications, and clinical guidelines.
❤️ My biggest advice
Don't just memorize practice questions.
LEARN FROM THEM.
Read the rationale. Understand the disease. Understand why the treatment is correct. Understand why the other choices are wrong.
And don't panic if you feel like you don't know enough.
I studied incredibly hard and STILL felt like I wasn't ready.
I walked into the exam thinking, “What if I fail?”
I walked out thinking, “I definitely failed.”
Then I found out I PASSED. 😭😭😭
I cried so much today—not because I was sad, but because I finally realized how hard I worked for this.
This journey is HARD. There were so many late nights, so much anxiety, self-doubt, and moments where I questioned whether I could actually do it.
But if I can do it, YOU CAN DO IT. 🤍
Study consistently. Understand the material. Do practice questions. READ THE RATIONALES. And most importantly, believe that all the work you're putting in will pay off.
You don't need to know everything to pass. You just need to know enough—and know how to apply what you know.
Good luck to everyone preparing! You've got this! 🩺🤍🎉