No, we are a private workshop.  Excelsior does offer their own workshop but they say it is not a teaching workshop.  After taking a teaching workshop, if you can afford it, the Excelsior workshop would be a wise investment.

No.  However Sheri’s qualifications to teach a workshop go far beyond taking it one time years ago.  Sheri has been teaching hundreds, yes hundreds, of EC students throughout their entire nursing concepts for almost five years.  Sheri has also worked at six of the CPNE testing sites and has often been the charge nurse that the examiners go to for placing CPNE testers with patients.   So Sheri has been in the CPNE setting multiple times, not just once. 

 

While it is true an EC grad knows what the CPNE is like, taking it one time doesn’t necessarily qualify them to teach others how to pass it.  Sheri is a sixteen year nurse and has ten years experience as an educator in the nursing industry.  Teaching people how to pass the CPNE isn’t as easy as regurgitating information from the EC books.  It’s about delivering the information in an easy to understand and retainable way.  Unless you take a workshop that can do that, you could get all the right information but without information retention you’ve wasted your money.

 

Most importantly though is Sheri has helped hundreds of EC students reach their goals and her students are consistently passing the CPNE at a high pass rate.

 

“But if you’re not an Excelsior graduate how can you teach a CPNE workshop?”

 

While we do occasionally get this question it’s important to remember that the CPNE was not designed by Excelsior graduates.  The Excelsior material was not written by Excelsior graduates.  Most of the CPNE examiners are not Excelsior graduates.  They are traditional nurses.  They are trained to be examiners based on Excelsior’s expectations of CPNE students.  We know exactly what they expect and have a pass rate to back that up.  Saying someone who is not an Excelsior graduate couldn’t possibly understand how to pass the CPNE is like saying an Excelsior graduate could never go on to be a traditional nursing instructor because “they don’t know what it’s like.”  Nursing theorem is universal.   All that matters is results, and we have them.

 

(Note: There are a few very valid workshops taught by EC grads that come with a track record.  We are not putting anyone else’s workshop down.  However, if someone is offering a workshop just because they passed their first time and that’s all they bring to the table you might want to dig deeper.  Just because they pass one time, doesn’t mean they can teach you to do the same.)

 Are they readily available before AND after your workshop?

When choosing a workshop you should know if you can get a hold of someone with ease.  Can you call them and ask questions before enrolling or do you have to email and wait for an answer?  You want to make sure your instructor is readily available for all your needs, both before and after your workshop.  With our workshop you get 24 hour access to your instructor.  We are always available for last minute questions before your CPNE and strongly encourage you to call us during your clinical weekend.  (Like you, we don’t relax until your weekend is over.  We like to know how everyone is doing.)

 

Are they using the same supplies and simulators that EC uses during the CPNE?

We use the same supplies and simulators that EC uses during the CPNE.  You will actually be practicing on the same models you will test on.  We don’t use any home-made or make-do models.

 

Can you tour their lab before enrolling?  (Or at least see pictures?)

We encourage those that can to come in and take a look around.  Our lab is fully stocked with supplies and simulators.  Our facility is clean, professional and conducive to learning.  We have both a full lab for hands-on practice and full classrooms for lecture.  (We won’t be trying to teach you in our basement so don’t worry.)

 

Is the length of time appropriate to adequately prepare you for the CPNE?

The CPNE is going to be one of the biggest exams of your professional career so far.  Assuming you can learn everything you need to in one or two days is just unrealistic.  Our workshop is an intense three days and covers everything you need to know and includes a mock check off.  From our experience anything less than three days is absolutely not enough time to cover all the components of the CPNE.  (We even give you the option to stay as late as you want on any of the days for one-on-one attention.)  We know taking a one day workshop will save you money on hotels and travel expenses but how much will it cost you if you don’t learn all you need to and have to retake the CPNE.

 

Is the price of the workshop all inclusive or do you need to pay fees for upgrades and add-ons?

Our workshop is all inclusive.  There are no hidden fees.  We don’t charge for supplies, shipping or up charge you for add on days.  We know how costly the CPNE is and will never try and capitalize on your fear of it.  We are the least costly full lab workshop in the nation and plan to stay that way.

We have been aiding Excelsior students through their concepts, CPNE and NCLEX in Georgia for almost five years.  (It will be five in April 2009 so feel free to send balloons.)  Almost a year ago we decided to start offering our workshop to EC students nationwide.

Our pass rate ranges anywhere from 91% to 94%. (To date we have still have a 100% pass rate on the skills stations!) As you know, a pass rate will range.  Anyone that claims to have an unchanging pass rate is either not running anymore workshops or is not reporting the whole truth.  To be sure we are reporting only the most accurate pass rate we recalculate it every three months.  For our most current pass rate you can check out our homepage.

One of the benefits of our workshop is that we cap them very small.  You will be in your workshop with no more than eleven other people.

Yes.  We use ALL the same simulators that you will be testing on during your CPNE.  We have even set the lab up exactly how you will see it during your clinical weekend.  After our workshop you will walk into your CPNE with a sense of familiarity.  No make-do, homemade models means no surprises on how to use the equipment when you’re testing.

We do not cancel workshops.  Most of our students come from different parts of the country.  We understand there are travel arrangements involved.  With us you have peace of mind that if it’s posted on the schedule it will run.  So book your hotel.  Buy your plane ticket.  We’ll be here waiting for you.

Before coming to the workshop you should have read the entire EC CPNE workbook at least once.  We know it’s daunting to have to read 500 pages about something you already feel intimidated by but once you get to our workshop you will receive a copy of our CPNE Study Guide that will help break it down for you.  We just want to make sure you have at least some sort of base knowledge of what will be expected of you during your CPNE.  Our workshop is intense and fast paced.  If you show up knowing absolutely nothing it will slow down the workshop for the rest of the attendees.  

The study guides will be distributed on the first day of the workshop.  We do not distribute them before hand because we want you to familiarize yourself with the EC CPNE workbook as much as possible before the workshop. 

If you have the EC wound simulator we ask that you bring it.  (If you don’t have it, no big deal, we have everything you need at the workshop.)  However, we do encourage you to buy one at some point.  That is the actual wound you will be using in the CPNE so it will serve you well to be able to practice at home on it.  We also ask that you bring your Mosby’s Careplan book and wear scrubs.  (Any color is fine.)

Absolutely.  The official hours for the workshop are from 9-5 every day but you are more than welcome to stay as long as you need to get additional hands-on practice. 

Yes, and plenty of it.  You will continue having 24 hour access to your instructor until you finally call and say those beautiful words we love to hear, “I PASSED.”  Please be aware we can only give you emotional support during your actual CPNE weekend. We advertise as a three day workshop but technically it’s as long as you need it.  You have the ability to submit Careplans for critique, ask questions, or whatever else it is you need.  We do not consider your workshop a success until you pass, even if you say you loved it.

Yes, you can retake the workshop for one hundred seventy-five dollars.  If you don’t want to retake the whole workshop we also offer a two hour check off that you may want to take right before you take your CPNE.  We have no schedule for the check offs as they are one-on-one and will be scheduled based on when you need it.  (Feel free to call us at 770-455-8008 if you want to schedule one.)

Absolutely.  We have many students that are gracious enough to spend their time to let others know about their experience in our workshop.  Please email us at admin@cpneworkshop.com or call us at (770)455-8008.

Well, first and foremost, we are the ONLY workshop that offers you a money back guarantee if you don’t pass your second time.   We also cap our workshops at 12 people, unlike others that overfill their workshops and sacrifice the one-on-one attention.  (With that said, all private workshops have the same goal, to help you pass the CPNE.  We would never presume to speak badly of another workshop, they are all fantastic in their own right.)  What we can say about ours is that we have been helping EC students for almost five years.  We know the ins and outs of what EC expects throughout not just the CPNE but all the nursing concepts.

 

The healthcare industry, as you know, is an ever changing field.  As field expectancies change so does the EC curriculum and in turn the CPNE procedures.  Being that we aid EC through all their concepts you can rest assured that we will be familiar with any changes that happen.  What passed in the CPNE three years ago isn’t always going to be what will pass today.