Nurse evaluation testing PCMH (PBDS)

altomga, ADN, BSN, MSN, DNP, RN, APRN · Jun 6, 2004

Hey there Pete and welcome to PCMH!!! :biggringi (I've been there for 6 yrs.. :clown: Pre-employment testing? UMM.....they do an occupational health screen (TB, check vaccinations, titers, possible drug screen, etc...)...

For nursing they also have you do a PBDS test....basically it is a test of your knowledge and how you would respond or answer certain "patient scenarios"...It is to see where your clinical skills and critical thinking level is to help determine where your weaknesses and strengths are. It will also help determine the length of your orientation is.

The scenarios are like.......pt lying in bed, you see blood hanging and IVF's, pt c/o of chills, etc..QUESTION: What is happening here?...well duh..blood reaction.....another one is the pt c/o of SOB, sweating, pain in chest...PE OR MI??? so on and so on... :)

Any hoo....feel free to IM me if you have more questions! Will be happy to answer any and all

BTW what unit will you be working on???

Hope to see you around!!!

fredcate · Jan 28, 2005

Hi all
Im starting work at PCMH in about a week.
I was told about some type of pre- employment testing.
Can anyone tell my what it entails? Im from CT and we have nothing of this nature. Thanks Pete

HI Pete!

I have worked for PCMH in the past and may be going back up there in the near future to work.Aside from the other "normal" pre-employment routines they require that you take the PBDS test which I have taken there and here in FL.If you need more specific info regarding this test you can go to the "Delphi Forum" website and in the travel nurse section there have been many posts regarding this specific test.It is a pain to take as they require the nurse to actually diagnose what's wrong with the pt. and you have to be very specific about exactly how you would handle the situation;what you would expect the doc to order and why.All within ,I think, a 7 minute period for each vignette you view. Very stressful ! Some of the posts in the delphi forum have listed the specific situations and I intend to review them before I go anywhere else(which will probably be very soon).If you have any more questions please let me know.OK?! Good luck!

balloonist · Feb 19, 2005

Hi! I'm taking PBDS in 2 days. Am looking for information on the IPR portions of test... "Startling Statements" and "win-win scenarios. My nursing area of the test will be on the advise nursing not med-surg. Thank you for any help you can give me asap.

Hey there Pete and welcome to PCMH!!! :biggringi (I've been there for 6 yrs.. Pre-employment testing? UMM.....they do an occupational health screen (TB, check vaccinations, titers, possible drug screen, etc...)...
For nursing they also have you do a PBDS test....basically it is a test of your knowledge and how you would respond or answer certain "patient scenarios"...It is to see where your clinical skills and critical thinking level is to help determine where your weaknesses and strengths are. It will also help determine the length of your orientation is.
The scenarios are like.......pt lying in bed, you see blood hanging and IVF's, pt c/o of chills, etc..QUESTION: What is happening here?...well duh..blood reaction.....another one is the pt c/o of SOB, sweating, pain in chest...PE OR MI??? so on and so on... :)
Any hoo....feel free to IM me if you have more questions! Will be happy to answer any and all
BTW what unit will you be working on???
Hope to see you around!!!

WitchWay · Nov 22, 2005

You might want to add some links to message... I went to the website and found nothing but recuriters trying to recruit

WitchWay · Nov 23, 2005

first, as for your choice in pcmh - document document document - it saved me. all i can say is good luck and keep a journal of everything and i mean everything. don't just read your emails, print them, and file them -espeically from management - i can honestly say that is one thing i regret not doing.

as for the pbds - the individual that is presenting it, is not so greetable:o , espeically to new graduates. don't let her scare or intimidate you - she lives to make others feel beneath her. i can remember new grads crying in the hallways. she clearly stated that "if you don't pass you will be terminated." i took the test 3 days after taking the boards... it was a very horrible expereince.

here is some stuff i found on pbds via website designed to help traveling nurses ( http://www.clinicalone.com/c1/careercenter_clienttesting.asp) prepare for a not so fair testing process:banghead: ...

video vignettes (these videos are short and you are only given 5 minutes or shorter to complete a detailed list of the correct medical diagnosis, interventions with rationales - and don't assume anything remember abcs - o2, iv, monitor (the simple stuff we assume) - and finally what you are going to teach the patient/family member

cva
renal failure
icp
acute mi
pe (pulmonary embolism)
pneumothorax
digoxin toxicity
ilieus
thrombocytopenia
bladder retention/pylonephritis
dka
pain control

must, should, could scenarios: you will be given a scenarios (some will be one sentence others a paragraph) and you will need to label them. here are some examples of "what would you do":

for more information, please go to the link provided. this is an excellent resource on pbds.

hope this helps, if i find more i'll post it.:typing

Aneroo, LPN · Nov 24, 2005

PBDS is not that scary. It sounds horrible, it isn't.

I do agree, travel nurses did not know they would be taking the test. Since they were experienced, it was said (basically), "Pass or lose the job". I think had they known they would be faced with the test, it would have been different.

I am a new grad, and I passed. Granted, I didn't "exceed expectations", but I passed. Several of my co-workers have had to retake it, and it's ok- most new grads do.

The difficult part I found, esp as a new grad, was what to expect the doctor to order. Figuring out the disease process was not as hard as it sounds.

mikml2 · May 23, 2007

I will be taking the pbds test in a week. Thanks for the tips, I'll take as many more as I can get!

grandma3 · Jun 25, 2007

I will be taking this test tomorrow morning at PCMH. Will let everyone know how it turns out. :uhoh3:

VickyRN, MSN, DNP, RN · Jul 2, 2007

del bueno's method of assessing "critical thinking" in nurses has never been satisfactorily shown to be valid and reliable. the pbds website makes frequent mention of "research," but fails to offer documentation for critical appraisal of this method.

these few “research” references are:

whelan, l. (2006). competency assessment of nursing staff. orthopaedic nursing, 25(3), 198-202.

del bueno, d. (2001). buyer beware: the cost of competence. nursing economic$, 19(6), 250-257.

del bueno, d. (2005). a crisis in critical thinking. nursing education perspectives, 26(5), 278-282.

the need to critically appraise a nurse’s critical thinking ability and competency (as discussed in these articles) is indisputable. however, i know of no research that backs up del bueno’s method as an accurate appraisal of the above.

there are many nurses with years of experience and otherwise stellar work records who score poorly on this test. until adequate documentation is provided, there will always be controversy and a big question mark surrounding pbds. also, the use of the "medical model" and making "medical diagnoses" is troubling.

http://www.pmsi-pbds.com/

del bueno defined four components for interpersonal skills: conflict resolution, customer relations, team building, and issue versus content. you will be asked to write your responses to such problems such as: (1) a patient says to you, “i don’t want that nurse to take care of me” (customer relations); and (2) the physician tells you, “add 40meq of potassium chloride to present iv bag” (conflict resolution).

tong, v., & henry, d. (2005). performance-based development system for nursing students. journal of nursing education, 44 (2), 95-96.

http://www.journalofnursingeducation.com/showabst.asp?thing=9820