Has anyone done the Competency Assessment & Enhancement for Nurses (CAEN)??
If you dont complete a certain amount of practice hours within the 5 years after you graduate, regardless of when you passed your NCLEX/CRNE, you cannot register in BC until you complete certain requirements... this is an option as part of your practice hours.
Im in this predicament because I have not found a job, now I feel like I have to prepare for another exam again.
The CAEN has 3 components; a self-assessment, an individualized simulation assessment and multiple choice exam.
Has anyone out there done this before? and give me some insight on how to prepare for this.
Also,in the meantime what kind of jobs can I apply for, while waiting to be 'registered'?
I rescheduled for next Wed. I live in northern bc and my flight was cancelled due to snow! So not yet... Nov. 8th. Thanks for thinking of me! Soon!! I want to get it over with!
Oh no! snow already? í ½í¹ˆ.. well it's better to be safe and at least you were able to reschedule right away! I know what you mean, I feel like the longer I wait the more anxious I get.. but it should be good!
Hi julia03 it went well! The lab portion is a scenario and basically nurse and respond to your patient and everything going on. Exactly the same as the entry level lab I did way back when. The exam is shorter than I thought but it just means each question is worth more. It's a very broad sampling of everything. And you have lots of time to complete it. I'm glad I did the CAEN instead of another way. Even if you have to do a refresher course after it would be way less time consuming than the other options. If you have a good working knowledge of nursing you'll be fine. Good luck! When do you write?
Hello Julia03 and CarolineJane, it was nice to read through your dialogue about the CAEN. I'm in a similar situation of having been off from work for over four years because I've been home with my kiddos. I'm writing the CAEN in December and I'm really nervous! There is very little info on how to prepare for this assessment and I found them very vague on the phone.
Just wondering what should I do to prepare myself in the best possible way? They told me on the phone to read a med/surg text book but that's not helpful or directive in my opinion. Any study tips would be great! Thanks!
Hi AdrienneMel, As far as the exam goes, it's a fairly random sampling of four years of nursing knowledge so it's pretty tough to study for. I started by studying thru a med surg text but gave up as I felt it wasn't reasonable. I either remembered the info or not. And really, that's the whole point of it!
As far as the lab portion, I considered just shadowing a nurse for a day before it, and I should have. That would be your best all around practice for going back to practice :)
I too was very frustrated by how vague it was but in the end I saw that it has to be otherwise it's not an accurate assessment of where you're at!
And even if you have to do some courses following... it's still the most time efficient, cost efficient way to get your license back. I did it after 7 years out with my kids You can do it!
I searched online and everywhere for more info and finally found this one random thread... glad I did! Even just to chat a bit made me feel not so alone.
I agree, after I read through what you and Julia had dialogued, I immediately felt more at ease- just knowing I wasn't alone.
Thanks so much Caroline for what you said. You're right, the whole point is to assess where you are at. I'm just hoping to avoid the cost of the courses afterwards, although I'm sure it would be helpful reviewí ½í¹„
Did you end up having to take ongoing courses? Also, would it be helpful to review maternity, less, mental health, etc as well as med/surg?
That was my goal too... avoid costly courses if at all possible. I'm not sure what to recommend as far as what to go over... entry level stuff. You can't possibly cover it all though. My feeling coming out was "oh yeah most of those answers I should know or have a reasonable idea of" so it's not overly difficult information. I also don't know you at all so I don't think it's advisable to recommend anything specific. Maybe a better practice is looking over multiple choice questions and how to interpret them.
I would also say best practice for the lab portion would be to shadow someone for a few hours. Get that feel back and remember all your routines. I think it's pretty ingrained in us, it'll come back quickly.
Hey @carolinejane, just wondering for the lab portion, was there a lot of specifics skills involved? Is it sort of like just doing routine morning care, giving meds and checking lab work and dressing changes and stuff? Im not sure what else I should look over.
@adriennemel it seems your doing it this month right? Goodluck with yours!!
Yes. It would be planning your priorities for the scenario, full assessment with care, and troubleshooting anything that comes up. I don't think they'll throw a super specific procedure at you and expect you to carry it out, no.
You can do it!
CarolineJane
15 Posts
I rescheduled for next Wed. I live in northern bc and my flight was cancelled due to snow! So not yet... Nov. 8th. Thanks for thinking of me! Soon!! I want to get it over with!