I am so happy for you Kelly. I failed that last PCS because I forgot to check off skin turgor on the PCS recording form. Sheryl admitted that she saw me do it, I also did mucous membrane check, she saw that too. I had a s/p spinal fusion man with ab assess, resp management, comfort, PVA oral care,meds, multiple IV TPN, man had bilat CVA events during surg and lost his swallow reflex, NPO. My peds was a 5 month old with multiple cancerous liver tumors, had ab assess, resp assess, diapers, comfort, apical resp, bp pain mgmt pt teaching of mom. Passed it no problem. I had a feeling this was not a go for me right from the start when they were short a CE and I had to do all the labs last and my first PCS that I prepped for Friday nite and had a different pt on Sat morning with only 20 minutes to prepare for. I worked like crazy on that Friday nite care plan and Kardex only to not have that pt on Sat morning and I still passed the first PCS. My second PCS on Sat was s/p colon resection ab assess, resp mgmt, vitals, comfort, PVA, assist to ambulate. She was still NPO with 2 iv very dry with a weak thready pulse that I couldnt keep track of doing radial. CDM for apical, this CE had the oldest, crappiest steth, could barely hear, and the plastic earpiece broke off sand the steel rod went in my ear, scratched somethin in there , so I had one ear bleeding and the other unable to hear apical. I asked her for another steth, she said no, so I had to guess the count of course I got it wrong and failed, hence the Sunday PCS repeat where I forgot to check off skin turgor. Maybe I should play the lottery, my luck is bound to improve.!!! Thanks to all who encouraged me along the way.
Specializes in Hem/Onc, LTC, AL, Homecare, Mgmt, Psych.
Man, I can't get over how different this CPNE experience is than when I tested last November in Ohio.
The CE's I worked with were always willing to get new equipment or supplies that were requested. I couldn't imagine any of the EC staff making you start over on the radial because they lost track or denying a functioning stetho.
Specializes in ICU, PICC Nurse, Nursing Supervisor.
i am sorry to hear you failed. i personally think you got a crappy deal and should complain or something. i mean you have to be provided the proper equipment to work with..would other nurses work with a broken stethoscope and are you able to obtain the assessment information needed to take care of that patient ...no. i would have stepped out and found the ca...i have taken this test but still feel like it is more luck than a test of nursing skills...dont let this experience make you feel like you are less of a nurse ..because you sound like a darn good lpn. consider yourself a success in the fact that you have first hand knowledge of this test and will know exactly what you need to do next time....good luck to you....
Man, I can't get over how different this CPNE experience is than when I tested last November in Ohio.
The CE's I worked with were always willing to get new equipment or supplies that were requested. I couldn't imagine any of the EC staff making you start over on the radial because they lost track or denying a functioning stetho.
I'm so sorry about your weekend.
Sara
I think most CPNEs go really well, like yours, even when the student fails. I wish I could say the same for mine. I could have totally seen things like what happened to the OP happening in my own CPNE. Don't get me wrong; I failed fair and square, but it wasn't the love fest that other people have experienced, and some things were just not right. Even in the same site on the same weekend, the CPNEs can be so crazily different for different students.
Sorry to hear the news! It sounds like your PCS's were on the harder side and you still made it through.. you can do this- you've proved you can.. that paperwork is a killer sometimes. Good luck!
Maureen.....I am so sorry to hear about that last PCS. I jetted out of there as quickly as I could! You really did have a rough go of it all weekend. Personally I would give it a week and then speak to someone at EC about it. I second Denise's remark about it sometimes seeming to come down more to luck than skill. It's such an intense situation and it really does come down to luck of the draw when it comes to pt assignments. You are a wonderfull nurse, don't let this get you down. At worst you repeat and go back in confident knowing what the weekend holds!
Could the refusal to give you a new steth esp after it left you bleeding be, grounds, for a free repeat? I mean if , you had been given another you wouldn't had to guess, could have passed that PCS, and of course not failed the redo. Just a thought.
I agree with this post. If I were you I would request a relook at what happened. At worst, you would be where you are now. They might give you some ground on this. So sorry that this happened to you.
So sorry to hear this, I failed last weekend, so I know how you feel. My wound is still very fresh, I also did not cry, But I can't get rid of the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, or the nightmares. I am waiting for a new application and hope that once I am on the list that I can force myself to begin to study again. Right now I can't even look at my "stuff". Nothing was harder than riding 8 hours to get home, empty handed. Good luck to you, you will succeed next time.
I am so sorry to hear that CEB65. That was one long drive home wasn't it. Stay in touch, PM me and let me know how the reapplication goes. I have not made my decision yet. So much of it is luck and altho I am Irish, I don't think I was given much of a luck quota at birth LOL. I am going to be an RN but I am taking the week to reassess and just not make any decisions until my mind and heart clear.
Thank you to all who have posted and hugged. I truly needed it.
I am so sorry to hear that CEB65. That was one long drive home wasn't it. Stay in touch, PM me and let me know how the reapplication goes. I have not made my decision yet. So much of it is luck and altho I am Irish, I don't think I was given much of a luck quota at birth LOL. I am going to be an RN but I am taking the week to reassess and just not make any decisions until my mind and heart clear.
Thank you to all who have posted and hugged. I truly needed it.
Your plan is spot on...taking a week, a month, whatever, to think about it. I'm more than 1 month out from my failure, and I decided not to do it again for many reasons, a big one being the factor of what happened to people like us. I know I can pass the test, but I am not testing on a computer anymore for the CPNE. I cannot justify plunking down that much money and putting my family through all that again to potentially encounter the subjectivity inherent in this test that may result in another failure. Even an appeal with a free test would have resulted in mucho bucks for travel and mucho stress for everyone in my family. If I feel I must become an RN, I will go to the local college for the same amount of money as a single CPNE with travel and EC fees.
My CA said I'm one of those people that would zip right through the test the next time I came, too. I believe her, but that's not enough for me.
It is okay, whatever decision you made. You sound like you are thinking quite clearly about this.
(If the steth left a mark in your ear, you might want a picture, too.)
Hey applesrufette, I am on the same wavelength. I have control over my actions, my nursing skills and my preparation, but have no control over the cosmos. But I am thinking that I can't put my family in anymore financial jeopardy than I already have. I am likely going to check out bridge programs, there are two within 25 miles, Cape Cod Community is the closest. I don't need any other classes, got all my sciences and LPN license and my bachelor's covers the rest. Also, if you appeal, you can't reapply until the appeal is exhausted. If it were just my life I would go for it. But I have a high-schooler and a husband with multiple health issues who needs to retire but the 401k is a 101k now LOL. So I haven't made a decision yet, but I am leaning in this direction. What if some more things out of my control happened? Can't afford a third trip, that's for sure. Got to get back to working full-time. At least with a brick and mortar there are real people, not that you would want to hang with most of those instructors, LOL. Thanks for the input. Its a tough decision to hang up the Excelsior route but the NEW ECONOMY is a big factor here, may be for other first-time flunkees as well. Keep in touch, PM me any time, we may be the first few that have had to make this decision based on factors outside of our nursing skills.
pielęgniarka, RN
490 Posts
Man, I can't get over how different this CPNE experience is than when I tested last November in Ohio.
The CE's I worked with were always willing to get new equipment or supplies that were requested. I couldn't imagine any of the EC staff making you start over on the radial because they lost track or denying a functioning stetho.
I'm so sorry about your weekend.
Sara