AACN ACNPC-AG study plan
AACN ACNPC-AG · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Clinical Judgment: Assessment, Diagnosis and Clinical Reasoning
Construct a one-page differential-reasoning template that sequences history, focused physical exam, and diagnostic testing for the acutely ill older adult.
Differentiate age-related physiologic change from pathologic findings for at least 10 common acute presentations, and record how each change alters diagnostic sensitivity.
Interpret lab, ECG, and imaging patterns for the ten highest-frequency acute presentations and tabulate the single most discriminating finding for each.
Categorize 30 missed or ambiguous clinical scenarios by reasoning-failure type (anchoring, premature closure, failure to consider atypical geriatric presentation).
Your checkpoint
A completed reasoning template, a 10-row discriminating-findings table, and a 30-item error log with every miss tagged by failure type.
Clinical Judgment: Assessment, Diagnosis and Clinical Reasoning & Management of Acutely Ill Adult-Gerontology Patients (episodic illness, exacerbation of chronic illness, terminal illness)
Apply the week-1 reasoning template to 40 acute vignettes spanning cardiopulmonary, neurologic, and metabolic emergencies, verbalizing each branch point before committing to an answer.
Rank differentials by both likelihood and potential harm for chest pain, dyspnea, and altered mental status in older adults.
Formulate initial stabilization and diagnostic orders for 10 unstable presentations, then compare each against current guideline recommendations and note deviations.
Distinguish exacerbation of a chronic condition from a new episodic illness in 20 geriatric cases using a written decision rule.
Your checkpoint
A 40-vignette log with documented differential rankings and an accuracy rate of at least 80 percent.
Management of Acutely Ill Adult-Gerontology Patients (episodic illness, exacerbation of chronic illness, terminal illness)
Build one-page management algorithms for sepsis, acute coronary syndrome, acute decompensated heart failure, and COPD/asthma exacerbation.
Calculate and adjust doses for renal and hepatic impairment across 15 high-risk medications, documenting the adjustment formula used.
Design escalation and disposition criteria (ICU versus telemetry versus observation versus home) for 12 acute presentations.
Evaluate polypharmacy and identify deprescribing targets in 10 patients presenting with an acute exacerbation.
Your checkpoint
Four management algorithms plus a 15-drug renal/hepatic dosing reference card with worked calculations.
Management of Acutely Ill Adult-Gerontology Patients (episodic illness, exacerbation of chronic illness, terminal illness) & Clinical Judgment: Assessment, Diagnosis and Clinical Reasoning
Integrate assessment and management by completing 60 timed mixed-domain vignettes at 90 seconds or less per item.
Analyze recurring error patterns across the 60 items and revise the week-1 reasoning template to close the top three gaps.
Justify in writing the single highest-risk cannot-miss diagnosis for 15 presentations and the one test or maneuver that excludes it.
Construct symptom-management and goals-of-care plans for 8 patients with terminal illness, including opioid titration and family communication points.
Your checkpoint
A 60-item timed block scored at 75 percent or higher, a revised reasoning template, and a one-page error-pattern analysis memo.
Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Care Across the Continuum
Map age-specific screening recommendations for adults 65 and older onto a single reference sheet, noting where guideline bodies disagree.
Construct immunization and preventive-care schedules for 10 patients with differing comorbidities and functional status.
Differentiate normal aging from pathologic change across 25 health-promotion scenarios and state the threshold that triggers workup.
Design transitional-care and self-management teaching plans for 5 chronic conditions, incorporating teach-back and health-literacy level.
Your checkpoint
A screening and immunization reference sheet plus 5 written teaching plans scored against a teach-back checklist.
Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Care Across the Continuum & Professional Role, Ethics, Systems and Collaborative Practice
Compare care-delivery models (primary care, accountable care, home-based, skilled nursing, palliative) and specify the adult-gerontology APRN role in each.
Apply Medicare and Medicaid coverage, documentation, and billing rules to 10 clinical scenarios and identify the correct code and rationale.
Analyze quality metrics such as readmission penalties and HEDIS measures, then propose 3 measurable practice-level improvement actions.
Evaluate social determinants and health-literacy barriers in 8 care-planning cases and adjust the plan accordingly.
Your checkpoint
A practice-level quality improvement brief containing 3 measurable interventions with baseline and target metrics.
Professional Role, Ethics, Systems and Collaborative Practice & Clinical Judgment: Assessment, Diagnosis and Clinical Reasoning
Apply a structured ethical decision framework to 12 cases involving decisional capacity, surrogate decision-making, and resource allocation.
Distinguish scope-of-practice, prescriptive authority, and collaborative-agreement requirements across 3 practice settings and states.
Evaluate team conflict and communication breakdowns using closed-loop communication and shared-mental-model frameworks in 6 scenarios.
Appraise current evidence for 5 proposed practice changes and rate each using a formal level-of-evidence hierarchy.
Your checkpoint
A 12-case ethics portfolio with written justification for each decision plus a scope-of-practice comparison table.
Clinical Judgment: Assessment, Diagnosis and Clinical Reasoning & Management of Acutely Ill Adult-Gerontology Patients (episodic illness, exacerbation of chronic illness, terminal illness) & Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Care Across the Continuum & Professional Role, Ethics, Systems and Collaborative Practice
Complete two full-length 150-item timed practice exams under simulated test-day conditions.
Diagnose the five weakest content areas from score reports and run targeted 20-item drills in each until accuracy exceeds 80 percent.
Rehearse pacing, flag-and-return, and break strategy in a timed dry run and document the timing plan actually used.
Synthesize a one-page pre-exam summary of high-yield discriminators, clinical thresholds, and guideline cutoffs across all four domains.
Your checkpoint
Two full-length timed scores at 80 percent or higher, with a final remediation log showing every identified gap closed.
Milestones
Week 2: Score at least 80 percent on a 40-item Domain 1 vignette set and show every miss tagged to a named reasoning-failure type.
Week 4: Score at least 75 percent on a 60-item timed mixed Domain 1-2 block and submit a revised reasoning template reflecting the top three error patterns.
Week 6: Produce the screening/immunization reference and quality improvement brief, and pass a 30-item self-quiz on Domain 3-4 content at 80 percent or higher.
Week 8: Achieve 80 percent or higher on two consecutive full-length timed exams with no domain scoring below 75 percent.