Open Book Pals Testing

Moved to the General Nursing forum

I'm assuming you have taken PALS before and were allowed to have an open book test. Were you allowed open book for the mega code test? Or were you allowed open book for the written test? Or both?

Anyway, a hospital that offers and requires PALS can put any restrictions on the testing (as long as it follows AHA guidelines) that it wants.

You can always take PALS through an independent entity. There are several in my large urban area. You will probably have to pay for it, or maybe your employer would reimburse you?

I've taken PALS and ACLS with a very fun, funny, independent facility. Run by an extremely funny, easy going, paramedic. I love it. Once I took it through my hospital. They were very, VERY, strict. Honestly I learn, remember, pass, PALS much better with the funny humourous paramedic.

We were allowed to look at our books or notes for the MEGA code. Not for the written test.

The open book test is a joke.

They did not make it especially hard before making it open book. They just took a test that wasn't all that hard in the first place, then allowed testers to look up the answers. Literally every answer is in the book.

Being in the position of working a pediatric code is not for everybody. Passing the open book test is a pretty low bar, compared to working a pediatric code.

But- in answer to your question- it does seem odd that the hospital can essentially alter the AHA guidelines. Of course, they could always require the closed book test to allow a nurse to use the credential.

The Pals exam really isn’t very hard so I wouldn’t be too worried about taking it.

Ummm...is there going to be an OPEN BOOK on the crash cart when you are the responding RN responsible to code a patient using the concepts covered on the exam?

pardon my bluntness, but if you don’t plan to know the concepts inside and out, your certification is useless.

In general AHA allows the test to be open book, but it's also discretion of the facility/instructor. Our ACLS and PALS were not open book. The pretest is very helpful and I found it extremely similar to the actual written test. The book is not very drawn out, it's pretty simple and to the point. I would go through and read the important points.

2 hours ago, RyanCarolinaBoy said:

Ummm...is there going to be an OPEN BOOK on the crash cart when you are the responding RN responsible to code a patient using the concepts covered on the exam?

pardon my bluntness, but if you don’t plan to know the concepts inside and out, your certification is useless.

Yes there should be algorithm cards on any crash cart and staff should be in the habit of utilizing them during a code. This is why the AHA now encourages "open book" tests, maybe more accurately referred to as "open algorithm" tests.

2 hours ago, MunoRN said:

Yes there should be algorithm cards on any crash cart and staff should be in the habit of utilizing them during a code. This is why the AHA now encourages "open book" tests, maybe more accurately referred to as "open algorithm" tests.

This times a hundred.

With ten being Super Nurse who, "knows the concept inside and out", and one being a nurse who has to have ACLS/PALS but has never seen a real code. Most nurses are somewhere in the middle.

In the stress of a code, staff need to efficiently follow the appropriate algorithm card. The more familiar they are with which algorithm to choose and how to follow it, the better the outcome.