Introduction
Nurses specializing in mental health treatment provide an invaluable service to the medical community. One needs a professional credential to indicate that they have the education and experience to help others with mental health issues. The American Nurses Credentialing Center has prepared a certification test for registered nurses interested in this sector. Therefore, advanced and strategic examination preparation involving daily studies and working on practice questions will help the student have knowledge on all topics and prepare well for the exams, thus increasing one’s academic performance and the best grades.
Examination Preparation Techniques
The American Nurses Credentialing Center offers certification for nurse practitioners in different departments. The ANCC will offer 175 questions, including multiple-choice, drag-and-drop, and body-part identification questions. Expertise in evaluation, diagnosis, clinical management, and professional roles will all be tested. Therefore, the preparation involves the formulation of an outline on what and when to study to increase my chances of passing the certification test. The second focus is to collect and review the study materials relevant to the PNHP exam. the study materials to be utilized include the Medication Fact Book for Psychiatric Practice, Fifth Edition 5th, and the Medication Fact Book is a comprehensive reference guide covering all the important facts, from cost to pharmacokinetics, about the most commonly prescribed medications in psychiatry. Other essential articles are Fitzgerald Review: Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certification PMHNP Certification Exam Review & Advanced Practice Update, and Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Review Manual 4th Edition with 2020 Addendum
A Study Schedule (November 1 to December 10, 2022)
The study will begin with the subject area which were challenging in the past to give me time to prepare for the course and to gain confidence in the subject area. However, the student will devote more study time to the themes that carry the most weight on the test (examples include advanced practice skills and diagnosis and treatment, each comprising 25% of the questions) to improve my overall testing score. The study is scheduled for 6 weeks of study and six days each week, whereby a particular day is allocated for rest and self-care to avoid stress and mental fatigue.
The first two weeks of study, the student practices 40 questions on the topics related to PHNP. The third week consists of 6 days of study and a full day off books for self-care. The student will read on cardiovascular, the models and strategies of health promotion and disease prevention, Diagnosis and treatment, mental health screening tool selection and interpretation, and Diagnostic impression. The fourth week schedule includes studying on Psychiatric emergency management, Evidence-based practice and Neurodevelopment, Advanced pathophysiology, Diagnosis and treatment, Psychogenomics, and mental status examination. In week five, daily topics include: Advanced psychopharmacology, Substance use screening and interpretation, Psychopharmacotherapeutic management, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing role, collaboration, leadership, Family theories and Developmental theories, and ANA Scope and Standards of Practice: Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing. The final week study topics include Scope of confidentiality, Diagnostic and laboratory tests selection and interpretation, Psychoeducation and Recovery and resilience promotion, Cultural and spiritual competence, and Review of previous study and questions. This will help the student read all topics that will be tested in the exams and practice 40 practice questions every day.
Conclusion
Most nursing careers necessitate passing exams to obtain the necessary certifications, licenses, and degrees. Giving oneself plenty of time to study for nursing exams to achieve the best results is crucial. The exam preparation technique will guide me to read every topic of the PNHP test, understand my weakness, and focus on improvement to achieve the passing mark for the certification.