Naturally, if you’re a women’s health nurse practitioner student nearing the end of your education, you’ve got the national certification exam on your mind. Between coursework and clinicals, you may not have had much time to devote to studying for this all important test quite yet, but its reality looms. Adding to the pressure you feel is the fact that you can’t start working in your new profession until you conquer this challenge. So, just what is the likelihood you’ll pass the WHNP certification exam?
As the country continues to see an increase in the shortage of OB-GYNs, women’s health NPs stand to play a critical role in the field and may potentially begin to see an abundance of job opportunities opening up to the NP profession. But before you as a WHNP can begin bridging the gap and tap into the growing job market, like all NPs in varying specialties, you must first complete an accredited women’s health NP program and pass the certification exam that is specific to your specialty.
While NPs such as Family, Adult and Pediatrics have the option to take their certification exams from one of two certifying boards, the National Certification Corporation (NCC) is the only entity that currently offers a certification exam for women’s health NPs. Although this limitation might make WHNPs a little more anxious over their odds of passing, fortunately the pass rate is rather favorable and continues to increase. In fact, despite not having another certification exam to chose from, WHNPs have a greater chance at passing their exam than FNPs and AGNPs when comparing to the pass rates among exams over the last few years.
If you’re a WHNP preparing for your certification exam or are considering applying to a WHNP program in the future, here are the statistics to help calm your test-taking nerves.
