LizMorris

I'm terrified of CPNE! Ugh!

I would take a test by itself first just so you know what to expect and how motivated you'll actually be when it comes down to it. After that, you'll have a better idea what the work load is and how much you can handle.

Thank you! Good luck on FCCA. If you study the stuff they give you, you'll do fine!!

I used an NCLEX prep book - the Saunders version. I actually used it for all of the theory exams too. It's a little more straight to the point for me and easier to understand. I do recommend getting all of the books they tell you to though. I used all of them at least a little. You can always just rent them from Amazon to save money. They have helpful resources I recommend doing that are included. I'm afraid to say more than that - but definitely practice with everything they make available. You find out immediately at the end of the exams if you passed.

Just passed the 2nd FCCA! All I have left is CPNE (gulp!) I signed up for the Sherri Taylor review in Atlanta for January. Anyone have any other advice?

I twist my ankles all the time in Danskos! Lol. I like new balance tennis shoes. They have the best arch support. It depends if you can have tennis shoes though or if you need something more fluid resistant.

I did them together. It is very do-able. Plus if you fail one, you are not further behind than if you took them separately. I would study one for a few days, then the other for a few and switch back and forth. I also took one final test early in the week so I can take the other later and have them spaced out.

Read over the material and then try to teach it to someone/something. I had a plant "Planty" that I would teach all kinds of things. It helps to think through it out loud. I used flash cards for some things - medications, lab values etc. Finding a way to study that works for you is half the battle!

Great job! I'm doing FCCA now. LS 3 was one of my toughest exams. Next FCCA starts in Jan! Good luck!

Congrats!!!!

How would you be functioning as and LPN there? Do you have both licenses and they are hiring you based on the LPN? A lot of hospitals want someone with direct care experience so a lot of RNs end up working LTC or transitional care for 6 months to a year and then moving on.

I wanted to be either a Nurse, a Social Worker, or a Teacher. Nursing paid the best with the least amount of school (associates degree here) so I went with nursing. Lucky for me, it turns out I get to do all 3 of those jobs as a nurse.

It would really depend on the patients you had that day. Just kind of explaining what you were doing as you went along. Discussing privacy laws or cultural norms could be interesting too if the student is from a very different background.

You have to do what is right for you. If you want to work in a hospital - an RN or BSN is the most realistic game plan. That said, so much of health care is done outside of the hospital now - clinics, home health, rehab and transitional units etc. There are plenty of options for LPNs. There's always that push in this industry - well why aren't you an RN, oh.. an RN, you should really get your BSN.... BSN, well why don't you just get your masters?? You got a masters? Well why not go for your NP? Oh.. You're an NP, you should have just gone to Med School... Ack!! If you are happy being an LPN, be an LPN. Keeping up with the Jones's or worrying about other people's expectations will just make you miserable.

One thing to keep in mind is that healthcare as a whole is trying to cut back on hospital use. Only really acute patients are ideally hospitalized - this has a lot to do with nosocomial infections and high costs. Hospital stays are shorter and more is being done at home or in TCU's - transitional care units. I think the future of nursing as a whole will be more outpatient - and there will always be a place for LPN/LVNs in outpatient settings.

LTC can be very draining work. Try looking into other options like home health, hospice or clinic. I'm currently working with a family practice doctor in a clinic and really like it. I have a lot of fun co-workers and normal "business" hours. You don't get to use as many bedside skills, but I'll pick up extra hours in Urgent Care (through the same clinic system) on the weekends sometimes and you get to do more treatments.

Thanks :) it took a long time to find a strategy that worked!

Usually 2-3 weeks a piece. Kind of depends on the time of year or what other engagements I had going on. It's nice that excelsior gives you that flexibility, but it can be a dangerous procrastination trap too!

This was the last one I took! It was my hardest for some reason. I've heard it come quite easy for other folks. Good luck!

I'm in Texas - Austin. Just finished the theory exams. Hoping to start FCCA on the 19th. Good luck to you!

I passed my last theory exam with an A today! Finally! I hope to start the FCCA for the October 19 date. For anyone who is curious, Excelsior can be a very difficult program because you won't have instructors guiding you. I've had the most luck using the practice tests and making flashcards out of the questions. I've also used the website cram.com to use other people's flash cards or make my own virtual ones (but don't use the practice exam questions on a public site). Also, I wrote out the bold "important terms" listed at the beginning of chapters in the recommended reading - and would fill them in as I read - signs/symptoms, treatments, contraindications, complications and nursing actions. I also did this for any flash card I kept getting stuck on. It's a lot of work. 2-3 hours a day. But that's what this program took for me to be successful. Good luck everyone!

Thanks for your reply! I'm a couple weeks in and it's basically what you've said - vaccines are the most confusing part! I'm keeping our schedule in my scrub pocket for quick reference. Slowly but surely I'm catching on. :)

A nurse is a nurse. Now an RN isn't good enough and everyone should have BSN. And if you're a BSN - why not an MSN or an NP? There's always going to be that pressure in healthcare. Why would an MD study general medicine- don't you want to do something more exciting like a specialty?? - it's all a personal choice, and we need people in all levels in all areas. Being an LVN has been great for me. Yes, I make less money than an RN, but I've found I've had more job security. I've been able to find multiple M-F jobs which is personally what I like. To each their own. CNA all the way to Chief of Medicine, we're all on the same team and all important.

I've heard a lot of people were told it could be 8 months for CPNE. Most people seem to get in in about 4. Being willing to travel to any of the locations would help too. I'm finishing up my last theory exam now. Hoping to finish the FCCAs by the end of summer and do CPNE sometime in the late fall/winter. I'm having to take my time as I trying to pay out of pocket instead of taking out any more loans. ( I'm still paying off LPN school. Uffda!). Making flash cards from the practice exam questions and using the Saunders NCLEX RN book to study have been lost helpful for me. Good luck to you! And take-your-time!! This school is difficult and if you're too worried about rushing through you will struggle.

Yes! Good luck! I used the NCLEX review books to study. Honestly a lot more helpful than the books the school recommends. The Saunders RN comprehensive review book breaks things down by body system so it's great to use for the lifespan classes!