CPNE eligible and lot's of questions.

erinp88 · Jan 22, 2010

as of two days ago, i am cpne eligible! yay! i have to line up all of my documents and wait til the beginning of february for the money to pay for it, but then i'll be able to apply. i'm also going to do my fcca then. here's some questions:
i am in the process of preparing for my cpne. i hope this helps! welcome to a whole new level of insanity!
is it really going to take 2 months before excelsior can even give me a date for testing? can i call them and speed up the process? if you apply to the mpac, yes! but be prepared to get your ready date! i did not get any help at all when calling the mpac. however, when i got my date, it has given me a little over 2 months to prepare (i wasn't preparing when i applied because i was taking micorbiology face to face)
is anyone waiting the 5-8 months that they say to expect to wait? that's so far away! just start studying.. you'll more than likely get in when you want.
what am i supposed to be doing in the meantime? i've already started to dive into the manual and i think (hope, pray) that i could be ready before that timeframe. keep reading the study guide. it takes a long time for things to make sense. today i sat down and cut up an index card into pieces and labeled them with the following "aoc", "established guidelines", "labs", "pcs", "mnemonics", "grid" and (workout, clean). then i pick one and dedicate 1 hour to each of them. i'm going to be honest and say, i really don't want to do any of them! but it's the only way i can stay focused. a lot of them seem to run together, and i'm not really at a point where i can start practicing my grid quite yet. i may break it down farther and write out each aoc to really focus on those areas....and right this very moment, i've decided to add "pray" into the mix.
how much time did you (all) take to prepare for it? do you think it was enough time? again, just start now!
did you attend a workshop? buy rob's dvd? by additional workbooks and skills kits? i'm taking a huge risk and not attending a workshop. i may do some of excelsior's online ones. i did buy rob's dvd.. i'm not sure if i'm too crazy about them and that's my honest opinion. most people rave about them. i started compiling other people's mnemonics on top of making my own. i know the little things that i will forget, so i want to incorporate them somehow. i like looking at others and seeing what they've done. they often provide a good basis to build on. lunah and (ivanh?) put together a very nice cpne document, i would review that. i broke down and bought the excelsior basic skills kit and have purchased some used supplies from various individuals. i did find a website nurse-mart.com that will send stuff to you and it is reasonably priced. i would get a lab set up asap... i'm still fumbling around with getting mine going. i bought the ec orientation dvd used and that did nothing but increase my heart rate to 200 when i watched it. i probably wouldn't buy that if i was going to a workshop. it just gives you a basic idea of what to expect. i'm going to call today and get the critical element flashcards too. i also bought the clinical skills book that excelsior recommends and will be available to us on the unit during the cpne.. not sure how i feel about it quite yet. i'm using that to review 'established guidelines' and it's doing nothing but making me question my own practices.
what did you do or say to yourself to keep yourself from going crazy as you waited for your date? argh! when i read that, i was so disappointed. i busted hiney to get this far since august and i feel like everything is coming to a grinding halt. and yes, i feel weird that i'm not studying all of the time. am i crazy? if i could go back now, i would just study! that's all i can say! especially if you applied to mpac, i did not have any luck getting someone to schedule me over the phone! i also had a hard time figuring out what supplies to buy and invest in.. i hope my post helps you.

.....

lisamc1RN, LPN · Jan 23, 2010

Thanks for answering my questions, Erin. I really appreciate it! I'm starting to calm down now and am ready to move forward. There is so much to learn still! I'm excited and nervous all at the same time. :)

BostonNurse2876 · Jan 24, 2010

Good luck to you Lisa! How are you doing it with 5 kids and working?? How have you found the exams? I am just starting out and am excited, but nervous. :bugeyes:

lisamc1RN, LPN · Jan 24, 2010

Thanks Boston. Thankfully, I have a wonderful husband and my older children (teens) help me with the little ones (7 and 2 yrs old). I also work the night shift and take my books with me for down times. Two of the other nurses I work with are also going this route, and our RN supervisors have all been very encouraging.

I found the tests to be challenging but exactly as they say they are at excelsior. If you follow the study guides they have, you should be able to go in there and pass just fine. I ended up with 3 B's and 5 A's. I took both pretests and learned from my mistakes. Index cards have been my best friend! :lol

Good luck to you! It's definitely a journey, but I would say it's worth it! :)