New York Presbyterian PHARM EXAM!

[janetrette]

i am feeling overwhelming with the studying of the drugs that columbia wanted us to know. i understand knowing the side effects are important. but do they really ask you about drug interaction and the normal amount of dosage for the drug???

any input would be great. thanks in advance! :)

[heyjanety]

has anyone taken the nyp pharm exam recently? nyp has changed the format of the exam 6 months ago. they no longer give a study guide, and the test is called the basic proficiency in medication administration from the NLN. it's 70 questions long and divided into 3 parts. they tell you to buy a 600 page book and study from there.

i'm a new hire and i'm going to start at columbia on may 5th. i used to work for cornell, and took the old pharm exam and it was not a problem b/c the study guide was so helpful. this new exam is totally different.

any words of advice on how to study is definitely appreciated. and if anyone wants to compare answers with the sample NLN questions, please private message me.

i'm stressed!!

[ZuZuTrauma]

Hey guys,

So I took the Basic RN Pharmacology exam for NYP- Cornell today. I passed and this is how i did it:

I bought the NLN review and rationale access code from Amazon.com (though i have issues with the program, it was useful) The product provides you with a practice exam (50 questions). The exam you take will be in this exact format. I also used Prentice Hall's "Pharmacology: reviews and rationales" book that comes with a CD. The CD goes through the systems and provides a total of 50 questions for each chapter. *Understand and know side effects*

Just drill yourselves and you should do fine. The drug calculations were all very straight forward.

If you are also taking the dysrhythmia test to place out of the course, just follow the guidelines mailed to you. The multiple choice questions were straightforward and had some match and other fill in the blank aside from the EKG interpretations(20 questions).

And if you have your CCRN you can place out of the critical care course. (yippie!)

Good Luck!

[kalizyeth]

I have to take this test in about a week. I've been studying the recommended Prentice Hall book, which is like an NCLEX prep book, and I bought the NLN online test access code. The thing is, the online NLN tests are really pretty easy, focusing on very common drugs most of us know well. If the NYP test is similar, then I'm probably just confusing myself by getting bogged down with the 600-page book.

So can anyone tell me, was the New York Presbyterian pharm exam you took (in 2008) similar to the online NLN practice tests in the sense of asking about only the most common drugs? I'd really appreciate anyone's help on this, because I have other tests to study for as well. Thanks.

[ZuZuTrauma]

The online one is only useful in knowing how the test is set up(that's all). Study the book or even better, the CD that comes with it. They ask about some obscure drugs. Know the side effects.

Good Luck!

[kalizyeth]

Thanks so much for your help, but now I'm really nervous. I'm the high-achiever type, but Pharm has always been my worst subject. I'm only getting about 70% in the book's practice questions.

Do you or anyone else recall if the test gives both the generic and trade names together in the questions? Or will I have to know that Xanax is alprazolam, for example? Sorry to be such a pest. I'm really worried.

[ZuZuTrauma]

Yeah I'm one of those too... you'll do just fine. Just keep doing the questions. The test gives you both the generic and trade name. Just make sure you have you calculations down pat because i remember there being quite a few of those.

good luck!

[kalizyeth]

Thanks so much. I really appreciate your help.

[ZuZuTrauma]

Good luck. :)

when do you start orientation?

[kalizyeth]

You mean if I pass this test...?...:oP...I should start on the 7th of July. What unit do you work in?

[pattycake]

hi all,

i was originally licensed in ny, but have not worked in ny since 1981...is the pharmacy exam something that every new employee must take?

also...can an rn with 30 years experience expect to get a job in a nyc hospital because of the increased salary?

i am thinking of re-locating to the nyc area and would like to know what i will be up against...

thanks for all your replies...:redbeathe

[ZuZuTrauma]

hi all,

i was originally licensed in ny, but have not worked in ny since 1981...is the pharmacy exam something that every new employee must take?

also...can an rn with 30 years experience expect to get a job in a nyc hospital because of the increased salary?

i am thinking of re-locating to the nyc area and would like to know what i will be up against...

thanks for all your replies...:redbeathe

hi pattycake,

unfortunately they make everyone take the exam regardless of how many years of experience you have. i don't know you nursing background, but if you want to work in critical care they also make you take a critical care exam. if you want to work in telemetry and/or they make you take a ekg exam, as well.

you are exempt from taking the critcal care exam if you have your ccrn, but not from the ekg test.

as for experience pay, i know that some hospitals put a cap on the amount of years of experience they are willing to pay you for. i think at bellevue hospital its a 10 year cap??? (not sure). it's definitely a good question to ask during an open house but not your interview.

i hope that was helpful...

[ZuZuTrauma]

You mean if I pass this test...?...:oP...I should start on the 7th of July. What unit do you work in?

i'll see you on orientation! i'm working in the BICU, you??