Taking CRNE Wednesday!

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Feb 9, 2007

Caroline0074, believe me, you have a lot of company in your opinion of our CRNE. For some reason the Canadian Nurses Association seems to think that community health and research are the only things that matter in this world anymore. You're quite right in stating that the exam doesn't assess nursing skill or knowledge. The nursing education system in this country is not preparing nurses to provide bedside care; one only needs to look at the lack of clinical experience that students get to see that. So of course they teach to the exam, and not to the needs of patients. The current incarnation of the exam is very different from when I wrote in 1994. Back then we had four separate exams over two days, with a total of 700 multiple choice questions. The majority of them were related to practical considerations and integrating nursing theory into understanding and treating the disease process. When they reported your results, you got a mark that told you how many questions you had correct, and in order to pass you needed a score of at least 450. I had a score of 643; I used an NCLEX study guide to help me prepare. I'm appalled at how things have changed.

bluedanube · Feb 9, 2007

I went through a nurse refresher course and a qualifying course in Canada and I was focusing on med-surg,pedi,OB and some community nursing, communication before the exam for a long time.I studied like I was working and more.

Still I am wondering what am I going to study if I fail. How am I going to prepare for the subjective, vague questions. I went to a tutor as well before the exam and she gave us general instructions like what to look for in a question, how to analyze it. However many times I had no clue about what they were really after.

I am sure if someone finished nursing school in Canada,this exam is a piece of cake. Previously, I thought that a refresher course would also prepare the poor souls better for CRNE. However this is not the case. I wonder if the nursing schools'teachers are giving the pool of questions to CNA.