CPNE Mistakes - I would love to learn from yours

For my Lab simulation station, I drew up the wrong amout of insulin. The 50 unit insulin syringes had the tiny increments marked on the syringe so it was hard to see--for me. I drew up the insulin and didn't double check the dosage I drew up before handing the syringe to the examiner. So always double even triple check your dosages before giving them to the examine to check. It's nerve-racking having to repeat a lab, I didn't want to fail the CPNE due to labs!

I didn't ID my patient properly in what should have been my last PCS -- d'oh! Didn't make that mistake again. I asked the patient's name, but failed to compare her armband with the kardex and ID her by two identifiers, because I lost focus when the patient started in to a litany of complaints. Whoops! Oh well. It's the little things that get most people.

I got too confident during my skills lab and failed the 1st one because I forgot to look at my mnumonic I had written down. Had I done that I would have had a pass...oh and I forgot to let the tubing go when I was counting my drip rate and then when te CE came over to count I was over by 6 drops...yep, one drop too many.....I nearly wet myself! But, I pulled it together on saturday and passed with no PCS repeats on sunday.

Prior to the lab stations you are given 15 minutes to look at equipment. Touch, open and make sure you are familiar with the syringes, abdominal pad, injection sites and etc. I failed the wound station because they had a different 5x9 abd pad then the one I practiced at home!

I passed no retakes however, I KNOW I really bugged one of the CEs by washing and geling my hands WAY too much....She really was bothered by it.
I became Fanatical about studying, and then once you are done and PASSED, its a total body and mind melt down.
gail

On my first PCS I was psyched, I was ready, I did everything right. Finished my documenting (I thought), turned it all in to the CE, she read the statement, I said yes, I'm finished . . . turned to walk back to the waiting area while the CE reviewed my stuff and immediately realized . . . I completely forgot to document my outcome assessment (the part of your care plan where you document whether your outcomes were met). I didn't even look at that page. Of course I turned around and asked if I could have it back just a second -- I had time left. But the statement had been read by the CE, and I had confirmed 'yes, I'm done, it's complete' and there was no turning back. So I failed my first PCS. Other than that one glaring omission, my CE said I had done everything right. Needless to say, that didn't happen again.

I failed a PCS for not documenting on the PCS Recording Form "Skin Turgor". The CE saw and heard me check it on the pt, I checked skin and mucous membranes, had documented same in the Nurses Notes, but not on the form. FAILED that one.

I failed the IVP lab because I took too long getting the bubbles out of the syringes - and went over by one minute! The instructor told me I could just draw up the whole syringe full of fluid and then expel the extra into the trashcan (I knew this, I just forgot due to nerves) - I did just that the second time and I passed!

I had an almost fail. you have your papers with you and I had approx. 42 pockets on my scrubs, but when I went into my first patients room, I set it down on the patients bed, as soon as it touched the blanket, I snatched it up, to look up to see the CE had turned for a second, to grab the patient his remote for the TV. Yikes - that was close