Pre-employment exams (medication / med-surg)

LoveMyBugs, BSN, CNA, RN · Jul 22, 2011

I had a pre-employment exam for an internship program for an ER truama position. I unfortunalty did not score high enough on the exam to allow them to hire me. They told me to apply to the program again when it opens in 6 months, and that they had people go through 3-4 times before getting in.

As for med surg I would do your NCLEX review

kainos · Jul 22, 2011

Don't forget to study pharm...

ciao_bella · Jul 22, 2011

Thanks....

merlee · Jul 22, 2011

I've been a nurse for over 30 years and they still make me take all of the exams.....

They have to be able to show that the employees are truly qualified. (What do they think I've been doing all this time??!!!)

PediNurse3 · Jul 23, 2011

I work at a children's hospital and ALL nurses must score a 100% on a math test during the week of hospital orientation. I have never heard of a required clinical exam.

MochaNurse · Jul 24, 2011

I am in the same situation, I got a job offer on a neuro-surgical unit at Montefiore.....I took a pharm exam and passed it in April 2011 and was told I did have to take it again but when I went to meet with HR they told me I had to take it again and this time I failed it...I wish I would not have take that exam again. The HR recruiter didnt hold up to her part of the bargain. I am so angry because now I have to wait until January to apply again

MochaNurse · Jul 24, 2011

I had a pre-employment exam for an internship program for an ER truama position. I unfortunalty did not score high enough on the exam to allow them to hire me. They told me to apply to the program again when it opens in 6 months, and that they had people go through 3-4 times before getting in.
As for med surg I would do your NCLEX review

I am in the same situation, I got a job offer on a neuro-surgical unit at Montefiore.....I took a pharm exam and passed it in April 2011 and was told I did have to take it again but when I went to meet with HR they told me I had to take it again and this time I failed it...I wish I would not have take that exam again. The HR recruiter didnt hold up to her part of the bargain. I am so angry because now I have to wait until January to apply again

xtxrn, ASN, RN · Jul 24, 2011

I've had medication exams that the facility came up with (each one different), but clinical stuff was done after starting orientation, with a checklist of skills to be done with the preceptor/orientation nurse.

diva rn, BSN, RN · Jul 24, 2011

This has been pretty common. For every clinical job I have applied to at an acute care hospital I have had to take a medication/math exam. Some have been easy, some have been rather challenging. This is with many years of experience. Fortunately I have passed them each time but not without a little trepidation. Now with the job market so tight I see them using this as a way to weed out even more candidates and narrow the search.

Most of the medications on the exam have been specific to the speciality for the unit but not always. Lot's of interaction questions, dosing, calculations, etc. so it may help to really go over the most common drugs given on that unit...contraindicatons, adverse effects etc

Good Luck, remember everyone has to take the same exam, so study your pharm, you'll do ok;)

jmqphd · Jul 24, 2011

I wonder if these exams are predictive of anything. On our Neuro-unit, we never had a nurse wash out for lack of knowledge (or, I guess a better way to put it... inability to learn). We have had many more that had poor work ethics or were hard on their co-workers, not team-players, unpleasant to patients, rude to CNA's or some variation of the above.

labellefillette · Dec 4, 2011

Is the passing the exam mean that you will get a job offer at Montefiore.