Finally ready to talk about my CPNE experience 3/25/2011

[DarcyLPN99]

I loved your story and it made me realize that I CAN do this! honestly, your experience sounds like something that would happen to me. your story has been VERY encouraging, MissingMyErica!

And Leann....I am also from PA. I was thinking of testing in York when I do my CPNE. How was it?? and congrats to both of you on passing and good luck on your boards!!!!!

[t.adamson]

your story is amazing:) it made me cry lol. studying is hard and I too have a learning disability but I got this far. Congrats on your achievements!

[lisaannjamRN]

That person that failed 2 on Saturday must have had an adult in lieu of a peds patient. You are allowed to fail 1 adult and 1 peds PCS. So you can really end up having 5 PCSes. Good luck!!!

[lisaannjamRN]

Darcy...York was great. CEs were amazing!! Just bring your own sterile gloves...trust me!! And open the ABD pads on the wound station. There were a little unlike anything I was used to using from work or my Excelsior Kit or the workshop I went to. During those 15 minutes prior to lab testing...check out EVERYTHING...needles...piggyback meds...IV push station meds and syringes...wound dressings...etc. Hope that helps. Good luck!

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

That person that failed 2 on Saturday must have had an adult in lieu of a peds patient. You are allowed to fail 1 adult and 1 peds PCS. So you can really end up having 5 PCSes. Good luck!!!

Yep, it depends on how you draw your rotation -- that person who failed two on the first day could have done one peds and one adult the first day, or one peds substitute and one adult, and then done two adult and one peds PCS on Sunday. My rotation was peds and adult PCSs on Saturday, and Sunday was an adult PCS (and then a final adult because I failed what should have been my last PCS for a bonehead error!).

[LoopsRN2]

Yep, it depends on how you draw your rotation -- that person who failed two on the first day could have done one peds and one adult the first day, or one peds substitute and one adult, and then done two adult and one peds PCS on Sunday. My rotation was peds and adult PCSs on Saturday, and Sunday was an adult PCS (and then a final adult because I failed what should have been my last PCS for a bonehead error!).

Thanks for the feedback Luna & Leann; I will hopefully be eligible for CPNE after next week, but I am really trying to absorb as many stories & details now. I read on the EC Facebook page that the program has a new nursing leader, and there were 2 replies below that posting that were taking shots at the CPNE program. Maybe in the future they can create something to help their students a little more--even extending the weekened by one extra day and have a tutorial/hands on day and then testing. I think that Excelsior must have a good program--I read somewhere that they have a slightly higher NCLEX pass rate (88% for the 1st time?) than brick & mortar, but I don't know how legit that info was.

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

You can check the NCLEX pass rate on the NY BON website -- it's posted there. I'll have to go look it up, it's been a couple of years since I checked it.

The thing about EC's program is this: it is meant to evaluate, not instruct. We all go into it (most of us, anyway) as some sort of healthcare provider already, with a lot of patient care experience. EC provides the tools for us to bridge, but it's up to us to do it. Everyone loves how independent we can be with studying at home, at our own pace, on our own, etc., until it comes to the CPNE ... then suddenly people want instruction. But really? You don't need it! The CPNE is not hard. Stressful, yes. Hard? Not at all. You will function as a first-day new grad for that day, not an experienced LPN or medic or whatever. :) It's basic assessment, basic management. Nothing difficult!

Sorry, didn't mean to get off on a tangent ... LOL. That whole evaluate vs. teach has always been something that gets me to do that. Lemme go look up NCLEX pass rates, now I'm curious...

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

Ugh, we've slipped down to 81.6% ... http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/nurse/nurseprogs-nclexrn2008-12.htm -- I know I can count on my allnurses peeps to bring that number up!

Look at the huge number of students in comparison with the other schools! LOL

[lisaannjamRN]

I completely agree with LunahRN , as I usually do, in that the CPNE is stressful but not difficult. If you truly study the CPNE guide and know the critical elements, go into your CPNE with a plan (mneumonics...grid...any organizational tool that works for you) be confident in your assessment skills...you can get through it. I actually enjoyed my PCSes believe it or not! The CEs were there to evaluate but I was in charge and it was great. I bought the Excelsior skills kit, set up a home lab and made sure I was doing the labs the way Excelsior wanted them. That's the key...you really have to do things the way Excelsior wants them done. With that being said...Excelsior's critical elements are set up for patient safety and are the minimum requirements for a beginning RN. The faculty conference calls were helpful to me as well. The CPNE is not a teaching tool, it is a "screening tool" just like the boards are a screening tool. So...go to a workshop if you can...practice and study...study...study and you will conquer your CPNE as well!! Good luck everyone!!! Gotta go study for the boards now...gotta bring that average up...lol.

[LoopsRN2]

I completely agree with LunahRN , as I usually do, in that the CPNE is stressful but not difficult. If you truly study the CPNE guide and know the critical elements, go into your CPNE with a plan (mneumonics...grid...any organizational tool that works for you) be confident in your assessment skills...you can get through it. I actually enjoyed my PCSes believe it or not! The CEs were there to evaluate but I was in charge and it was great. I bought the Excelsior skills kit, set up a home lab and made sure I was doing the labs the way Excelsior wanted them. That's the key...you really have to do things the way Excelsior wants them done. With that being said...Excelsior's critical elements are set up for patient safety and are the minimum requirements for a beginning RN. The faculty conference calls were helpful to me as well. The CPNE is not a teaching tool, it is a "screening tool" just like the boards are a screening tool. So...go to a workshop if you can...practice and study...study...study and you will conquer your CPNE as well!! Good luck everyone!!! Gotta go study for the boards now...gotta bring that average up...lol.

Okay, so what about the EC workshop for CPNE, evaluation tool or teaching? I read earlier that it was not hands on and I have found little info on it since. I will pay the $$ for learning it "their way" but I hope they will actually provide instruction vs just an evaluation plan, lol.

[LoopsRN2]

Ugh, we've slipped down to 81.6% ... http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/nurse/nurseprogs-nclexrn2008-12.htm -- I know I can count on my allnurses peeps to bring that number up!

Look at the huge number of students in comparison with the other schools! LOL

OMG! Thanks for providing the link, I am off to obsess about this, lmao.

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

EC maintains that they will teach at their workshops ... I believe they used to be set up more for validation and not teaching, but this may have changed over time and according to student needs. I never did an actual EC workshop, so I can't say for sure, but other students have said that the instructors will teach/show students how to do things.