CPNE Failure

traumahawk99 · Oct 18, 2006

i also flubbed my first cpne on pcs's, then took it again two months later and passed. i realize it's disappointing to fail on labs, but there is just no excuse for that. the labs are where you have complete control.

i came up with very long and detailed pneumonics that worked like a charm. of the 8 of us testing, i was the only one who passed all the labs on the first try. and yes, it made it much easier. my advice to everyone is to make up your own long and detailed pneumonics.

you've just got to practice those suckers till the cows come home. sounds like you're going to surely make it the second time around.

when i draw up anything, i draw a bit, then press the plunger slowly back in all the way, and draw it again. helps a lot on the bubbles. and the bubbles don't have to be perfect... just no big bubbles.

good luck. keep the faith. i did, and now i'm making $36 an hour with shift differential. the reward is definitely there, so it is worth the investment of however many hours it takes to pass the cpne.

msjenntou · Oct 29, 2006

I am in SYracuse NY for CPNE this weekend and it was over before it almost as soon as it began. I failed IVpush lab then PCS1&2. I plan to retest just as soon as I can. First I need to stop feeling sorry for myself, then I will go home and refile.

Christin · Oct 29, 2006

msjenntou,

Geez, I'm sorry. Two bad stories.

I test next week. May I ask what the failures were for?

Like the bubble incident, there are things we just may not focus on in practice that perhapes we should. (Like make bubbles & practice dealing with it before hand.)

What did you learn from your PCS's that you would be able to share?

Thanks. Christin

RN34TX · Oct 29, 2006

i realize it's disappointing to fail on labs, but there is just no excuse for that. the labs are where you have complete control.

I thought that comment was a little harsh.

I passed all of my labs the first time but shook like a leaf so bad that I nearly failed two of them because of it.

I practiced over and over and knew them like the back of my hand but the shaking was involuntary, I had a hard time controlling it.

Labs may lack the unpredictability that a PCS can present, but they are still very easy to fail and I can easily see how it could happen because it almost happened to me.

msjenntou · Oct 30, 2006

Christin

Good Luck where are you going?

I failed IVpush because I forgot to aspirate prior to first flush. I was so focused on pushing the medication in in the correct amount of time that I just forgot.

PCS1- My patient had a left arm fistula and I put the blood pressure cuff over it why I don't know I know you can't take B/P's over fistulas but nerves got the best of me.

PCS2- I was supposed to do Peripheral Vascular Assessment which I did but omitted the tactile stimulation part because I was thinking that was done on non comunicating patients again nerves got in the way.

I was very disappointed and upset but I wont let that stop me I am going to refile and passs the next time.

Christin · Oct 30, 2006

Thanks. I agree. It's the stress that fails us! I can absolutely see forgetting to aspirate because you're stressed about the timing of the push!

I test in Racine. I'm off on Wednesday, & I'm just going to spend the day doing my labs over & over & over...

pedinurse05 · Oct 30, 2006

The CPNE , to me, was the most basic skills exam I have ever taken. My clinicals in LPN school were more difficult...what sets the CPNE apart from other exams is the high levels of stress and anxiety. You know you must perform with perfection and get a very limited amount wiggle room....this alone creates many failures in the lab and on the floor. Know your stuff and use that grid--the grid can save you when the stress is controlling you. Best wishes to all taking the CPNE and don't beat yourself up over a retake...just use it as an expensive learning tool!

rsalas558 · Nov 5, 2006

Im preparing for my first ( and hopefully last) CPNE and I hear a lot said about a grid. What exactly is this grid that I should stick to. Also has anyone ever taken the CPNE workshop. I take in 2 days and do to family issues, have not been able to go through the study guide much. Is the workshop about teaching or do they expect you to know it already?

DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN · Nov 5, 2006

Been there, done that....I failed my first CPNE by failing PCS 1 & 2. I was devastated. It was totally nerves. I went back 30 days later and passed every PCS on day one. I made a plan which I will PM to you. I also took Ativan to get a good nights sleep and 1/2 dose to relax during the exam. I passed! Whether it was my plan or the Ativan or a combination of the two I don't know. I did go to a different site the second time and found them to be much more encouraging from the get-go. I went to Gwinette outside of Atlanta the first time and to a big hospital in downtown Atlanta the second time.

resqyou35 · Dec 20, 2006

dutchgirl,

doing the pcs plans is what is intimidating me now. as a paramedic, we do documentation completely different. what grids, nuemonics and other rescources did you use to prep yourself for the cpne? i am starting to do pcs documentaion on the patients we run on now just to get familiar with them. i just applied for the cpne, so i don't have a date yet.

caliotter3 · Dec 21, 2006

I saw something about the sessions with Tina, Lynn over on yahoo. Can somebody clue me in on this? I'm approaching CPNE time and am already stressing.

rigmedic · Dec 24, 2006

resquyou,

I am in exactly the same boat as you. If you come across some system that works for you, please email it to me. The "medic thing" and the "nurse thing" are sometimes quite different. LOL