Pimp my (CPNE) lab!

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So I've just set up my bare bones lab (see pic below). As you can see, right now I've just thrown a couple of random tables together to make a supply station and a work station. I'm sure I'll get ideas for "upgrades" as I work through the car jack, but suggestions would be awesome.

FYI, I bought the skills kit from Ec and plan on setting up each of the five stations if space allows (though it looks doubtful!). I'm also using a swimming noodle as a make-shift arm (an idea I'm pretty sure I got from these forums :-D)

Here are some specific questions I have:

1. Where can I get a couple of needles and IV caths for my lab? I don't have access to them at work and I don't see hospitals or doctors just handing them out to me (not even if I ask nicely :-P). Any ideas?

2. Right now I'm planning to make my own wound based off of the actual wound using clay. Did anyone else make their own wound? What did you use and how did it work out? (I've already planned to empty my irrigation bottle and just pretend to irrigate so that I don't ruin my wound).

3. What did you use for an IV pole? I'm thinking some kind of hanging hook or a stick with a hook on each end or something. I'm going to have to experiment!

Thanks in advance!

My new home for the next few months:

Specializes in Revenue Integrity, Rehab, RAC Auditor.
Thanks! Any hotel and/or food recommendations? I want the hotel to be as close as possible to the hospital. Someone said the Holiday Inn was really close. I will be practicing EVERY DAY from now to then on a retired LPN of 25 years :-). (Hey, that's almost as good as an RN...probably better, depending on the RN, hehe) :cheeky:.

BTW, I'm a little nervous about having a peds pt. Did you get one while you were there? I know they have a peds ward and it is likely that I will have a peds pt!

Yes Holiday Inn is within walking distance although it is 3 stories and no elevator. We stayed across town-my husband came with me and we had a rental car. I wanted to stay away from everyone else-just me, with my nerves best for me not to be around others going through the same thing. Lots of places to eat-can't really remember them-weekend was a blur-ha ha ha :roflmao:

There were 7 the weekend I tested and only one of us got a peds pt-very rare they say because peds unit so small and pt must fit Excelsior criteria.

LPN for 35 years myself!! :)

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Hi

These are all great ideas and I just thought of an IV pole idea as I was reading this post. I am starting the FCCA tomorrow so starting to prepare my mind for the CPNE. I thought of using those hooks you hand out in your yard that you use to hang potted plants on. They are called "shepard hooks". They curve up on each side. I love the the floor lamp and swimming noodle idea. :-)

Paula

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Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.

Old grad from 1988. I think it's great you have labs that you make at home and vidoes to watch, etc..We had nothing back then. You practiced the best you could with what you thought they would have you doing. It was sort of just winging the entire thing, and we had peds. You had to, or you could not do the CPNE.

Do they still make you do a drip down to the exact drop in a few minutes? I can't remember the time frame, but it wasn't much.

Good luck to all of you. With the preparation you are doing, all of you will do great!

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Specializes in geriatrics, hospice, private duty.

@BeachCathyRN: What made you decide to get your RN after 35 years of practice? You can PM me if you don't want to post your business in the forums XD.

Good luck, Paula!

@tokmom: I can't imagine what it must have been like without all the forums, sharing of notes, etc. Yes, you still have to get the IV drip down pretty specifically :-).

I think I am going to set up actual lab stations to make it more like what it will be at the site. I have to finish reading up on them first though (hopefully I will be through all the study materials I've purchased + the car jack by Wednesday).

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Specializes in Revenue Integrity, Rehab, RAC Auditor.
@BeachCathyRN: What made you decide to get your RN after 35 years of practice? You can PM me if you don't want to post your business in the forums XD.

Had always been a goal of mine. Got my LPN at 19 then a few years later married, kids and my husband owned a very successful business. Through the years I volunteered in free clinics and worked with my husband, once we closed the business I told him I really would like to get my RN degree and he said go for it babe - great supportive husband. :yes: So back to school I went, since it had been so long since my first degree I had to take 15 pre reqs and then on to the Nursing classes. This took me almost four years, after the first year our son died suddenly at 25 of cardiomyopathy and a year later my Mother-in-Law passed away from Alzheimer's and we had taken care of her for 4 years. If I had not been going to Excelsior I would have quit, I know especially after losing our son, but he was so proud of me for going back to school and my daughter and husband encouraged me to return and finish and I am so glad I did.

So very happy I did this and such a sense of accomplishment to finally achieve that goal I set so many years ago for myself. I think my son would be proud and I know my daughter and husband are proud-they have been my biggest supporters. It has also been a good lesson for my 5 year old Grandson (my son's little boy-he was 2 when his Daddy died) he told me the other day school makes you smarter Grandma and I am going to college just like you did!!! :yeah:

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Specializes in geriatrics, hospice, private duty.

Haha, that's great about your grandson. I can't imagine being able to finish school after going through what you did. Congrats again!

PS. I'm not on any hard stuff yet, but I have had to start taking Zantac every day :laugh:.

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Specializes in geriatrics, hospice, private duty.

Update and Tips

I think I have my lab set up the way I want and I thought I would offer a few tips for any interested parties. I initially bought the basic skills kit from Ec. If you buy from Ec, I recommend that you buy the needle kit + the wound and NOT just the basic kit. I ended up buying the wound separately anyway and I couldn't find where they sell the needle kit separatelyafter I realized that needles did not come with the basic kit (I'm pretty sure it said so, so that was my bad).

The Ec kit did not come with insulin syringes or 5mL syringes. I also wanted an extra 50 mL NS bag so that I could set that station up EXACTLY how you would find it during actual testing at your CPNE site (*cough* AR *cough*). I am enrolled in Sheri Taylor's work shop and noticed that her kit comes with needles, insulin syringes, 3mL syringes, and 5mL syringes (I want to practice IVP with both 3mL and 5mL). I figured having extra supplies won't hurt so I ended up ordering her complete kit even though I have the Ec basic kit.

Items I still needed after ordering BOTH the Ec kit and Sheri's kit: Neither one comes with an IV extension set or the blue thingy (technical term, y'all) that you use to lower your primary bag. I found an IV extension set on Amazon for

I did opt to set it up by station as opposed to how it looked on my original post. Thanks to everyone for all their suggestions and help. Now that is done, it is time to practice, practice, practice!

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Specializes in Revenue Integrity, Rehab, RAC Auditor.

Sounds great!! Also once you get to practicing your grid for careplans-I got this idea from Greg (he teaches at Sherri's workshop and took the CPNE-twice). Buy a dry erase board and dry erase markers and practice your grids on it over and over and over. I kept this by my chair at home and would practice them while watching TV. :roflmao:

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another way to practice grids for speed is to write them on the back of your careplan towards the end of my studies i did 3 careplans a day with the grid using a board to practice is a good idea.

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Specializes in Peds,Corrections, Dialysis, LTC.

Had always been a goal of mine. Got my LPN at 19 then a few years later married, kids and my husband owned a very successful business. Through the years I volunteered in free clinics and worked with my husband, once we closed the business I told him I really would like to get my RN degree and he said go for it babe - great supportive husband. :yes: So back to school I went, since it had been so long since my first degree I had to take 15 pre reqs and then on to the Nursing classes. This took me almost four years, after the first year our son died suddenly at 25 of cardiomyopathy and a year later my Mother-in-Law passed away from Alzheimer's and we had taken care of her for 4 years. If I had not been going to Excelsior I would have quit, I know especially after losing our son, but he was so proud of me for going back to school and my daughter and husband encouraged me to return and finish and I am so glad I did.

So very happy I did this and such a sense of accomplishment to finally achieve that goal I set so many years ago for myself. I think my son would be proud and I know my daughter and husband are proud-they have been my biggest supporters. It has also been a good lesson for my 5 year old Grandson (my son's little boy-he was 2 when his Daddy died) he told me the other day school makes you smarter Grandma and I am going to college just like you did!!! :yeah:

Wow! Supper encouraging, thanks for sharing!

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Specializes in geriatrics, hospice, private duty.

I think I finally have the hang of my labs. I'm still going to practice them EVERY day until CPNE day, but I feel comfortable enough with them to start focusing on my next weakest area: CARE PLANS *dun dun dun*!

@ Nurse in Miami: that is a great idea about grids. I'm going to try and start practicing the PCSs to include filling out all of the paperwork and writing out my grids next week. I'm only doing about 2 care plans/wk right now and no PCSs yet (I was focusing on labs).

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