PBDS Questions

Narine · Jan 1, 2008

I quess nobody knows the answer ????

Sunflowerinsc, ADN, RN · Jan 2, 2008

#3, find out if RN must go with pt, if not, have NA go. If RN, get pt ready, tell charge nurse what 's going on so she (or he) can cover or assign someone to cover my assignment while I am gone. If float nurse on that day, see if she could go or cover pt's. Don't know if that is the right answer for your test, but I think that is what would happen in the real world. And then it would take the rest of the shift to get caught up !.

And #1, ABC's,call code, start CPR

Narine · Jan 2, 2008

Thank you guys I really appreciate your help !!!!

santhony44, MSN, RN, NP · Jan 2, 2008

What's PBDS?

ERRNTraveler, RN · Jan 2, 2008

PBDS= Performance Based Developmental System. It's an exam that was originally meant to evaluate nurses & areas they need improvement in, but unfortunately, it is primarily used as a tool to "weed out" travel nurses. If a travel nurse takes an assignment at a facility that uses the PBDS, they are usually given very little notice, and then told (once they get to the assignment location) that if they do not pass the exam, their contract will be canceled, leaving them far from home, jobless, and homeless. I took it a year ago & passed, but I will never take an assignment at a PBDS facility again- the pressure of knowing that everything is riding on that one exam was just a little too stressful!

EmmaG, RN · Jan 2, 2008

What's PBDS?

Yet another 'service' that hospital administrators far removed from actual patient care pay big bucks for so that they continue to put on their front of being concerned about patient care and safety.

i.e. a scam.

EmmaG, RN · Jan 2, 2008

PBDS= Performance Based Developmental System. It's an exam that was originally meant to evaluate nurses & areas they need improvement in, but unfortunately, it is primarily used as a tool to "weed out" travel nurses. If a travel nurse takes an assignment at a facility that uses the PBDS, they are usually given very little notice, and then told (once they get to the assignment location) that if they do not pass the exam, their contract will be canceled, leaving them far from home, jobless, and homeless. I took it a year ago & passed, but I will never take an assignment at a PBDS facility again- the pressure of knowing that everything is riding on that one exam was just a little too stressful!

Same here; not so much from the stress but because it's BS. I wasn't informed of this until after I was offered the job and the contract was signed. When housing called, they told me I was to stay in a hotel until I passed this test, then I'd be assigned an apartment. What a crock.

I don't recall any questions like those posed in the first post here. Perhaps they were, but if so I don't remember them.

There was the video component, where you had to type out your evaluation of the problem, what you'd do and what further orders you'd anticipate. Then there was a section where you had to assign priority to different situations.

I passed, but was questioned about two of my responses. One was during the first part of the testing, where we simply had to judge a scenario as high, medium and low priority (high = needing immediate attention, medium = within an hour or so, low = at any time during the shift) and then explain our reasoning. The statement was "Mr ___ is a diabetic with a fasting blood sugar reading of 110"... I put it on 'medium' priority, and explained it was a normal reading, and to make sure he ate his breakfast after receiving his morning insulin and meds. She said it should have been 'low' because the reading was normal. She didn't take into account that him not eating after receiving those meds would soon make it a "high" priority.

The other was involving one of the videos. A woman with tumor blocking both ureters had bilateral nephrostomies placed that day. The video showed her writhing in pain, and NO output from the tubes. My response was to make sure the tubes weren't dislodged or kinked, flush to assure patency, medicate the patient for her pain, notify the MD with VS and assessment, and prepare the patient for a stat CT and to have tubes emergently replaced as they were obviously obstructed. Dimwit said I missed out by not providing the patient with alternative methods of pain relief--- imagery, allowing her to 'ventilate', etc.

Give me a damned break LOL...

"I know your kidneys are blowing up to the size of watermelons, but let me dim the lights, put on some soothing music and you can tell me how you really feel"

:idea:

lmp1948 · Jan 13, 2008

That is just too funny. I can't believe, or actually I can, that they would say something that stupid. The only thing that's going to work for someone in that much pain is medication. Forget the mood lighting. Thanks for the samples. I'm going to Bedford, TX to work at Harris Methodist and have to take the PBDS. I have been a nurse for 16 yrs and have traveled before, but never had to take this test. For the first time I have test anxiety. I'm an ER nurse and I understand there is no version of the PBDS for the ER, that they use the Med/Surg test.

morte, LPN, LVN · Jan 13, 2008

Same here; not so much from the stress but because it's BS. I wasn't informed of this until after I was offered the job and the contract was signed. When housing called, they told me I was to stay in a hotel until I passed this test, then I'd be assigned an apartment. What a crock.
The other was involving one of the videos. A woman with tumor blocking both ureters had bilateral nephrostomies placed that day. The video showed her writhing in pain, and NO output from the tubes. My response was to make sure the tubes weren't dislodged or kinked, flush to assure patency, medicate the patient for her pain, notify the MD with VS and assessment, and prepare the patient for a stat CT and to have tubes emergently replaced as they were obviously obstructed. Dimwit said I missed out by not providing the patient with alternative methods of pain relief--- imagery, allowing her to 'ventilate', etc.
Give me a damned break LOL...
"I know your kidneys are blowing up to the size of watermelons, but let me dim the lights, put on some soothing music and you can tell me how you really feel"

***...please tell me that the test adm was not a nurse? and the desgner,even?

EmmaG, RN · Jan 13, 2008

***...please tell me that the test adm was not a nurse? and the desgner,even?

It was administered by the education dept of the hospital. The person who monitored me while I took the test said my answers were to be evaluated by a nurse with the PBDS people. Don't hold me to this... but I think she said they were in Pennsylvania (the woman evaluating my test). The educator spoke about her as if she knew her to some degree. At least that is what my feeble mind remembers.

The person who designed PBDS was a former dean of nursing. Can't you tell :lol2:

(PBDS) was created by Dorothy del Bueno of Performance Management Services. This is a commercially available customized competency assessment process that uses a variety of methods to address the following three areas of competence: Critical thinking abilities, interpersonal communication skills, and technical skills. A nurse’s individual responses are compared to criteria and performance standards developed by the hospital.
Dr. del Beuno is an international leader in skill's testing and competency. She has been quoted as stating that 80% of nurses are not competent to practice upon graduation. It costs $5K to train each nurse once they are hired.

https://allnurses.com/forums/2401831-post6.html

If she really did say that, then she wasn't much of an educator, eh?

EmmaG, RN · Jan 13, 2008

That is just too funny. I can't believe, or actually I can, that they would say something that stupid. The only thing that's going to work for someone in that much pain is medication. Forget the mood lighting. Thanks for the samples. I'm going to Bedford, TX to work at Harris Methodist and have to take the PBDS. I have been a nurse for 16 yrs and have traveled before, but never had to take this test. For the first time I have test anxiety. I'm an ER nurse and I understand there is no version of the PBDS for the ER, that they use the Med/Surg test.

I seem to remember them telling me there was a critical care PBDS, but again... don't hold me to that.

I too have never experienced test anxiety before; I was sweating bullets with this one, and left that day certain I'd failed.

The computer test wasn't difficult to understand what was wrong and what to do--- it was how it was set up that made it hard.

One of the things I was told it's supposed to measure is experience; however, IMO it would be easier for a new grad. They tend to think in a linear fashion and can list by rote 'do this, this, this, this...'.

The way this was set up, I watched a short video and had to diagnose the problem (that was easy). Then in one column, I had to list what I'd do; in the next I had to list what I anticipated the doc to do; then in the next I had to list why I did what I did, why the doc did what he did, etc.

And I was given 8 minutes from start to finish. I know what to do in those scenarios; I KNOW I know. The difference between someone who has some experience and a new grad is that when faced with something like that, I'm doing many things all at once. It's second nature, and while I know why and how to proceed, I just don't stop to go over all that in my head as I do it. Does that make sense?

So I had to type out what was happening (and for me, that was evident rather soon into the video--- I was kind of upset I had to sit and watch the whole thing, wasting valuable time)... then I had to sit and actually deconstruct all the things I knew I'd be doing for that patient. One at a time, and then type out the rationale, for even the most obvious actions. I was told to be as detailed as possible. I couldn't just say 'get vital signs'. I had to list which ones and why I was doing it (and I'm not a fast typist, either ... more of the 'hunt and peck' variety lol)

And the whole time I'm doing that, I'm watching the timer on the computer ticking down. By the end of the class, I was near tears.