WHNP-BC study plan
WHNP-BC · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Assessment, diagnosis, and clinical decision-making in women's health
Map the Domain 1 blueprint into a one-page outline covering history-taking, differential diagnosis, and diagnostic test selection
Construct a differential-diagnosis grid for five high-yield presenting symptoms: pelvic pain, abnormal uterine bleeding, vaginal discharge, breast mass, and dysuria
Define the diagnostic criteria you will apply to the top 20 diagnoses, citing the professional body that sets each standard in your notes
Complete a 60-question baseline case set on assessment and diagnosis, writing a one-line rationale for every incorrect option
Your checkpoint
Completed five-symptom differential grid plus a scored 60-question baseline set with an error log categorized as knowledge gap, misread stem, or unknown guideline.
Assessment, diagnosis, and clinical decision-making in women's health & Gynecologic disorders and conditions
Apply stepwise diagnostic reasoning to 40 gynecologic cases involving abnormal uterine bleeding, fibroids, endometriosis, and ovarian cysts
Compare imaging and laboratory options (transvaginal ultrasound, saline infusion sonography, endometrial sampling, hCG, CBC) by indication, sequence, and yield
Distinguish red-flag presentations requiring urgent referral from those safely managed in the office setting
Draft a personal 'next best step' decision checklist for ambiguous case stems
Your checkpoint
Ten-case 'next best step' log recording the chosen action, the rejected alternative, and the rationale for each.
Gynecologic disorders and conditions
Build a comparison table of ten benign gynecologic conditions covering presentation, first-line management, and referral triggers
Work through 60 questions on PCOS, endometriosis, fibroids, pelvic organ prolapse, urinary incontinence, vulvovaginal disorders, and gynecologic cancers
Explain the evaluation pathway for cervical, endometrial, and ovarian concerns, including when to biopsy versus observe
Rehearse two patient-counseling scripts for chronic conditions such as PCOS and endometriosis
Your checkpoint
Completed ten-condition comparison table plus a 60-question set scored at 80% or higher with the error log updated.
Health promotion, disease prevention, and well-woman primary care & Reproductive health, contraception, and sexually transmitted infections
Outline the components of the well-woman visit across adolescent, reproductive-age, and perimenopausal life stages
Apply current screening intervals and risk-based adjustments for cervical, breast, and colorectal cancer and for STI screening
Construct a one-page screening-interval reference card you can reproduce from memory
Classify at least eight contraceptive methods by typical-use effectiveness, US MEC contraindication category, and noncontraceptive benefits
Your checkpoint
Screening-interval reference card reproduced from memory at 90% accuracy against source notes, plus an eight-method contraceptive comparison chart.
Reproductive health, contraception, and sexually transmitted infections & Pregnancy, antepartum, and postpartum care
Differentiate STI syndromes by presentation and select guideline-concordant testing and treatment for each
Match contraceptive methods to patient scenarios with comorbidities using US MEC categories
Outline emergency contraception options, timing windows, and counseling points
Map the antenatal visit schedule and standard first-trimester laboratory and screening panels
Your checkpoint
Twelve written patient scenarios, each pairing a contraceptive or STI decision with a cited justification reviewed against current guidelines.
Pregnancy, antepartum, and postpartum care & Menopause and perimenopausal health
Sequence routine antepartum assessments by trimester and identify complaints that warrant same-day evaluation
Summarize management priorities for common antepartum complications such as gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders, and preterm labor risk
Describe the postpartum care timeline including hemorrhage, infection, mood disorders, and lactation concerns
Characterize perimenopausal symptom presentation and the decision points for initiating, adjusting, or stopping hormone therapy
Your checkpoint
Trimester-by-trimester antepartum checklist plus a 15-item postpartum red-flag quiz scored at 80% or higher.
Common medical and behavioral conditions affecting women & Menopause and perimenopausal health
Review clinical management of thyroid disease, diabetes, hypertension, anemia, migraine, and mood or anxiety disorders in women
Identify how pregnancy and the menopausal transition modify the management of each of those conditions
Complete a focused review of perimenopausal bleeding evaluation and osteoporosis screening indications
Work through 50 mixed questions spanning Domains 6 and 7 and classify every miss by root cause
Your checkpoint
A condition-modifier matrix showing how pregnancy and menopause change management for six medical conditions, plus a reconciled error log.
Professional practice, ethics, patient education, and care coordination & Assessment, diagnosis, and clinical decision-making in women's health
Apply scope-of-practice, informed consent, confidentiality including minor consent, and mandatory reporting principles to ten professional-practice scenarios
Practice patient-education technique, including teach-back, plain language, and motivational interviewing, across three cases
Write referral and handoff communications for three care-coordination scenarios
Complete two timed 75-question mixed exams and reconcile every missed item to a blueprint domain
Your checkpoint
Two timed 75-question practice exams scored at 80% or higher with full error-log reconciliation and a one-page weak-spot action list for the final week before the exam.
Milestones
Week 2: Differential-diagnosis grid and ten-case next-best-step log are complete, and Domain 1 practice accuracy has risen at least 10 percentage points over the Week 1 baseline.
Week 4: Score 75% or higher on a 75-question mixed set drawn from Domains 1, 2, and 3, with fewer than 25% of misses attributed to knowledge gaps rather than misread stems.
Week 6: Reproduce the well-woman screening card and the antenatal visit schedule from memory at 90% accuracy, and score 80% or higher on a combined Domain 4 and 5 set.
Week 8: Both timed 75-question mixed exams are complete at 80% or higher, every missed item is tagged to a domain, and the weak-spot action list names the two domains needing final review.