How long did you study for the CPNE?

Nursing Students Excelsior

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Hours per day, Days per week, and How many months?

Please ?

I studied for about 3 months, practiced every day in my at home lab, went to Sheri Taylor's seminar in Atlanta, passed the first time, no repeats.

1 Votes
Specializes in geriatrics, hospice, private duty.

Studied for a little over 3 months for 15-20 hrs/week. Had a sim lab in my living room, did Sheri Taylor online, submitted all 3 PCSs to the school...you name it, I probably did it. Didn't pass my first time. Second time I am doing a three week intensive review including the Ec NCP conference (though I didn't fail on care planning).

It blows my mind that people can pass after only a few weeks of prep. That's amazing!

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tnmarie said:

It blows my mind that people can pass after only a few weeks of prep. That's amazing!

I know right! Hopefully I'm one of those people ?

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Specializes in Psych-LTC-Home Health.

Nat - you need to empty your message folder!!

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BrillyD said:
Nat - you need to empty your message folder!!

Just did! Thanks!

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Specializes in LTC, Rehab.

Please don't think you can grasp the CPNE in a month or less ... bad idea & a waste of your money. In my opinon you should take about 3 months to study ... take the online conferences offered by EC in documention & careplanning, they are VERY helpful !! And give yourself the time to go over all that is involved with the CPNE. Writing a "grid" is great but you have to be able to pull that information out of memory (you won't have the time to keep looking at your "grid" ... 2 1/2 hrs seems like A lot of time, I know ... but it goes by sooo fast). My advice is to give yourself time to truly embrace all that will be expected in your CPNE, set up lab stations, practice on friends/family/or a blow up doll :-). Don't think this is "easy" because it MOST certainly is NOT ... it is harder than it ever was, so past testers giving advice may not know how HARD it is, now ... they could a"risk for dx" in planning, not Anymore !! PLEASE take an EC documentation & NCP online conference !!! Wishing everyone lots of luck & hoping we all see our dreams come true !!!

2 Votes
Specializes in geriatrics, hospice, private duty.

I am taking the EC NCP conference now and even though I took Sheri Taylor, I would recommend it as well as Sheri Taylor. I have learned a ton, even though I passed my care plans at the CPNE. Sheri definitely missed some key points when reviewing care plans AND you can see everyone's graded care plans with the EC course (immensely helpful, imo).

I also agree that studying for less than three months sounds crazy. However, I also get blasted because I was able to complete my ECEs so fast. Some people learn faster than others and we shouldn't blast those who learn faster than us. That said, the number of people who can pass the CPNE with less than a month prep are probably very few and very experienced in acute care (or have a former CE training them ;-). It's a lot of money to lose if you are wrong.

1 Votes
Specializes in psy.

Put it this way study, study, study, practice, practice and practice until you know it word for word and technique per technique. Set up a lab in your home take a practice clinical and give yourself plenty time. Practice any way to alliviate stress that could harm you. Took mine 12 years ago in GA passed on the first try. Good luck

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Specializes in Med/Surg, LTACH, LTC, Home Health.

I had a former CE to train me based on the then-current CPNE study guide. She insists that the study guide is brought to the sessions. However, I found that my comfort zone IS at the patient's bedside in a hospital setting. Being a nurse for more than 20 years prior to the CPNE made me very comfortable with people looking over my shoulders and watching EVERYTHING that I do. I also had much experience explaining procedures to patients so that is how I communicated with the CE indirectly.....not just doing but explaining what I was doing as I was doing it. I was right at home with the CPNE....just another day at work...without getting paid, of course. But even still, the CPNE weekend had to be done precisely the EC way. Acute care experience only helped with the area of a person's comfort zone. The PCS/CPNE was no place to show how skilled a nurse I felt I already was. It was to show that I could follow simple directions based on their study guide and the EC assigned areas of care. As far as the care plans, before Excelsior College, I had never written a care plan in my entire career. If it is harder now, that's because EC made it that way.....just as I may have believed that it was harder at the time I took it as opposed to those who went in before me. It is all about reading the current study guide, following THEIR instructions, and keeping those nerves in check. Who knows.....the students next year will probably be thinking that you guys have it easier than they have it, especially if EC revises the study guide like they always do.

For me, if I focus on something too long, I begin to get the information twisted in my head. That's why when I KNOW that I know the information, I go ahead and test. I don't hold it there until I wake up in a panic because I felt I completely drew a blank. The CPNE is NOT bad if you can follow simple directions. And all of us can do that if we don't let nerves get the best of us. We learn to remain calm in nursing....our patients are depending on it. So learn to remain calm at the CPNE....your CAREER is depending on it. If you can do it for strangers (patients), do it for yourself.

1 Votes

6 weeks. I studied most days of the week. On average I probably spent 2-3 hours studying per day that I studied. I didn't start practicing the labs until I was 2 weeks out since that is the easy part. I spent the majority of my study time memorizing the AOC's.

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On 3/29/2013 at 5:29 PM, BSNbeDONE said:

Yes I did!!!!!!!! My trainer was once a CPNE evaluator until she retired. :yes:!

Where can I find a trainer?

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I have my exam scheduled 8 weeks from now. I just started studying with atl online workshop and signed up for the 1 day workshop at roughly the 4 week mark. Any pointers to pass the first time around?

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