Candidate Passes CPAN® and CAPA® Examination on Same Day

Jamie A. Woleben, BS, RN, CPAN®, CAPA®

I fell in love with the PACU as a second-career nursing student, thanks to a spectacular PACU nurse, but the hospital where I worked did not hire new nurses into PACU at that time. I cut my teeth on med-surg and served a very brief tour in the OR at another facility until an opening in PACU created an exciting and unique opportunity for me. Nurses in our department crosstrain and work regularly across the continuum of perianesthesia nursing: PACU, preop, phase II recovery/day surgery, preadmission, and pre and post care for outpatient procedures requiring sedation (i.e., imaging and cath lab).

I originally intended to earn my CPAN® in the fall and CAPA® the next spring. As life intervened, I knew I could not meet the schedule I had set for myself. But as I searched the ASPAN/ABPANC websites in order to adjust my plans, I found that computerized testing would be offered for the first time in Spring 2009. Eureka! I could take both tests in the Spring. Combining studying for both tests would maximize efficient use of study time, allowing me to solidify the common core of knowledge shared by all of perianesthesia nursing and then examine each phase’s unique aspects.

I started preparing the fall before I took the CPAN® and CAPA® examinations by familiarizing myself with ASPAN's Standards and catching up on JoPAN articles from the last few years. I began studying in earnest about four months prior to my test date. I took the CPAN® practice test online to evaluate my strengths and weaknesses and formulated a study plan. I correlated the topics of chapters from the Core Curriculum, Perianesthesia Nursing: A Critical Care Approach, and the Certification Review along with the Standards and relevant JoPAN articles. I placed them in a timeline spanning 16 weeks, proceeding system by system, an hour or two daily on weekdays. I tested on the last day of the testing period so I could incorporate knowledge I gained at the national ASPAN conference. A colleague at the conference recommended PearlsReview.com. It was helpful in my studies, allowing me to review other topics like PALS as well as CPAN®/CAPA® specific content. About a week before my test dates I retook the CPAN® and CAPA® practice examinations to review and confirm the progress I had made.

Gaining both CPAN® and CAPA® was logical since I practice regularly in almost all phases of perianesthesia nursing. Taking both examinations during the same testing period and on the same day worked well for me. Looking back, I would change only one thing. Fear of failing publicly kept me from utilizing one of the most valuable resources available: my colleagues. The encouragement of my manager (and mentor) and the few coworkers who knew I was preparing for both the CPAN® and CAPA® was priceless. Since taking both tests at one time caused more than a few butterflies in my stomach, I could have benefited from the support the rest of my colleagues would have willingly given.

Certification is a badge of recognition that I strive for the best, both for the patients I care for and for me as a professional. Practicing and certifying in multiple phases has challenged me and given me a much broader and deeper understanding of our specialty as a whole. Perianesthesia nursing is like a diamond, with each area being a facet of that diamond. The core remains constant, but when examined at different angles, varying patterns of light emerge. I am thrilled and proud to be both a Certified Post Anesthesia Nurse and a Certified Ambulatory Perianesthesia Nurse.