pccn

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · May 17, 2006

hi lima bean,
i'm taking it on may22
i feel ready. do you expected the test would be like this when you study for it?
what study materials did you use?
did you take the self assessment test from aacn?

Best wishes to you telefloornurse and congrats! limabean.

I'm cramming like mad from the PCCN Review on CD and I'll get into a review class too. It's the only way I'll pass.

Thanks for the tip on the Synergy information, Nurseboy. I'll check it out.

telefloornurse · May 17, 2006

hi angie

good luck to you too. are you studying david woodruff's materials? that is what i'm studying. he is a good educator

when r u taking the test?

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · May 17, 2006

hi angie
good luck to you too. are you studying david woodruff's materials? that is what i'm studying. he is a good educator
when r u taking the test?

Hi! I'm using the Med-Ed PCCN CD Review, and I got it from http://www.mededseminars.net/CDs_DVDs.html . I'll be taking the test somewhere in Florida, because I haven't registered to take it, so I don't even know where it'll be held. I probably won't take it until sometime in June.

I never heard of David Woodruff. Where'd you get the materials? Are they costly?

Thanks for sharing.

Nurseboy1 · May 17, 2006

Angie,

Hope all goes well in the studying for the exam. I'll freely admit that it is not the easiest test in the world, but it can be done.

Good luck, and if you have questions post them or PM me!

telefloornurse · May 17, 2006

hi angie

you can check it out at this website ed4nurse.com

and after you buy the material you can email him any questions u got.

i'm learning so much that when i take care of my patients i really understands whats going on hemodynamicly

good luck

limabean · May 17, 2006

Hey guys....someone I knew had the David Woodruff audio CD's. They were a big help!! I only had the pulmonary one's and I made a 92% on that part. I listened to them in my car when I was going anywhere. Also definitely study hard for the cardio. I felt like the whole test was cardio. Especially angina and MI and CHF. Know your ABGs in and out! Also study fluids and what the different types are used for (1/2NS, D5W, etc.) ...I have always had a hard time with that. I think one of the best things I did was study my med surg book. I read the entire cardiac section a few days before taking the test. If I had not done that I dont think I would have done as well. It brushes you up on some of the basic stuff, like preload and afterload and drugs. Oh and I did not take the pccn self assessment test on the website, but I think it would be valuable. Feel free to email or pm me with any more questions! Good luck to both of you!

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · May 17, 2006

Thanks, everyone! I think I'm stressing a lot because several of the people who took the test from my home unit said that a lot of it covered things we don't do on our units, like giving Integrilin... things like that. To me, that's the type of thing that's hardest to remember, don't you think?

So I'm studying.

I sure appreciate all the well wishes and encouragement! :)

telefloornurse · May 19, 2006

thanks lima

that really helps.

angie just remember that the aacn does not base the answer on usual experience you have on your floor. i'm stressed out too.

in david's cd he encourage us and told us that we will pass the test if we study his materials. i felt a little bit better.

telefloornurse · May 26, 2006

hi lima bean and angie

i didn't expect the test to be this hard!! i thought it would be like the practice question. but what lima said about the things we should study most were in the test. the questions is not a straight foward one. it makes you think using the lab values/vitals/and symptoms to come up withthe correct answer. i study everything but preparing to answer those kind of questions. most of it were educated guess by elimination

Nurseboy1 · May 26, 2006

Remeber ladies, this test is not geared toward someone practicing at basic competence. The point of a certification exam is to prove that you have a knowledge base that stretches beyond basic practice.

You have to prove that you can encounter a patient situation, combine patient history, current assessment data, and external data such as labs, ekgs, x-rays, ect. and come up with a coherent plan of care. It is not so much that you recognize that the patient is in SVT, they take for granted that you know and can recognize SVT, they want you to prove that you can HANDLE and TREAT SVT, and anticipate all the adverse outcomes for THAT patient and not a generic patient, not simply recognize it on the monitor.

I'll say it again, the PCCN test was very difficult. I felt like a moron at the end of the exam and was sure that I had failed. I thought that the examination was more difficult than the NCLEX. However hard the test is it is not impossible, however you truly have to apply critical thinking strategies to every test question. This is not a test you will pass simply by taking an educated guess, and you do yourself a disservice by relying on guessing.

Celia M, ASN, RN · May 26, 2006

Congrats to all the new PCCNs, if you're considering taking the test, go for it, it's tough but it will validate all that knowledge you know you have. I used Dave Woodruf's CDs and went to a Med-Ed review course before taking my test. I just got back from the AACNs NTI and went to the Certification Dinner, there were only a handful of PCCns there but we have increased in number by 280% since last year. NTI is fantastic, come to Atlanta next year!!! :nurse: :smiley_aa

limabean · May 27, 2006

Celia....I have not heard of NTI - what is it?

Tele... It was pretty tough wasnt it? Just studying for it really increased my knowledge base. I hope you did good!