Sue was right about the not good feeling. It seems that most of us in Racine didn't pass. I was a casualty as well. I'm actually not upset or frustrated. I also know that my failure wasn't a measure of how good of a nurse I am or can be. I failed on Sunday, so I did get through the labs and passed one PCS. I did know my mnemonics, and the areas of care were pretty easy. It came down to things like ice. (That was my final PCS failure). The first one I failed because I missed initialing one med on the MAR, but I initialed all other meds. That was totally my mistake, but I would have caught that at some point if I had been working the floor rather than having spotty access to the chart. The second failure was because my apical pulse on an infant was off by 14. Ouch! Here's the thing, though. I had no idea we had a limit on how many times we could listen. I placed the steth on the baby twice but lost my count and verbalized it both times, which they counted as auscultating 4 times. (I verbalized this after about 30 seconds each time and definitely before a minute.) I made an educated guess on the apical because of that. The last PCS I failed was over ice. However, other things were going on that weren't my thing but were a distractor, but I messed it up, plain and simple.
The scary thing is that I could have passed, no doubt, but you just never know what you'll get, had it been different patients, different CEs, etc., etc. I was comfortable with all my AOC. It wasn't that. I also know that it would cost me the same amount of money to pay my continuation fee, the CPNE fee, the graduation fee, and the traveling/lodging fee to just do the local LPN-RN program. I don't feel like reapplying now for the CPNE. I haven't made that decision yet. I don't know if I will. It's not that I'm down about it--it's because I don't know if it's worth it. I made a lot of people's lives hell for this thing.
I also think this test can be passed without a workshop. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Honey, you are 29. You're a mere babe. Relax, knit, enjoy your family and then, when you're ready, reschedule this. You can do it. And you should. It would be really foolish to throw it away.
I truly believe that had my first CPNE been with my second set of examiners I would have passed it. It is not entirely impartial, it is not free of human foible, and it is entirely possible to be well-prepared for the exam and fail.
Appeal. The worst thing that happens is that you pay again.
Honey, you are 29. You're a mere babe. Relax, knit, enjoy your family and then, when you're ready, reschedule this. You can do it. And you should. It would be really foolish to throw it away.
I truly believe that had my first CPNE been with my second set of examiners I would have passed it. It is not entirely impartial, it is not free of human foible, and it is entirely possible to be well-prepared for the exam and fail.
Appeal. The worst thing that happens is that you pay again.
And breathe.
I really am struggling with the thought of the second set of examiners mirroring the first set. I simply cannot spend that much money to do that again.
I will likely appeal anyway.
I will say I'm really loving not having that test hanging over my head. I know my demeanor has changed. I'm not so stressed. I can sleep. Life is good, even with a failure.
Thank you so much, Sue. You've made me feel much better. I really think that you get it.
I am so sorry to hear your sad news, but believe in yourself and get back to it!!!! I testing Feb 13 in Racine, wish me luck and send me some pointers!
I am so sorry to hear your sad news, but believe in yourself and get back to it!!!! I testing Feb 13 in Racine, wish me luck and send me some pointers!
Thank you.
Pointers for you--
It's not that difficult of a test. The devil is in the details.
Failure of this test is not the end of the world. In fact, I am really loving not having this test over my head, even with the failure.
Keep eating. Don't let nerves keep you from eating and drinking. You'll start to crash when you sit down to chart.
Don't have your kid split their head open in the hotel room within 5 minutes of arriving there, and don't let the wound get infected. (Yup. My 5-year-old did just that. At least the clinic attached to the hospital was absolutely fab, according to my hubby.)
Racine wanted us to have the whole care plan written out for the planning phase. That baloney about just needing simply a diagnostic label for the planning phase didn't fly there. Guess which dillweed was the only one who didn't write the whole thing out for my first patient? (The CA told me to write the whole thing when she reviewed my PCS form. No harm, no foul.)
If you know your patient is going to get a tray of food within a few minutes, get an area of care or two done quickly beforehand so you can spend the time he or she is eating charting something. I wish I would have done this. I always went for the vital signs after the 20-minute checks, which wasn't necessary and left me with nothing to chart while the patient was eating. Even if it is just an assessment AOC, it is something.
Pay attention to the CE.
Ask the CE if you are unclear on something. If they are not teaching you, they will tell you what you need to know, sometimes in great detail.
My favorite nursing diagnosis to use was risk for infection related to .... whatever the nursing diagnosis book called anemia (low hemoglobin). All of my adults had anemia and had been transfused the day before. BAM!
Don't talk with the CA about your job or your experience, etc., etc. Just resist the urge.
The PCSes go by faster than you expect they would.
Recheck and re-recheck your MARs. I had pills that were different times on the MAR but were given at the same time. This was a point of failure for me. I missed one and signed the rest.
They aren't as picky about things you think they would be (small bubbles in the syringe comes to mind, perfect margins on the wound sim lab, etc.), but they are picky about I&O.
The wound lab was MUCH easier in person than the setup I had at home with the skills bag wound. I fretted for nothing.
If you have Rob's DVD, he's wrong about people not getting wound management in particular. I had it. NC Girl 35 (I believe) had it. No biggie. Have a mnemonic ready to go!
Admittedly, it was a little bit of a downer for me when these people I had spent the weekend went their separate ways, likely never to be heard from again. I'm a nerd like that.
My peds PCS was a 5-week-old baby. They do give 'em out young!
Keep your head held high. A PCS failure is so not the end of the world. It's important not to let it get you down for the next PCS.
Set your watch to the time the CE says is the start time for every lab and every PCS.
Even with the breaks, I just wanted to not go to the cafeteria. I didn't think the breaks were terribly long, and you go to your next PCS or sim lab when a CE is available and you are available. Take some power bars or whatever. I like Fiber One bars.
I saw the staff nurse assigned to my patients very little. Ask them everything pertinent to your AOC when you find him or her. Ask about pain, too. None of my patients had any pain (except for the baby on my peds PCS), so an easy nursing diagnosis was out the window.
The CEs have a checklist like in the CPNE study guide. However, they are not totally stiff and stand there silently to check you off on the skills. It's more relaxed than I anticipated, but they still are strict about that damned I&O. :)
Since I used to work at the Racine site here's what I know they really look for: ASEPSIS ( Wash Your Hands ) and very strict with I & Os. Those are the top 2 reasons I saw for failure there. Know too that the CEs there are truly wanting you to make it. They really do get upset about having to fail someone. The CA there is very supportive and motivating listen to what she says. The CA gives some great advise. Keep your ears open and stress down. Find some stress reduction techniques you can use during your CPNE. I used handwashing to gather my thoughts and destress. That was some great advise applescruffette gave above.
Specializes in ICU, PICC Nurse, Nursing Supervisor.
thank you for sharing your experience.. i am starting to get nervous and your words are somewhat calming 22 days and counting down. i am sitting here in charlotte north carolina spending some time with good ole lynn trying to pull this mess together... i am about all care planned out but have found many flaws in practice . i was able to get all this paper work organized and figured out ..thank the good lord...
set your watch to the time the ce says is the start time for every lab and every pcs.
even with the breaks, i just wanted to not go to the cafeteria. i didn't think the breaks were terribly long, and you go to your next pcs or sim lab when a ce is available and you are available. take some power bars or whatever. i like fiber one bars.
i saw the staff nurse assigned to my patients very little. ask them everything pertinent to your aoc when you find him or her. ask about pain, too. none of my patients had any pain (except for the baby on my peds pcs), so an easy nursing diagnosis was out the window.
the ces have a checklist like in the cpne study guide. however, they are not totally stiff and stand there silently to check you off on the skills. it's more relaxed than i anticipated, but they still are strict about that damned i&o. :)
thank you for sharing your experience.. i am starting to get nervous and your words are somewhat calming 22 days and counting down. i am sitting here in charlotte north carolina spending some time with good ole lynn trying to pull this mess together... i am about all care planned out but have found many flaws in practice . i was able to get all this paper work organized and figured out ..thank the good lord...
It really sucks!!! We know how to take care of patients! This test is soooooo picky. That amount of ice will not mean a hill of beans to the overall care of that patient. Failure should be trying to give the wrong med, or something heinous like that. Just remember, you took care of the patient. That patient is probably better off from your care. Keep at it, "That which does not kill us makes us stronger".
SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN
10,263 Posts
Honey, you are 29. You're a mere babe. Relax, knit, enjoy your family and then, when you're ready, reschedule this. You can do it. And you should. It would be really foolish to throw it away.
I truly believe that had my first CPNE been with my second set of examiners I would have passed it. It is not entirely impartial, it is not free of human foible, and it is entirely possible to be well-prepared for the exam and fail.
Appeal. The worst thing that happens is that you pay again.
And breathe.