Changes....

And not good ones, I'm afraid. :(

We had a class meeting today and were informed of some changes on the board exam. All nurse anesthetists take a certification exam after graduating, to prove that they are competent to practice. The exam costs $750 to take, it is required, and in many places you can't work until you pass it. In all states, you can't continue to work past a certain point without passing it, so skipping the exam is not an option.

I could theoretically take the exam in just over six months, and I had planned on doing just that. Until today. The test committee, it seems, has decided to roll out drastic changes in the test format without trialing them first. So, the trial will be those of us who take the test this summer and early fall, and if we don't pass, we can't work. Nice, huh?

Now, don't get me wrong - I am all for a comprehensive exam that is strenuous enough to prove that a person is knowledgeable and qualified to administer anesthesia. I have no problem with increasing the difficulty level of the test. I do have a problem, however, with including five different types of untested question styles in this exam. This little exam that determines whether or not I can earn a living, or whether or not I've wasted the last three years+ of my life.

So, what does this mean? It means that my current study plan probably isn't sufficient for the added complexity of five different styles of new questions on top of the complexity of the information as it stands. I'm going to have to devote more time to study, and less time to other things, like sewing, and gardening, and blogging. :(

You'll be seeing a little less of me for the next few months, as I try to prepare for this hurdle. I know six months seems like a long time, but given a 50-60 hour clinical week, regular classes and tests, a thesis and the new test format, six months isn't much time at all. Please bear with me for the next few months as I work through this and get ready for graduation, and for the little "quiz" that follows!

I'll still stop by your blogs, probably about once a week, to catch up on what you're all doing and how things are going. I'll blog here once or twice a week, and I'll still have the occasional giveaway, because they're fun and I still need a little fun in my life! And I'll study like crazy, and I'll take and pass this little "quiz" a few months from now, and then I'll be blogging and gardening and sewing like a crazy woman! Just you wait and see if I don't! :)