Question for those ED nurses that were or still are paramedics

I'll send you a PM -- I know you might not be able to reply yet! I also working a freestanding ED -- good times!

Maybe it's also because I had a paramedic instructor who was passionate about A&P and pathophysiology -- we learned so much from her, probably more than is required for EMS.

But definitely, hands-on experience is so helpful ... with the CEN, I think we essentially validate what it is we do every day/shift, so having some experience will definitely equate to the exam material being second-nature, not so much review.

mboswell- that was a pretty wordy response, and after all that you have to admit that most any extra healthcare experience is a good thing when taking ANY certification test. Whether you pass or not- that's another thing.

Methinks you could write a very comprehensive and lengthy paper on the subject though.

If you go to the ENA's CEN page -- http://admin.ena.org/bcen/cen/ -- click on "CEN Content List," then on the resulting page, "Current CEN Content Outline." That will give you a breakdown of how much of each subject are is on the exam. Also, from that first page, there is a link to "Study Options." On that resulting page, there is a link to a sample ENA exam. I took the 150-question sample exam two days before my real exam, and got nearly the same score on the real thing as I did on the practice (135 correct out of 150 questions on the practice, 137 correct out of 150 questions on the actual exam). I felt like the practice exam was very similar in flavor to the real thing. Yeah, it's $75, but it sure as heck built my confidence!

I think it really depends on your background overall.

I did EC --- grad in 02/03, took PT ER job, passed NCLEX 04/03 and passed CEN 09/03 without any problems. Very minimal review - did look over outline and then just tested.

I had been a medic since 1994 and worked PT, taught in a medic program and do read a lot - so, I think it is an impossible question for anyone to answer except for you.

Do you test well? Read a lot? Did you do well (or struggle) with the RN? What kind of unique experiences do you have in healthcare that gives you "experience up" or a broader knowledge base that the "new" RN?

Only you know for sure.

Good Luck.