Cornell Presbyterian Pharmacology Exam

giddygiddygirl · Mar 22, 2009

Hello to the person that private messaged me about the exam today. I am unable to reply to/send private messages, but if you want to ask questions here, I can try to answer them. I don't seem to have a very accurate memory about the actual test content though, but I'll try...

theatredork · Apr 16, 2009

I just took the NLN basic adult pharmacology exam yesterday, and ended up with a 73% on it.

I even asked the recruiter if I should get a book to prepare for the exam, but I was just told to utilize the study guide. It seemed relatively straightforward.

It was harder than I thought it would be. Any advice from those that have had t take the exam a second time? I keep hearing it's 'similar' to the first test.

giddygiddygirl · Apr 20, 2009

Ugh!! I'm sorry you were so close to an 80%!! When you finished the exam, did they give you a breakdown of the test, which kinds of questions you got right/wrong? I'm thinking they did, I think that's what they do for everyone whether you pass or not. Hopefully that will help you focus on studying for the second one...! Good luck!!!!

singas0ng · May 25, 2009

Hi everyone, I'm kind of in the same predicament. I was hired on Thursday and given until this Wednesday to study for the pharmacology book. I got the book yesterday but it is a lot of material. If anyone can give me any sort of guidance, I definitely would appreciate it! They are rushing me so that I can start in a week and a half and I definitely feel the pressure.

How specific should I go when I study? Was there a topic they tend to be heavy on? ANY ADVICE!

singas0ng · Jun 3, 2009

Just to throw in my 2 cents! I took it and passed :]

With a limited amount of time, the best form of studying was to buy Mosby's Pharmacology flip book that utilizes pictures and mnemonics in order to help you cover the basic medications. It does a pretty good job of covering the bases and honestly if you are able to remember the category of drugs and knowing how to recognize the meds in the category will help you differentiate between the meds. It's important to know the side effects of the drug and exactly what they're used for. And get your calculations down pat! Because it would really suck to lose points on something that you definitely could get 100 in. Another thing I didn't know is that it's 70 questions, but only 60 counted and so overall, it made me feel better cause it felt like I had a better chance.

The nurse recruiter did tell me that new grads tend to do better on this exam because they have a general knowledge of medications and studying for the NCLEX gives you a fresh memory for not just the medications, but the overall body system which allows you to make good educated guesses.

And just take loads of practice questions but don't go crazy. Its not as easy as you would want it to be, but it's still manageable with even just one week of hard studying! If anybody has any questions, just PM me please.

Lilia7 · Jun 10, 2009

Hey Singas0ng!

Congrats on the job and passing the pharm exam! I am very interested in working at NYP but as a new grad I am nervous of whether they will give me an opportunity. How long did it take before you got hired? did u apply to any position or to a position in an area u actually liked? did u do an externship? any advice on what I can do to get an interview? sorry for all the questions just eager to work there! thanx!!! and best of luck =)

singas0ng · Jun 11, 2009

Lilia!

Thank you. NYP is definitely hiring and persistence is key. I applied ten times over the course of 4 months and got rejected 9 times before they finally contacted me for a possible interview. I requested medical-surgical but said I would prefer oncology if possible and I was told that several units were hiring for oncology.

I did not do an externship but did have patient care associate experience from one summer which they did like. They do require a GPA greater than 3.0 and if you have any volunteer experience, add that as HR seemed to really like it. They also allow you to use volunteer experience under work history when filling out the apps. My tip for you is to apply early while you're still in school to get a head start. If you wait until you graduate, spots are already filled. I also advise you to drop by their employment services to look through their binder full of job listings. It offers much more information on positions that are willing to hire new grads than online positions did although you should still apply online. Call them and keep bothering them!

Other than that! Make sure your resume is perfect :] and be persistent! You can pm me if you have any other questions. Hope this helps!

Lilia7 · Jun 11, 2009

Thanx for replying! I can't pm, it wont let me. However I just received an email from them saying that they are not interviewing new grads right now =(. and when I spoke with HR they said i could only apply to two positions the most. If its up to me I would apply all day long. should I still apply even though they told me they arent interviewing? Also I never got the opportunity to do an externship or volunteer which really is a down size but my GPA is really good. I can only hope my recommendations help me out. Anyhow thanx so much!

adpiRN · Jul 4, 2009

Any updates from people who have taken the exam recently?

I take it next week and am so nervous!

I read the whole book they recommended and have been doing the questions in the book and the accompanying CD. They're hard questions! I'm averaging below an 80 - I hope the real exam is easier....

Any study tips would be much appreciated!

LetsGoMetsRN · Jul 7, 2009

Well I'm in the same boat... I'm taking the exam in 2 weeks and totally stressing about this study book- it's so in depth!!! So I got in touch with an old classmate of mine and here's the advice she sent me. Hopefully this will put your minds at ease

"I used the book they recommend to study and I did the questions on the CD. Usually, I got a 60 percent (yikes) on the questions from the CD... I think the book/CD questions are probably more difficult than the Cornell exam. There were a lot of drug calculation questions on the exam which is okay because you can use a calculator. The questions are easier/more straight forward than Kaplan questions.

I studied for about a week and made drug cards. I had forgotten a lot of meds (or never really learned them...) so it was challenging for me to get through the book. I got a 96 on the exam the first time i took it. The good thing is if you get less than an 80 the first time, you can retake it."

So that sounds alot better (at least to me) than what I thought we'd be facing based on the study guide.

Good luck to everyone!

adpiRN · Jul 9, 2009

Thank you!! That does make me feel better. I've also heard that if you fail it once, the printout they give you is very helpful to study from for the 2nd time. I take the test tomorrow, so I'll let you know how it goes.

This is random, but I think I know who wrote you that e-mail because she told me the same thing. Which means we are probably from the same class! NYU May 09?

Random!

You can e-mail me here so that we can figure out if we know each other!

adpiRN · Jul 11, 2009

I passed! I got an 85. The dosage was fairly easy and some questions about medications were straightforward, but others were pretty obscure meds so I had to guess on a couple.

Good luck to everyone taking it!