Nursing is a great field for those who want a thriving career helping others. Not only can you be paid well, but the career itself is so customizable that you can easily find the perfect role for you. If you are fascinated with acute care medicine and want to work saving lives, then look no further than the emergency room.
You can become a Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) and work to provide life-saving care in emergency units. You may work with stroke patients, cardiac patients, in burn units, or in the emergency unit itself.
CENs thrive in fast-paced situations and thrive on the challenge. They want to save lives and make a difference and are ready to go above and beyond in their training in order to build the skills they need to see their dreams through.
How Do You Become a CEN?
You need to first be an RN with an unrestricted license and usually around two years of working experience. To become a CEN from there, you simply need to complete a 175-question computer-based exam at a recognized testing center. This makes it easy to take the next step forward in your career and can help prepare you later on if you want to advance your credentials further with an MSN in acute care.
How Do You Prepare for the CEN Exam?
One of the best ways to prepare for the CEN certification is to take the practice exam and use the various digital study tools available today. There are study tools that help you study by using practice questions, explanations, illustrations, and analytics to help you see your progress and probability of passing. Using available tools like this can help you study and actually absorb what you need to know.
Some additional tips to help you prepare for the exam include:
-
Little by Little, Day by Day
Cramming before an exam is the worst possible way to study. While it may help you pass the exam, cramming is notorious for not helping students remember information on a long-term basis. You will be stressed using that method, are likely to lose information you have tried to learn, and won’t really be able to attribute what you have learned to real-world examples.
By breaking up your studying so that you learn a little throughout the day, you can give yourself the time to actually absorb and understand the information. You can do short 15-minute sessions several times throughout the day in the months leading up to the exam, and by the time the exam comes around, you won’t need to study because the information will be so ingrained in you.
-
Reduce Stress and Boost Health Before the Exam
You want your mind to be working with you not against you when it is time to take the exam. Try to get a good night’s sleep before the exam, drink lots of water, and eat a healthy, energy-boosting meal before your exam. All of this will help your brain think faster and more easily and therefore make the exam a piece of cake.
