RD-AP Exam Guide: Eligibility, Salary & How to Prepare

Why the AP Exam is Worth Saving

The AP credential deserves way more hype than it gets. Here’s why:

1. It provides a tangible signal of advanced scope of practice, for clinical dietitians who are approaching the ceiling of their career.

The RD-AP is one of the only credentials that recognizes advanced clinical judgment and experience earned over years of practice, rather than a single area of specialization. If you’ve hit the point in your career where you’re doing more than just bedside nutrition assessments, but don’t have a graduate degree to show for it, this is your proof.

2. It signals expertise to other members of the care team.

Nursing, pharmacy, and other allied health fields have tiers of advanced practice credentialing (for example, advanced practice registered nurses). Continuing to offer this credential supports parity with other health professionals, and greater recognition of dietitians’ value on the care team.

3. It helps female dietitians get promoted.

Women are held to a higher standard than men in selection processes. Men are often promoted based on potential, while women are promoted based on performance*. Since our profession is overwhelmingly female, a credential that allows female dietitians showcase their skills, without boxing them in to one of the more niche credentials CDR offers, is important.

“Since getting my AP in 2023, I’ve been able to move into a Clinical Nutrition Educator role. In this leadership position I work closely with bedside RDs and upper management. The AP helps establish expertise and is recognized by others. I feel it has helped me greatly in my position.” — Tara Johnson, MS, RD-AP, CNSC

4. It gives existing dietitians formal recognition of their advanced experience in the industry.

The AP credential recognizes that a dietitian has the experience and ability to conduct research, education, and clinical programs or interventions independently. Without it, many experienced dietitians may actually be perceived as less experienced than an entry-level dietitian, simply because they don’t hold a graduate degree. 

5. It provides a way for clinical dietitians with a broad scope to obtain bonuses, career advancement, and “exceeds expectations” on annual appraisals.

“I have been a dietitian for 13 years and decided to take the RD-AP exam because my company gives incentives for specialty certifications. This credential helps to create an unofficial career ladder at facilities like mine that don’t have one.” — Sarah Guilbert, RD-AP, CNSC

Not every employer will hand you a raise for passing, but plenty will, and even when they don’t, the credential still gives you leverage at review time.

Why Don’t More Dietitians Take the Exam? 

– It’s not required for most jobs
– Many employers won’t offer a pay bump for passing the exam
– Many employers won’t reimburse for the exam fee, or study materials
– There is no official study guide
– Fear of failing

𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 9-14 𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐏 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. I want to change that! I’ve already had three students pass the CNSC exam with my study guide, then go on to pass the AP exam within a few weeks. This is an excellent strategy, for a few reasons:

• There is significant crossover between the content of the CNSC and AP exams
• As long as you’re studying for your 5 or 10-year CNSC recertification, what’s one more exam? The AP exam is also shorter than the CNSC, and you get instant pass/rail results.
• Both expire every 5 years, so you can keep renewing them together
• Many employers will reimburse annually for continuing education materials, so if you purchase exam prep materials in the summer or fall, and test the following spring, you can double-dip and use two years’ worth of reimbursements. 

What Kind of Content is on the AP Exam?

There is some crossover between the AP exam and the CNSC exam. Much of the clinical content could show up on either exam. For example:

• Nutrition Care Process
• Basics of nutrition support (which patients meet criteria for EN and PN, macronutrient composition of a nutrition support order)
• Micronutrients (assessment of micronutrient status, signs and symptoms of deficiency)
• Malnutrition (Nutrition-Focused Physical Exam, protein-calorie malnutrition criteria, malnutrition screening tools)
• Diets (special diet orders for medical conditions)
• Ethics (goals of care, principles of Western ethics)
• Research methods (types of research studies, quality of research, how to incorporate evidence-based principles into practice)

The AP exam also has content that is unique to this exam, and isn’t CNSC-specific. For example:

• Interdisciplinary interventions 
• Education and advocacy
• Multidisciplinary consults
• Transitions of care
• Systems of Care Design and Management
• Technologies and Equipment
• Evidence-Based Research and Design
•  Accessibility of Resources (e.g., Supply Chain, Alternatives)
• Strategic Planning and Cost-Benefit Analysis Considerations

You can view an outline of the AP exam’s content here.

Much of this is difficult to study for. Whereas the CNSC exam has lots of content (such as numbers, reference ranges, equations) that you can commit to memory, the AP exam is all about application, and tests clinicians on a wide range of clinical scenarios. The AP exam is scenario-based (lots of case study-style questions). 

Do you Have an AP Exam Study Guide?

CDR does have a Reference List, which you can view here. But, it will take you ages to read all of these resources. I reviewed some of these, but didn’t find them altogether necessary.

I just released my FREE AP Exam Resource Kit, which you can grab by clicking the image below. This is designed as an online “course”, sort of like a buffet where you can take what you need from each module. It covers all 40 Task Statements on the exam content outline. 

This collection of hundreds of resources will help you on your way to passing the Advanced Practitioner in Clinical Nutrition exam. 

What you’ll get:

• Open access journal articles
• Lists of resources other AP dietitians have used to pass the exam
• A comprehensive plan with all 40 tasks in the exam content outline, so you can brush up on whatever content you need most
• Test taking strategy from an exam prep expert
• Save hundreds of hours slogging through dense textbooks, and trying to resource your own materials!
• A community (similar to Slack) where you can post questions and get answers from other AP exam candidates

Click the image below to grab this free resource kit!