failed my boards because i couldnt find mans apical pulse neither could the observer!

Nurses General Nursing

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I failed my boards because I could not hear the actors heartbeat during the apical pulse, he said his doctor has trouble finding it and he is on meds that affect it too, my observer tried to listen for it, couldnt find it, gave the stethescope to the actor and he couldnt find it. I had 35 min. to complete all 5 tasks and I searched his chest for 22 min. and failed because i could not find it!!Help! what do i do in this situation??????:crying2:

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Specializes in NICU.

As part of your boards? Where do you live?

Your best bet is always going to be to contact your professional nurses governing body and seek their direction.

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thank you!! i live in Oregon, and this was my first time taking the boards. I have found an apical pulse many times on residents and others, and as you know the whole procedure is a little over a min. long, yet I could not hear his heartbeat anywhere on his chest, so i failed. I am scared to do the testing again, because it will be the same observer and actor!

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

Is this a nursing or cna boards?

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Specializes in NICU.

The reason why I asked is that the "boards" I'm familiar with over here on the opposite coast are a written test, and that's all. Is this something in your school?

Is there any type of critique offered to improve your performance? Any instructor you can ask for assistance? A different stethoscope you can use?

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this was for cna, and we took 2 written tests plus the boards where an observer watches you and checks off a list of step-by-step procedures you perform in front of her. We had 5 tasks to complete in 35 min. and had to perform each step by step without missing any steps. I had only perineal care left after apical and we arent allowed to ask for help and that was the only double stethescope the hospital had, I was truly trapped.

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Specializes in Oncology.

When can you take them again? That's your best bet, honestly.

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Specializes in NICU.

Gotcha.

Are you allowed to ask for direction afterward? An assessment of some kind? Did your classmates have the same actor?

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there were other students testing after me, and the observer said she needed to leave immediately after testing. My head nurse said that there should be some kind of time limit on something like that. The other students had the same actor, but none of them had to do apical pulse. One had radial pulse, and it took her 5 attempts to finally get that. No one else had apical pulse. I know I have 3 tries but it will be with the same actor and observer, i am really nervous about that!

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it sounds to me that you need to write you bon or whoever is in charge of the certifying nursing assistants and have an evaluation done. why would they have an actor who doesn't have an apical pulse that can be auscultated?? not even his doctor can find it?? why would they even continue to make you find it..why didn't they allow you to move on after you "observer" couldn't even find it?...wouldn't it be out of the scope of practice for a cna to ever have to auscultate the apical pulse?...i'm not sure if this helps but it seems that if that's the only thing that you had a hiccup on they need to certify you for you hard work on everything other section of the test. i wouldn't pay to take it again until i got some answers from the folks in charge of your test.

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Specializes in ER, IICU, PCU, PACU, EMS.

I would go through the channels in place and protest your failing to find the apical pulse of a patient that even the doctor and testing observer had trouble finding.

That's ridiculous! Fight it!

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