CEN EXAM

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anyone have suggestions or tips for studying and passing the CEN exam??

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Specializes in ER/Peds ER.

I suggest that you get a copy of ENA's Emergency Nursing Core Curriculum. TNCC/ENPC provider courses are also of good help, together with your ACLS/PALS knowledge. There's also a practice test online courtesy of ENA, check out the website- ena.org. You may want to invest on their membership so you can avail discounts on almost everything- books, exam, courses, etc. There are exam reviews also conducted by local ENA chapters. Remember, in answering the test items, whatever you do or your ER's protocols be, may not be the ideal or nationally accepted. Always stick to what the core curriculum says.

I also suggest that you apply now, so you'll have a motivation to study. Read a system for a day or 2, answer at least 25-50 questions a day.

Certification differentials depend on your job contract- some institutions give $1000/yr, others between $1200-1500/yr, I'm talking about in 5 boroughs of New York.

Good luck.

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Specializes in icu/er ccrn.

studying for the test myself, a pal of mine from another er recomended laura vonfrolio cd's/book for reviewing. I think I'll give it a try.

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i found a good review book at the ena.org website the cen review manual. its very good with lots of review questions rather than information and studying

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Specializes in Trauma/ED.

There are a ton of posts on this very subject...try out the search feature and follow the above suggestions...

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Specializes in Critical Care, Emergency, Education, Informatics.

My first recommendation is Don't cram. Actually study and this takes time. Your understanding of the care material and the foudations of emergency nursing will be stronger and besides making you a better nurse, it releives a lot of the test anxiety. When you cram, you'll only remember the things that either interested you or otherwise tickled your fancy.

Use the test books as assessment tools, to identify area's were you need to study more, and to guide you into area's you might not have studied much before.

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Specializes in ER, Trauma, ICU/CCU/NICU, EMS, Transport.

The white CEN Review manual that you are talking about but all it is is 5 practice exams. kinda hard for people to "study" from a book full of questions....

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Specializes in ER, Trauma, ICU/CCU/NICU, EMS, Transport.
i found a good review book at the ena.org website the cen review manual. its very good with lots of review questions rather than information and studying

As I posted earlier....the ENA white book "CEN review manual" is not so much a study book but more of a test-yourself book. It's just a big book with 5 sample/practice exams. Not a lot of people are able to study from taht kind of book....

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Specializes in ER, Trauma, ICU/CCU/NICU, EMS, Transport.
studying for the test myself, a pal of mine from another er recomended laura vonfrolio cd's/book for reviewing. I think I'll give it a try.

I do not recommend Gasparis (Vonfrolio). Her material is outdated and several years old. The CEN exam was updated in 2007 -her most recent book is way before that......

I have read and reviewed the main/most common review books and I own them all.

My personal recommendation is to find 1 book to read/review from and 1 book with some sample exams.

I also recommend that you look at the author and their credentials.

Many authors have the credentials but they aren't full-time practicing clinicians.

Many are educators or former full time patient care giving RNs.

I would recommend somebody who is still at the bedside providing direct patient care.

I also would recommend someone who has always renewed their CEN credential by taking the exam!

Most people get CEN credentialed and then just renew it with doing continuing education.

Very few people renew their CEN by taking the exam every 3-4 years.

Know your author!

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Specializes in ER, Trauma, ICU/CCU/NICU, EMS, Transport.

If you look up several of the "big"/popular CEN review books at Amazon - you will see that I've written reviews of all of them. If I don't own it, I won't review it. I own 10 different CEN review/prep products and have made commentary on all of them - I try to be unbiased.

Here is a direct weblink to my page of reviews on Amazon.com http://tinyurl.com/amazoncenreviews

You can also go to my website (http://w w w.BEMETweb.com) on there I have other information about CEN review products.

-MB

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Specializes in Trauma/ED.

I think I've said it before in other posts but in my opinion the number one thing that helps the most is EXPERIENCE...most of the questions I could answer not because of some book I studied but because I have taken care of a patient with that ailment or situation.

Also if you don't take care of a certain type of patient (ie peds if you have a separate peds ED) then you should spend more time studying those items.

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