Prep course for crne october, 2012

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Jul 18, 2012

There's been a lot of discussion about the Toronto School of Health. Read these:

https://allnurses.com/nursing-in-canada/crne-oct-5-a-593855-page2.html post #11

https://allnurses.com/canada-crne-cpnre/crne-february-2012-a-627535-page3.html post #24

https://allnurses.com/canada-crne-cpnre/crne-prep-group-582652.html post #9

Do not waste your money.

go.amber · Jul 18, 2012

Can someone suggest good/reputed CRNE prep courses. Or has anyone taken or know someone who taken these or other prep courses. I found a couple, but confused on which to take:

1) Toronto School of Nursing (11 day)

2) Nurses Education Inc (12day/14 day/1month)

-do not go for toronto school of health!!

kheemooy · Jul 18, 2012

Can someone suggest good/reputed CRNE prep courses. Or has anyone taken or know someone who taken these or other prep courses. I found a couple, but confused on which to take:
1) Toronto School of Nursing (11 day)
2) Nurses Education Inc (12day/14 day/1month)
-do not go for toronto school of health!!

I'm taking a prep course at Nurses Education Inc Mississauga since I live in Brampton. I took their prep course for my RPN exam and I passed. Now I'm taking their CRNE prep course this time. They offer comprehensive review for theories and a week of all mock exams, rationalization and brainstorming. This is really good especially for IENs like me. :)

pinaylovesnursing · Jul 19, 2012

Can someone suggest good/reputed CRNE prep courses. Or has anyone taken or know someone who taken these or other prep courses. I found a couple, but confused on which to take:
1) Toronto School of Nursing (11 day)
2) Nurses Education Inc (12day/14 day/1month)
I am also an IEN and found taking a CRNE review course helped focus. I took my CRNE prep course at the Toronto School of Nursing because I live downtown with two of my friends. I am so happy because I found that I passed after failing the first time. My friends passed too. We would practice tests everyday to help you remember the information. It was really good we found it, especially because it forces you to study. You have to study a lot on your own too though, because nursing is very big and there is a lot to know. Every morning I would wake up and practice questions while my son timed me. I would really study the rationales and learn what I did wrong. I tried to study at least 5 hours a day in the evening when i get home from work. Please make sure you study a lot. You only have 3 tries. I don't understand why you can only write the CRNE 3 times. That test is very scary and some people can't concentrate under that kind of pressure. I worked for several years as an RN in the army, so I know pressure. That test made me scared. Anyways good luck and I did it! Now I have to find a job!!!

torontonursingrocks · Jul 19, 2012

I would totally recommend the CRNE review course at the Toronto School of Nursing. A friend and myself commuted to Toronto together from Ottawa to take it and would car pool, split on hotels, and basically studied together for the whole time and we passed. We couldn't find any CRNE prep classes in Ottawa and a couple of friends at U of O took it and were happy.. If you need to stay in a hotel while your there, try Global Village Backpackers. The website is Global Village Backpackers and is walking distance to the course. We shared a room with some other girls from New Brunswick. It caters to travellers and students. If you take a shared room, you only pay about 26 bucks a night. You can also get a private room but its obviously more expensive.

samnurseuoit · Jul 19, 2012

I took the CRNE course in Toronto by primed. They do 2 day courses at the Universities and you can find them at PRIMED Educational Associates ~ Your Lifeline to the CRNE.. A couple of my girlfriends took it at Toronto School of Nursing and they all said good things about it too. The 2 day course was good enough for me though, but I studied A LOT! The nursing program at U of IT (where I went) is too accelerated in my opinion and I found that I didn't feel I was prepared enough to write the exam. Nothing beats studying, so don't be one of those people that leaves studying until the last minute. If you don't feel comfortable to write, just remember not too. 3 strikes and youre out! Good luck with your studying and try your best!!!!!!!!!!!!!:w00t:

go.amber · Jul 19, 2012

thank u all for ur feedback!

Enovel · Jul 22, 2012

Do your homework before signing up with any review class. Talk to your friends and to people who have taken these classes. I heard of bad things about many review classes. At the same time there are some really good ones out there that don't even advertise. Collect the phone number of these organizations. Call them and ask questions to form your own opinion. If you feel that they are more interested in getting your wallet lighter, then run. In my opinion a review class that only last 2 days cannot be good. Again, you should rely more on the feed back of people who have taken these classes.

birdlover12 · Nov 15, 2012

Hi Everyone, so I did not realise, I created this post. Just updating...I passed this time. I treated my 2nd attempt as it was my last attempt and i even wrote somewhere (dont realise where exactly but somewhere as if it was my 3rd attempt). Indeed, It was my 2nd attempt. I can not believe I am saying this here but I gave my NCLEX exam yesterday and passed. Guess what....I am still happy about passing crne more than I am with my recent nclex success. Nclex was my first try and I passed with minimum questions. I do not know but many people say nclex is harder and but I am sorry...I find crne ambiguous, subjective and unusual type. I seriously think, CRNE should rather be like nclex because the way nursing profession has been shaping in canada and the way nursing association wants NPs to be very independent (knowledge and practice wise) so that they could go in places (remote)where we have 1 doctor for the whole community and sometime, RNs have to use teleconference to get in touch with the doctors (1 doctor for whole community thing i read on the web..may be its was not updated though). In such cases, if we as nurses are tested more on knowledge based then it would at least help NPs and RNs to be more efficient in their practice and in their judgment (not saying they are not....but it just a little thing that I am not very satisfied with the crne. Anyways, that just an opinion.

Thanks for the suggestions and help....this site has been a great medium to interact with the fellow nurses and learn. Take care!

gurpreetsingh · Nov 28, 2012

birdlover can you email me, I need your advise. I failed CRNE and would like help from you

PinkBlossoms · Dec 3, 2012

Unfortunately Toronto School of Health will be receiving a bad review from me on certain (but important) aspects.

I've taken the toronto school of health RN prep course this June 2012 for regular price $1200. They claim to offer a 100% guarantee pass, or you may have heard that you get to retake the course for free until you pass. For people taking the course, becareful as it seems that they now charge a fee to retake the course (since this year). I did some research and asked around ppl who took the course and did not pass. One person who retook the course in 2011 did not get charged to retake it. Another person i knew got charged $50 as an adjustment fee to retake the course in May 2012. I thought my case would be similar, where I had to $50 - I was wrong they charged me $450, June 2012. Another person I asked was charged $250, Sept 2012. I was really confused to why I got charged so much more and it was sketchy because they couldnt' provide evidence of how they came up with these values. It appeared to me that they wanted to make more money out of us students.

When I found out I did not pass the first time I called them. They told me to write an email to admissions stating my situation how I just finished univeristy, I paid $1200 to take the course, I paid $500 for an exam i didn't pass and another $500 to take the exam again, I am currently jobless and to please consider my situation. I got a reply back about 5 days later. They told me they had taken my situation into "consideration" and that I now must pay a reduced fee $250 to retake the course. I felt that clearly they did not consider my situation, because $250 is a lot of money on top of the stress I had.

It was so frustrating to contact Toronto School of Health too. If you have ever been to there, the office is tiny. There's only really 3 people that work there, 1 professor, 1 RN and another philipino lady that works reception when the RN isnt there. When I called and spoke to them in person with questions regarding the adjustment fee, no one gave me a straight answer, it was sketchy. They kept telling me to "email admissions" for all questions regarding the adjustment. I thought to myself, what admissions?! Why cant they give me a straight answer, there's only 3 ppl who work there, it's not like you're running a university or it's not like your office is so big. Anyway i emailed them and why my final adjustment fee was $250, and how they came up with that value I brought it up a couple times but they did not give me a straight answer. They replied by restateing how they've considered my situation and to pay the fee. I did not return to continue the class or pursue emailing them after that. I did not fail by a lot of marks the first time taking the CRNE. I passed the exam studying hard on my own for my second CRNE attempt, and I passed.

Pros

- the course is very comprehensive, they provide you with a book (however don't focus al your studies on the book)

- the prof is very knowledgeable

- they give you lots of MC to practice, competencies and they teach you how to answer MC (if you are weak in MC, this is a course that will give you lots of practice with MC qs)

Cons

- (from mine and a few other people's experience) they were not credible for the pass guarantee they claim

- the course is expensive, $1200

- the class is very small

- it is difficult to get straight foward communication if you want to speak one representative that works there about retaking the course

If you pass the exam the first time, you will not have to worry about the adjustment fee. I hope my experience doesn't happen to anyone else and I hope this is helpful for all you future nurses. Study hard, give yourself at least 2 months a head of time to review content. Please don't forget that reviewing competencies are as important as patho. Goodluck everyone, all the best!!!