Personal Thoughts about the Certified Nursing Educator Test
Friday I took a test. It was, hands down, the hardest test I have ever taken (even harder than the State Nursing Board - NCLEX) test. It is a national test for certification as a nurse educator. Here is a description from the NLN (National League of Nurses):
Certification in any field is a mark of professionalism. For academic nurse educators, it establishes nursing education as a specialty area of practice and creates a means for faculty to demonstrate their expertise in this role. It communicates to students, peers, and the academic and health care communities that the highest standards of excellence are being met. By becoming credentialed as a Certified Nurse Educator (CNE), you serve as a leader and a role model.
The reason this test was so hard was because:
1. They used a lot of big words that I had to learn and understand
2. The testers wrote the test to be at a "Higher Order Thinking" or in other words a very difficult level.
a. Think Bloom's taxonomy levels analyzing, evaluation, and creating
3. The answers to the questions did not appear to have significant ties to the stem of the questions nor to the other answers. Each and every question required considerable brain power to even read, let alone to choose the correct answer.
4. The test was VERY expensive!
In other words, it was CRAZY! When I read the very first question I literally said, "What the h#@!" under my breath. And it didn't get any better. Every one of the 150 questions had my head spinning.
Now, let it be known that I DID study for this test. I literally typed 33 pages of notes (single spaced) to study in addition to watching a 6 hour webinar. I created flash cards, I highlighted, I took practice exams, and I studied every which way that I could.
At the beginning of my studies I quickly realized that I would not be able to adequately prepare for this test on my own. I knew that I would need to rely on the Lord's help in order to survive the test. Consequently in addition to the many hours spent studying, I spent a lot of time on my knees asking the Lord what I needed to do to prepare for the test. I got an answer that I did not expect. I was told to read my Patriarchal Blessing.
Strange, but I did as I was told. As I read it, I was lead to a paragraph that said, "In your studies, in your schooling, in your training, put forth the proper effort. Study constructively and you will gain knowledge and as time goes on you will put that knowledge into the proper perspective and you will be a wise daughter of our Heavenly Father and you will give counsel and advice to many who will appreciate that which you have given to them, and they will call you blessed."
I interpreted this to mean that if I put forth all of my effort, I would gain the knowledge that I needed. I continued to ask the Lord to bless me as I worked very, very hard. I was feeling tons of pressure to study every spare minute, but I took a break and attended a stake women's conference on a Saturday. It was wonderful, and I felt that it was the right thing to do. I also decided that I would not study on Sundays, and chose to work on Family History instead.
As I was praying, I realized that even if I did not pass the test, I had learned much, both about the subject as well as myself. I REALLY wanted to pass, but I felt calm and decided to do my best and leave it in the Lord's hands.
Like I said, the test was brutal. I honestly did not know if I chose the right answer or not on each question. Two of my co-workers were taking the test at the same time as me and afterward they told me that they felt exactly the same.
I passed.
But only by the barest of margins! The passing score was 96, I got 99. I KNOW that I could not have done it on my own.
My two friends who took it with me did not pass. I know that they studied every bit as much as I did. They are smarter than me. I honestly feel that the difference was putting it in the Lord's hands. My heart is so full of gratitude right now I can hardly bear it. To know that He cares about me and a test is amazing!
Certification in any field is a mark of professionalism. For academic nurse educators, it establishes nursing education as a specialty area of practice and creates a means for faculty to demonstrate their expertise in this role. It communicates to students, peers, and the academic and health care communities that the highest standards of excellence are being met. By becoming credentialed as a Certified Nurse Educator (CNE), you serve as a leader and a role model.
The reason this test was so hard was because:
1. They used a lot of big words that I had to learn and understand
2. The testers wrote the test to be at a "Higher Order Thinking" or in other words a very difficult level.
a. Think Bloom's taxonomy levels analyzing, evaluation, and creating
3. The answers to the questions did not appear to have significant ties to the stem of the questions nor to the other answers. Each and every question required considerable brain power to even read, let alone to choose the correct answer.
4. The test was VERY expensive!
In other words, it was CRAZY! When I read the very first question I literally said, "What the h#@!" under my breath. And it didn't get any better. Every one of the 150 questions had my head spinning.
Now, let it be known that I DID study for this test. I literally typed 33 pages of notes (single spaced) to study in addition to watching a 6 hour webinar. I created flash cards, I highlighted, I took practice exams, and I studied every which way that I could.
At the beginning of my studies I quickly realized that I would not be able to adequately prepare for this test on my own. I knew that I would need to rely on the Lord's help in order to survive the test. Consequently in addition to the many hours spent studying, I spent a lot of time on my knees asking the Lord what I needed to do to prepare for the test. I got an answer that I did not expect. I was told to read my Patriarchal Blessing.
Strange, but I did as I was told. As I read it, I was lead to a paragraph that said, "In your studies, in your schooling, in your training, put forth the proper effort. Study constructively and you will gain knowledge and as time goes on you will put that knowledge into the proper perspective and you will be a wise daughter of our Heavenly Father and you will give counsel and advice to many who will appreciate that which you have given to them, and they will call you blessed."
I interpreted this to mean that if I put forth all of my effort, I would gain the knowledge that I needed. I continued to ask the Lord to bless me as I worked very, very hard. I was feeling tons of pressure to study every spare minute, but I took a break and attended a stake women's conference on a Saturday. It was wonderful, and I felt that it was the right thing to do. I also decided that I would not study on Sundays, and chose to work on Family History instead.
As I was praying, I realized that even if I did not pass the test, I had learned much, both about the subject as well as myself. I REALLY wanted to pass, but I felt calm and decided to do my best and leave it in the Lord's hands.
Like I said, the test was brutal. I honestly did not know if I chose the right answer or not on each question. Two of my co-workers were taking the test at the same time as me and afterward they told me that they felt exactly the same.
I passed.
But only by the barest of margins! The passing score was 96, I got 99. I KNOW that I could not have done it on my own.
My two friends who took it with me did not pass. I know that they studied every bit as much as I did. They are smarter than me. I honestly feel that the difference was putting it in the Lord's hands. My heart is so full of gratitude right now I can hardly bear it. To know that He cares about me and a test is amazing!
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