CCRN exam and Laura Gasparis lecture

Published

Hi!

I am a MICU nurse looking to take the CCRN exam within the next 3 to 5 weeks. So far to study, I have taken 2 practice tests scoring 111/150 on the first and 119/120 on the second. I have been doing many practice questions from the online pass CCRN bank. I also bought an online review from the aacn which contains videos that review each system that I plan to watch. I'm feeling pretty confident that I will be able to pass the exam after a few more weeks of hard studying.

There is a Laura gasparis CCRN cram in about a month that is about four hours away from where I live. It costs about $150 to attend and I would stay with family that lives close by for free. So basically I'm asking if attending the Laura gasparis lecture helped to solidify your knowledge and helped you to confidently pass the exam. Or if you felt that it wasn't entirely necessary. I'm trying to decide if it's worth going! Excepting any advice or input! Thank you!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ED, Critical care, & Education.

ANY course put on by Laura Gasparis Vonfrolio is worth the time and financial investment. Laura is one of the nursing greats! You will learn a ton and have a fun time while doing it. I highly recommend her courses. GO FOR IT and good luck on your exam.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Adult Critical Care, Cardiothoracic Surgery.

I am attending one of Laura's lectures next month in Ohio. I watched one of her videos about five years ago when I initially became interested in the certification (five years later, I'm finally doing it). The video was awesome! I am very excited to see her next month. I say do it!

And good luck on the exam :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Quality, Cardiac Stepdown, MICU.

I'm originally from the NYC area and I still find her accent super annoying.

The videos I've seen of her contain so many side conversations -- like about her family, and how to start a business -- that I find them distracting.

But they are indeed memorable -- especially the lecture on ABG interpretation "Who's your baby's daddy?"

She is irreverent and funny -- it all depends on how you learn.

In my experience, I and my colleagues who used the online bank from Pass CCRN did fine. The questions very closely mirror the test, and the rationales are great.

Laura will give you some pearls that you may remember elsewhere in your nursing career. If that's worth the time and cost of the lecture, go for it. But you can definitely pass without her. (Look up some of her videos on YouTube for a preview.)

Good luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Wow! Laura Gasparis is still doing these things? 15 years ago I swore by her seminars! I'd say go for it unless the old gal has gone senile! Luv ya Laura!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I watched Laura in person a few years ago. But I used her DVDs in February to study for the CCRN. Using her DVDs, and the PASS CCRN bank (not the book) I can tell you that you do not need to see her in person. While I totally recommend it, because you will learn a lot, feel great about nursing and laugh your butt off, if your primary goal is to get the CCRN done then just use the PASS CCRN bank. Focus on Cardiac, pulm and neuro and do every single question available on these three from the bank. If you're scoring 111/150, though, you're probably more than ready. My scores on PASS CCRN was significantly lower than what I scored on the real thing. Good luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion