Hi, I would like any tips on taking the CRNI. I have been an IV rn for 4 years and have been wanting to take this exam for about 1 year, but am very scared. On the INS site, the last test had a passing average of 67%, scary!!! I am planning to buy the materials from the INS site and constantly studying until the spring test date. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!
TY in advance
Andrea
Review all of the INS references and Plumber's reference and know it well. Make sure you bookmark the questions you "question" your answers on, make sure you click on a tab that tells you if you have a blank question and review the questionable questions before you complete the exam. I missed passing the first time by 2 points and did not realize there was a way to make sure you answered everything. Second time I found that and had indead left 2 blank. It IS hard and yes, I did beat myself up for not passing the first time but that is very common. Be determined and confident with your every day practice knowledge. Good Luck and let us know the results.
Valorie Dunn, RN, BSN, CRNI
Infusion Therapy Coordinator
St Elizabeth Regional Health's Home Health Pharmacy
Lafayette, IN
Valorie Dunn,BSN, RN, CRNI, PLNC
Thank you Valorie for your quick response, great advice. Will be purchasing the material next week. I will post, hopefull a passing grade!!!
dsnyrn
Actually the average passing score for the CRNI exam is in line with the average passing scores for other types of national certification exams. So I do not believe this exam to be any more difficult than other exams. I would also add that you must know the INS standards of practice thoroughly and I would also study from the INS textbook Infusion Nursing- An Evidence Based Approach. This book is writeen by multiple experts and is the official publication of the INS. Plumer's Principles and Practices of IV Therapy is a great book. It is the original "bible" that most of us began using in the early 1970's. It has some valuable information, but I would recommend that you also use the INS textbook as well. Good luck with your studies. Lynn
Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, NPD-BC, CRNI
Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc.
PO Box 10
Milner, GA 30257
Website http://www.hadawayassociates.com
Office Phone 770-358-7861
Thank you very much Lynn, your advice is always welcome!! The Evidence Based Approach is one of the best books for infusion nursing. We used it as our hospital to help write our policies!
dsnyrn
So good to know that it is being used after all those countless weekends I spent writing my 2 chapters! Lynn
Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, NPD-BC, CRNI
Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc.
PO Box 10
Milner, GA 30257
Website http://www.hadawayassociates.com
Office Phone 770-358-7861
There are several good review courses out there also that may be helpful. Kay Coulter at Infusion Knowledge has a very good one. You can check her website at infusionknowlege.com for a schedule of upcoming classes or maybe sponser one yourself locally if you know several nurses interested in taking the exam. The exam can be intimadating but study hard and know the basics and you should do just fine.
I am taking the exam next week scared to death thinking about rescheduling any poostive imput would be helpful have no chemo background
Cheryl Harris Wright RN,BC
The exam is very difficult to be certain. This is how I organized my study, it worked for me.
Read through the entire Infusion Nursing Standards of Practice - twice. It doesn't take long because the little book is so full of references the actual text is fairly brief.
Tackle one topic at a time, read through the chapter in the Core Curriculum of Infusion Nursing then watch the related DVD section. If you have a study partner, stop and discuss from time to time. (sidenote: we found a discrepancy from the core curriculum and the DVD that showed up on my exam and I missed that question, so be sure to clarify if you find those. The one we found was % water in the weight of an infant) (I think). At any rate, make certain you have any questions clarified.
Take the practice questions.
Oddly enough, the more you watch the DVD the less boring it becomes. We giggled at the constantly changing hairstyles. Relax! and good luck.