Post by Admin on Jun 21, 2015 4:06:15 GMT
Another test experience...
I just passed the CPNE at Grady Health Center in Atlanta
Ga. on my FIRST ATTEMPT! My background-- --> Neonatal Respiratory
Therapist for 15 years. I received some very helpful hints and
stratagies from testers that posted their experiance after taking the
exam so I thought I would do the same in hopes of helping someone
else
be successful when their time came. The most important thing I will
say
at the start is that there is no trickery! Every Lab Station and
every
PCS is straight forward. No tricky drug calculations or mislabled
equipment/patients etc. That is not to say I did not get many
opportunities to fail myself!!!
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO BREAK ALL FORCES OF HABIT!!!
Case in point:
Lab Station1-IV Push!
In the instructions it was clearly stated that ALL SYRINGES are to go
into SHARPS CONTAINERS! being that I came from a facility in which
you
only need to put syringes in sharps containers if a needle is
attached...without even thinking about it, each time I contaminated a
syringe as I was drawing up my flushes, I absentmindedly simply
tossed
them into the trash at my feet. And I contaminated plenty! People be
mindful of that damb PLUNGER!(the CE must have been thinking...What
an
Idiot!)
I saved myself when I contaminated the plunger of my Medication as I
was about to push it...because I was about to push 1.5ml of
medication,
this syringe was longer then the others I had contaminated! As I
turned
and prepared to drop this one in the trash too...it was this length
that fired the neuron in my brain....SHARP! !!
At this point my gaze shifted from the syringe in my hand to the
trash
and I was MORTIFIED... as there was NO LESS then 6 to 8 syringes IN
THE
TRASH!!! Though sure that I had already failed at this point I
thought
to myself what the hell and simply reached down and began fishing the
syringes out of the trash can, and just so you get the idea...it took
both hands to hold them all and they sounded like a machine gun as I
poured them all into the sharps contanier. I then turned back to the
CE, removed my gloves and stated that I would now rewash my
hands...Pt
ID and insertion site check was still valid since I never left
room...redrew my medication, regloved and wiped hub, pushed my med
and
last flush, and signed the MAR. I then waited for my failure notice,
but to my surprise I was congratulated and PASSED!
BREAK ALL FORCES OF HABIT!!!
LAB Station3- Wound Care!
I truly believe that my wound care station was possessed by the
DEVIL.
And he was out to get me. The point I want to get across here is to
NOT
PANIC! In this station time is your enemy nothing else. I was again
contaminating shit left and right. 4x4's and abd pads kept jumping
off
the sterile field.(had to open each at least 4-6 times)
I finally got all packages open, put on clean gloves, was about to
remove old dressing and remembered I forgot to tear tape...removed
golves, tore tape...then reaching for another pair of gloves I
promptly
reached over my sterile field and contaminited everything! Had to
begin
all over and then those evil sterile gloves began to torment
me...could
not seem to get the damb things on without contaminating them one way
or another. Actually got down to the very last pair on the table
(there
was 2 pair each in 4 sizes...thats 7 pair I contaminated) ...at this
point I stopped, took a deep breath calmed myself (at this point I
was
in a tizzy)and dressed that hateful wound! Completed the station with
only 1 min of time left...so again just take your time and DONT PACIC!
The rest of day 1 went without incident. At this point I would say
for
you to try to pass all the Lab stations that first day. The relief
you
will feel at not having the labs hanging over your head that night as
you try to get yourself together for the first PCS is priceless!
I wont go over my PCS's individually because as I said everything was
very streight forward, in fact the senerios I made up for myself
while
preparing for this exam were way more intense and detailed then
either
of the PCS's I actually got....if you study and know the critical
elements, learn somebody's set of pneumonics(that is really the only
way to be sure you wont miss a critical element)take your time and
double check everything, you can be successful!
Good Luck to you all!
I just passed the CPNE at Grady Health Center in Atlanta
Ga. on my FIRST ATTEMPT! My background-- --> Neonatal Respiratory
Therapist for 15 years. I received some very helpful hints and
stratagies from testers that posted their experiance after taking the
exam so I thought I would do the same in hopes of helping someone
else
be successful when their time came. The most important thing I will
say
at the start is that there is no trickery! Every Lab Station and
every
PCS is straight forward. No tricky drug calculations or mislabled
equipment/patients etc. That is not to say I did not get many
opportunities to fail myself!!!
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO BREAK ALL FORCES OF HABIT!!!
Case in point:
Lab Station1-IV Push!
In the instructions it was clearly stated that ALL SYRINGES are to go
into SHARPS CONTAINERS! being that I came from a facility in which
you
only need to put syringes in sharps containers if a needle is
attached...without even thinking about it, each time I contaminated a
syringe as I was drawing up my flushes, I absentmindedly simply
tossed
them into the trash at my feet. And I contaminated plenty! People be
mindful of that damb PLUNGER!(the CE must have been thinking...What
an
Idiot!)
I saved myself when I contaminated the plunger of my Medication as I
was about to push it...because I was about to push 1.5ml of
medication,
this syringe was longer then the others I had contaminated! As I
turned
and prepared to drop this one in the trash too...it was this length
that fired the neuron in my brain....SHARP! !!
At this point my gaze shifted from the syringe in my hand to the
trash
and I was MORTIFIED... as there was NO LESS then 6 to 8 syringes IN
THE
TRASH!!! Though sure that I had already failed at this point I
thought
to myself what the hell and simply reached down and began fishing the
syringes out of the trash can, and just so you get the idea...it took
both hands to hold them all and they sounded like a machine gun as I
poured them all into the sharps contanier. I then turned back to the
CE, removed my gloves and stated that I would now rewash my
hands...Pt
ID and insertion site check was still valid since I never left
room...redrew my medication, regloved and wiped hub, pushed my med
and
last flush, and signed the MAR. I then waited for my failure notice,
but to my surprise I was congratulated and PASSED!
BREAK ALL FORCES OF HABIT!!!
LAB Station3- Wound Care!
I truly believe that my wound care station was possessed by the
DEVIL.
And he was out to get me. The point I want to get across here is to
NOT
PANIC! In this station time is your enemy nothing else. I was again
contaminating shit left and right. 4x4's and abd pads kept jumping
off
the sterile field.(had to open each at least 4-6 times)
I finally got all packages open, put on clean gloves, was about to
remove old dressing and remembered I forgot to tear tape...removed
golves, tore tape...then reaching for another pair of gloves I
promptly
reached over my sterile field and contaminited everything! Had to
begin
all over and then those evil sterile gloves began to torment
me...could
not seem to get the damb things on without contaminating them one way
or another. Actually got down to the very last pair on the table
(there
was 2 pair each in 4 sizes...thats 7 pair I contaminated) ...at this
point I stopped, took a deep breath calmed myself (at this point I
was
in a tizzy)and dressed that hateful wound! Completed the station with
only 1 min of time left...so again just take your time and DONT PACIC!
The rest of day 1 went without incident. At this point I would say
for
you to try to pass all the Lab stations that first day. The relief
you
will feel at not having the labs hanging over your head that night as
you try to get yourself together for the first PCS is priceless!
I wont go over my PCS's individually because as I said everything was
very streight forward, in fact the senerios I made up for myself
while
preparing for this exam were way more intense and detailed then
either
of the PCS's I actually got....if you study and know the critical
elements, learn somebody's set of pneumonics(that is really the only
way to be sure you wont miss a critical element)take your time and
double check everything, you can be successful!
Good Luck to you all!
