Several decades ago, on a hot July day, I reported (with my entire nursing class and hundreds of other nursing students) to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center for the first day of my Nursing Board exam.
I was ready... I hoped. I had taken a review class (and a vacation to Ireland for my uncle's wedding) since graduation the month before. I was ready. And it was important. This exam was only given twice a year and I wanted to start working. I was still doing insurance review and other part time work... I wanted the rest of my life to begin.
They fingerprinted each of us, we stowed our personal items in lockers and entered the largest room I have ever been in.
2000 people, each at our own table, with pencils, scratch paper and and hour and a half, took the first portion of the day's exam.
Filling in the dots, hoping I picked the best answer. Dilantin can't be run in D5. Airway- breathing- circulation.
I finished my test and left to eat. Had to be fingerprinted again on the way out... SO strange.
And in no time I returned to the room for the second half of the day's testing.
The worst part?
Coming back the next day to do two more portions of the test.
Unlike testing today, we didn't get results until the third week of September. So I left, with many of my classmates, unsure if I passed or failed and hoping for the best.
I passed the first time. Got my first job and have worked as a nurse ever since. In all kinds of settings in lots of different places.
Then in 2014, the push came from my hospital- Magnet nurses were certified... But the review course for would care certification was expensive and I was told no. I thought the reasons were crap, but I wasn't in a position to pay out of pocket, so I let it go.
Moved the following year to another spot in the hospital and certification came up again. The hospital was offering a CPN training course to employees so I took it and went to take the test.
Which is a totally different animal now. All on computer. Weird, different, I drove to a testing center and while there were other people there, I had no idea what they all were testing for. A bit of a lonely experience.
And I was searched THROUGHLY before entering the testing center. I again had to lock up my stuff. Again there was paper and a pencil.
And weirdly, I got 3 questions on epiglottitis... which is weird cause it's rare now since the HIB vaccine, but we all knew what it was back in the day. Those really sick croup kids, sitting up and leaning forward, drool spilling down, trying not to swallow... One of the things in Peds you only ever need to see once and you never want to see it again.
Then I had to do a survey about the testing center. I have absolutely no idea how I scored them. Good I hope.
One change I totally loved was getting my results right away. I passed. I celebrated. I figured it would be my last time taking a big exam.
I was wrong.
I am in a job now that needs a different certification. And the test is Saturday. I have no idea if I know enough.
210 minutes, 180 questions, Saturday at 8am.
Here goes nothing!
