IzzyTheRN08

Hey all, I was just curious if anyone had any good resources that they used to help them successfully pass the pediatric CCRN? I have the AACN Core Curriculum for Pediatric Critical Care Nurses and the AACN practice questions, but I was curious if anyone used anything else. I was really hoping to find a review class, but I'm having a hard time finding a review class that covers pediatric ccrn material. Thanks!

actually ujones, the most current stats supplied by the maryland bon include july '08 up until june 30th, 2009, so about half of your graduating class (may '09) may be included in those numbers depending on when they took their nclex exam. here are the bsn totals for the state july '08-june 30th '09 [color=#050505][color=#050505][color=#050505] bsn degree programs first time testers number passing passing rate [color=#050505][color=#050505][color=#050505] bowie state university 27 21 77.78% columbia union college[color=#050505][color=#050505][color=#050505]+ [color=#050505][color=#050505][color=#050505]25 21 84.00% coppin state university** 98 68 69.39% johns hopkins university 252 228 90.48% salisbury university 76 73 96.05% towson university 123 95 77.24% university of maryland 192 178 92.71% stevenson university 53 46 86.79% [color=#050505][color=#050505][color=#050505]bsn degree total 846 730 84.23% (taken from http://www.mbon.org/education/nclex_rn_stats_fy09.pdf) i think you have to take a few things into consideration: -whether or not you want to get your bsn off the bat -consider nclex pass rates -what resourses does the college offer for tutoring/financial aid/nclex prep -what are the pre-reqs? -cost of education just a few things to think about...good luck w/ your decision. i think that if you study and utilize the resources available you should be able to make it wherever you decide on nursing school!

Ahhh. I love this topic and I often wonder to myself, which do I/did I enjoy better? I am currently working in a Pediatric ICU, a job that I decided to take after working in the ER and PEDS ER while I was a student (doing my externship). I loved the peds ER, and I figured that if I did indeed want to go w/ peds as a career, I wanted to know as much as I possibly could (drips, PALS, trauma, etc). To clarify, the ER that I worked in did not have a very large Peds ER and did not have a lot of the resources that bigger hospitals around us w/ bigger pediatric depts did. Anyways, some days I LOVE being an ICU nurse, and other days I find myself really missing the ER. Both are fast paced and intense. In both depts I see almost everything from GI issues to neuro to cardiac... I love the skill set that comes along with being an ICU nurse in the fact that we tend to be more skilled w/ vasoactive drip titrations and other drips, along with ECMO, ventilators, etc. I miss the ER in the sense that I didn't always see the same patient's day after day...I liked the fast turn-around. I am happy to say that I will be returning to the ER prn while I continue to work full time in the PICU. I think both units have helped develop my critical thinking skills as a nurse... So I can't really say which I like better, but I like that I have both ER and ICU under my belt!...

I faced a similar situation when I graduated. I went to school in PA (non-compact), and accepted a job in MD (compact). So I applied for my MD RN license....Because I lived in PA, I was not issued a "compact" license, just a "Maryland only". The point is...you would have to live in the compact state for your license to be truely compact. You could get your initial license in whatever state that is, but as soon as you move to IL, you would have to update your address with the initial state, thus making your license a non-compact license. (if you live in a non-compact state and hold a license in a compact state, your license cannot be a compact license). Sorry the way I explained is prob confusing, but I would say its just worth it to get your license in the state that you know you will be working in.

Hey everyone, I was looking for some input... I graduated with my BSN in December '08, passed my boards in Jan '09, and am now working in a Peds ICU since March. I really would like to start looking to go back to school, possibly for a PNP or master's in forensic nursing (I have always been interested in forensics as a separate entity, back in HS and college--but this seems like a great opportunity to combine my love of nursing with the forensics). My dilemma is wondering if it's too soon to start working on my masters. I wouldn't start the program until either the Spring '10 or Fall '10 semester and I was only planning on doing a MSN program part-time. Suggestions? I just don't want anyone to look down on me that I 'don't have enough experience' or whatnot (obviously i'd still work full time while getting said MSN). Any words of wisdom would be helpful. Thanks so much

Honestly, you did the right thing by frequently checking the IV site.. I'm a picu nurse and in our unit, we are supposed to check IV sites q 1 hr...sometimes IV's (especially on babies) just go bad, the important thing is that you recognize it early, stop the infusion, notify the doc, etc. Most pharmacy's have a list of the "vesicants" so you can look to determine if anything running through the line would be more caustic, etc. So don't beat yourself up about the IV! I can understand why peds makes you anxious, but I think that good assessment skills and trusting your gut go along way (especially w/ kids). Dont ever be afraid to ask questions of your docs and fellow RN collegues. Also--don't be afraid to involve the parents in the patient's care as much as possible...no one knows their child as much as they do! Hope that helps...

In Baltimore/DC area: University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins, Georgetown hope that helps!

I say if this is something you want..go for it! :) I recently graduated from my BSN program in Dec '08, I was an active member of my NPC recognized sorority from '06-'08. I was even the philanthropy chair (during which time we won awards recognizing all of our community service!). I definately think greek life is something that has impacted my life for the better--I think it has made me a better nurse. I am better able to interact with people with all types of personalities, deal with conflict, and most importantly time management. Yes, there were times when I didn't get much sleep, I didn't study enough for a test, but I graduated with a 3.8...I busted my ass in the sorority and in school--put my whole heart into both of the things that I loved. My sisters understood when I couldn't participate in certain chapter events due to school requirements, they stood by me when I thought I'd never make it to graduation. They were my backbone throughout nursing school. Yes, I was super tight with most of my classmates too (as one person said--your class is like their own sorority), but it was also nice to have a peer group outside of nursing, so I wasn't constantly focused on the field and had sometime to "relax". Suprisingly, out of the 55 members of my class, 5 of us were greeks--we all did well and we all were able to participate in our sororities. I think the best thing is to be open to the sorority during recruitment, tell them that you are worried, do they have programs in place to help you (like academic buddies or library hours?)...I'm sure that they have things set up to help you! I hope that this helped...I didn't mean to brag I just wanted to point out that you can be a high achiever in the classroom, but also be active in greek life! :) Best of luck to you!

you should look for a direct entry master's program...its for students who have had a BS/BA and basically you get the BSN schooling w/ some masters classes so by the end of the (i think most places they are 18 mo programs) you end up w/ your masters!! something to think about perhaps?

Hey! HESI sells their own review book--that may be helpful to review... Basically what I did was just review NCLEX questions for a couple of weeks in advance...that's all that you really need to do to study-there's no way to know the questions that you'll get on the HESI, so you just need to focus on test taking strategies... Also--don't do any reviews the night before the HESI--get a good nights sleep!! Studying the night before will onlymake you more nervous! Just relax, take your time..and breathe!! you can do this!!

most of the time you have to have 2 yrs worth of experience (or couple thousand worth of hrs) as an ER nurse to qualify for your CEN...

Have you tried Hanover Hospital? Also you can try Carroll Hospital Center in Westminster, MD (which is only about 30-45 min away from Gettysburg)...

Hey SarahBeth--I start in March--but I will definately let you know how I like it :)

no problem--let me know how the interview goes!

Hey! I am starting in the PICU at JHH this March, so I can tell you a little about my experience when I interviewed... I first met with HR and discussed basics, benefits, etc. After that I was scheduled to meet with the manager for about an hour... I was terrified!! I didn't know what to expect at all--but she was very welcoming. Many of the questions revolved around experiences with conflict and challenges and your goals that you have for your life and professional career. Just be yourself!! I then spent 4 hours doing "share time" with the PICU nurses. One of the things I loved most about the unit was how welcoming every nurse was. I got to talk with almost every nurse and I got a pretty good idea of the patient acuity and the feel of the unit. When I talked with the nurses I asked mostly about what the orientation was like for them, how they got familiar with the PICU, the learning curve, etc. Just try to relax and go with the flow! Be yourself and don't be afraid to toot your own horn (as my leadership prof would always say). Good luck & maybe I'll see you there :)