Well, I thought this thread might stick around a bit longer if the title was more obvious. So, I am posting my cpne experience here instead of "Anticoag nurse passed the cpne"... I'll start with general tips from my experience: I also have a very long journal recollection type thing (4 typed pages of my pcs experiences and a long 2 page recall of my sim labs). I really think they are too lengthy to post here, so if you would like, pm me and I will email them and please feel free to keep and pass on to others in the future.
CPNE Tips
Arrive at the location the day before and practice driving or bussing or getting yourself to the hospital.
Bring music that 1) pumps you up, 2) relaxes you and makes you happy. I did not bring music and really wished I had. It would have added to my feeling of having some sort of choices and autonomy, and would have helped distract me.
If you are traveling 3 time zones away like I did, consider practicing a week in advance getting up at "0230". I traveled from west to east coast and the time zone thing really messed me up badly. I was already a frazzled mess, let alone lack of sleep!
Bring bath salts and a tea-light candle to relax by.
Bring a small item that reminds you of home.
Come with a loved one. I thought I would be fine on my own but I was a wreck. It really would have helped having my husband along to hold me, coach me, and be around to listen to and distract me.
Trust your mnemonics. Do not stray from your grid. Keep your grid in viewable distance the entire time. I failed one pcs because I had no-where to set my grid but the windowsill and didn't look at it during respiratory management. I missed a critical element (coughing) I knew in my head (had a nagging feeling), but would have caught it if my grid were in sight! Check critical elements off as you complete them.
Do the implementation phase in phases. Leave the room for 15-20 minutes at least once to catch up on planning, thinking and documenting as you go.
Document on your grid as you go along and transfer to your pcs recording form later. Group patient care activities, and remember assessments and managements don't all have to be linear. Do bits and pieces as opportunities present.
Feed the patient questions that relate to your nursing dx. Example: for impaired comfort, ask the patient if they are stiff, sore or feeling grimy, etc. For impaired physical mobility, ask if they feel off balance when they walk or stand, or weakness, etc. Get them to tell you what nursing dx is appropriate to them.
Doing vitals twice is not necessary when you use machines for bp or spo2 or temp. This is according to my ce's.
Don't spend a lot of time in the planning phase. Just pick some sort of reasonable nursing dx and interventions quickly. You will have limited knowledge of the patient and you will probably have to revise any nursing dx and interventions anyway. Do your thing in implementation and then allow what you've already done to direct you in choosing a priority dx and interventions during the evaluation phase.
When you have a question about anything, ask the ce. The worst they can do is say they cannot answer the question or, maybe give you a partial answer that guides you in the right direction.
Be attuned to your ce's body language. They may inadvertently cue you into things you are missing!
If during implementation, the ce interrupts and asks, "have you completed the critical elements for blah blah assessment/management?” immediately say, "no, I would like to review my papers.” then, think madly and try to figure out why they asked you that. If they ask this, it may mean you are about to fail and you may have a chance to correct your mistake if you can figure out what you missed. They will not ask you this question if you are doing everything correctly.
During evaluation and documentation, check your grid against your pcs recording form at least 3 times before turning in. Make yourself a system for marking off your grid as you go and then as you document. One student my weekend failed a pcs for not documenting pain of 0, even though the ce and the student both knew she assessed the patient's pain at least 5 times during implementation. If it is not documented, it wasn't done.
Mark a line on the cup the patient is using if there is liquid in it, at the beginning of the implementation phase. This will help you accurately measure intake later.
Bring the mar into the room with you to document when you give meds. Saves time.
Keep a whole bunch of gloves in your pocket. Glove whenever you have doubt (touching washcloth, foley bag tubing, tray, etc.) even if you wouldn't in real life. Be sure to remove gloves if contaminated before touching something else in room, such as the curtain or bathroom doorknob, or your pen.
In planning phase, don't spend too much time with the kardex or the chart. You will learn so much more directly from the patient and it will save you time. You can always look something up later if needed. You don't need to know everything about the patient.
Smile at your ce, they really want you to succeed if you have any business succeeding.
Thanks for your input. I am currenlty trying to find Pneumonics for the critical elements. I am trying to come up with some, but it seems the more I try the less creative I get!!! It is a bit frustrating. If anyone outthere knows of any good sites to search, please send me some info. THANK YOU!!!
I'd check out the nursing sites on Yahoo--rnstudyctr, rnstudygroup. Some of their files contain pneumonic samples. I went to a workshop and believe the pneumonics are copyrighted. Good luck.
In the files I could send you there are tons of mneumonic ideas. I didn't go to any workshops and don't know the authorship of any of the others except the ones I made up for my own grid. The files include LOTS of info from former students preparing for the CPNE, as well as some of my own. There are exampls grids, do's and don'ts, general tips, case examples like the ones in the CPNE Study guide to practice with, nursing Dx and care planning stuff... etc.
I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE THAT! I am taking a workshop next week and would like to at least commit some to memory before the workshop.. WOuld you mind sending them to my e-mail?
I passed the cpne over new years eve weekend with no repeats. It was my second attempt. I failed because of nerves and stupid mistakes the first time. You must no the critical elements to pass. This and controlling the nerves are keys to passing. Write your critical elements out for the labs and the pcs's. Make sure you look at them. It is so easy to miss something.
Just because you do something everyday in your job doesn't mean much at the cpne. I failed the whole cpne the first time because of insulin and I do this everyday. I did not id the patient and the second time I forgot my gloves. nerves and not looking at the pneumonics for the critical elements that I had written out before I started.
When you are there, concentrate on yourself and nobody else. This is your exam and whether the others are passing or not can influence your passing or failing.
Congrats on your passing! I am soooo jealous. I am just now turning in my application for the CPNE and would love the additional information that you have from your experience. Thanks for all of your help.
Hi where are you choosing to go for the CPNE? I can't decide where I want to go. I live in TExas but am leaning towards Racine, Wisconsin. Any suggesting from anyone whose recently taken the CPNE on sites?
Hi...just wanted to let you know that two of my friends have passed in Wisconsin. I think it was the Racine testing site but I am not sure. I haven't heard anything about the Tx testing sites. Do you know how long the wait is for Wisconsin? Just curious...
Alright. I get lots of PMs with people requesting me to send them the files without providing their personal email addresses. Please don't post your request for the files or address in this thread.
1) It's against the rules to post your email and
2) if you don't PM me with the request I probably won't see it, as I don't view this thread very often. I check my allnurses PMs about twice a week, so there may be a delay in me getting you the files, hopefully not too long.:wink2:
So if you want the files I will need you to PM me and provide your personal email address. I have it all set up in my Outlook and cannot send it to/through your allnurses account (too big, cannot attach files, etc.) I promise I won't stalk you or use your personal email address in any other way than to send you the files.
When you receive the email from me, there is a bunch of stuff in the body of the email as well as 22 file attachments of various .doc, .wps, .pdf, .txt, .whatever types. Depending on what file formats your computer supports, you may or may not be able to view them all. I would recommend you put 50 sheets of paper in your printer, open the email, print the body and then open and print each file attachment. That will be the easiest way to dig through all the info.
I passed the CPNE over New Year's weekend on my first attempt at Mansfield, OH. I echo everything "anticoag" has said.
I would emphasis knowing the critical element pnemonics perfectly and practice gridmaking before you test. I bought a lab skills kit with wound and practiced those as well.
During the test, I had pain magt, respiratory management. Peripheral vascular, IV med administration and IV piggyback antibiotics.
I attended CHE in San Jose CA in June 06 and very likely wouldn't have passed without it. It really brought care plans and grids into focus. Invaluable for a Paramedic.
CHESHIRERN
4 Posts
Hello, am taking CPNE in Riverdale GA, Dec 15. Many thanks in advance for tips and advice.