From NP School to Certification: Board Prep Strategies with Sarah Boes

May 15, 2025

In this episode, I sit down with Sarah Michelle Boes, FNP, a nurse practitioner and board prep expert who’s helped thousands of aspiring NPs pass their exams with confidence. We talk about what it’s really like to go through the certification process, how to choose the right study tools, and what Sarah wishes every NP student knew before sitting for the test.

We cover:

• Sarah’s deeply personal and non-linear journey through nursing school, including nearly being removed from her program
• Her discovery that anxiety was a strength, not a weakness, in her nursing career
• Working in bone marrow transplant and oncology
• Returning to school for a master’s in nursing education
• Choosing to pursue an FNP degree, even though she wasn’t initially sure she wanted to practice as an NP
• Her experience with NP board prep programs and why she created her own (WILDLY successful) business
• A desire to teach and help others succeed academically

My NP blog post: https://www.freshrn.com/how-to-choose-an-np-program/ 

My top NCLEX prep programs: https://www.freshrn.com/best-nclex-reviews/

Article on her entrepreneurial journey: https://theygotacquired.com/content/sarah-michelle-np-reviews-acquired-by-blueprint-prep/ 

Sarah's NP board prep website (with a lot of NP resources): https://www.npreviews.com/  

My free workbook that will help you map out costs, pros/cons of different schools, applications, and more: https://www.freshrn.com/planner/ 

Sign up for my email list: https://www.freshrn.com/email-sign-up

My nursing degrees and programs learning hub: https://www.freshrn.com/nursing-degrees-and-programs/ 

Need to take out loans? Check out my partner, Juno, to join a collective bargaining group and score lower interest rates better than the big-name lenders (the 2025-2026 rates start at 3.47%!). Free to join, and it can save you thousands → https://www.freshrn.com/juno 

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