CPEN advice

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​Posted this in the Emergency Nursing forum, but adding it here as well for more input...

I've been an ER RN for 2 years now in a level 2 trauma facility (approx 40K visits/yr) and recently have made an effort to improve myself through education.

I decided to sit for the CEN and (foolishly) scheduled my exam 3 weeks out from the date I started studying. I should've studied harder than I did, but I went ahead and took the exam anyhow... failed by 3 points! :no:

So, I made the (possibly foolish) decision to attempt the CPEN. I told myself that I was so very close with the CEN despite not studying enough (really hadn't anticipated ~20% of my questions to be OB-related), that I could learn from that experience and sit for the CPEN with a more focused study plan.

Can anyone chime in with suggestions on how to best prepare for the CPEN?

What I'm doing to review:

  • Working on completing the MedEd CPEN review online. Nice review from nursing school textbooks with very brief exams after each module. Good for CEUs if nothing else.
  • Listening to Scott DeBoer's CPEN review audiobook "Putting It All Together" while driving to and from work. These questions seem much too easy.
  • Gradually working my way through the ENA's CPEN review book (which is basically just questions) ( I should add that I used the ENA's CEN review book filled with questions, scored well on all of them, then failed the actual CEN by 3 ... so I'm not sure if this particular book is a great resource other than for reading rationales.)

I'd really appreciate hearing from someone who's taken the CPEN (and possibly the CEN) and hearing what resources/study plan worked best to prepare you for the exam in retrospect.

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