In connection with my post about Prometric Exam, I would
like to share my own experience on sitting in the exam few months ago. My
reason for taking up the exam, of course, was to primarily seek employment in
the Kindom of Saudi Arabia. The truth is, when I was just a nursing student, I
never dreamt, in my entire life, to work in KSA. This country was never in my
list of countries I would love to practice my profession because of its
extremely strict Islamic code of morality and the Muslim traditions – a way far beyond from the civil liberties and privileges I used to live from my own country
(Philippines) or any other non-Muslim countries. But, due to convoluted
circumstances with my nursing career, I ended up working as staff nurse in one
of the health centers for Border Guards in the Kingdom run by certain private
company under Ministry of Interior.
When I left Qatar, sometime of April, 2013, I didn’t renew my
contract with my previous company because of some personal reason and a bit
conflict with the policies of the company. I left Qatar and went back home to
Philippines. Then, a month after, I started applying online to some agencies
bound to UAE, Oman, Libya, Singapore, and KSA. I will give my reasons next time
why I never applied to some English-spoken countries, which also employs
foreign nurses. Among these countries, I focused my application to Abu Dhabi,
UAE. The state of Abu Dhabi also requires every nurse and other healthcare
professionals to undergo and pass HAAD exam as basic requirement for licensure
in the emirate. The regulating body for HAAD
exam is the Health Authority of Abu Dhabi
and its administering exam facility is the Pearsonvue. Don’t be confused with Dubai. Although Dubai is also
one of the states of UAE, Dubai has separate governing body for healthcare
professionals. It’s called DHA (Dubai
Health Authority) and has its own DHA exam provided too by Pearsonvue (But recent developments
allow reciprocity of license is now being implemented by both states as of this
year). My license application for Abu Dhabi was disapproved last year (I will
post next time the basis of disapproval in a separate entry) and left me tiny
chance but to try the Saudi Council Exam aka Saudi Prometric Exam for Nurses
instead. That was already, mid of September, 2013. Though somewhat upset by the
HAAD decision, I booked an exam (Nurse Specialist) in the prometric website
with the SCHS (Saudi Council Health Specialties) exam for November 8, 2013. I
gave myself 2-3 weeks of preparation by self-study for the exam in Metro
Manila. As usual, I familiarized myself all the normal laboratory values,
dosage calculations, nursing interventions, nursing diagnosis, jurisprudence,
and so on. Are you familiar with the A-D-P-I-E? I guess you must because that
is the criteria in the Nurse Specialist category:
A – Assessment
D – Diagnosis/Nursing
Problem
P – Planning
I – Implementation
E – Evaluation
I paid the application for US$90 via credit card, my
sister’s Visa card. Prometric doesn’t accept cash as payment but one can pay
the application through check by bank. But for expediency, I advised to use
your credit card in paying or if you have none, you can use other’s card as
long as it is valid. Minutes after, I received a confirmation email about the
details and payment of my application. So please make it sure that your email
address is correct and active.
I am from Bicol region (specifically, Albay) and I went to
Manila 2 days prior to my exam in Makati City so I have no reason to be late on
my schedule. Honestly, I was quite
apprehensive about the exam. I was already in the venue, the Ateneo
Professional School, 2 hours ahead of my scheduled time. My exam was at 4pm.
When I came to the venue, the guard-on-duty let me signed on his logbook and
told me to wait in a certain area, in which he pinpointed the place near the
parking area at the ground floor. I saw some people, mostly women, already
waiting there. Ticked 3:45 PM. The guard
called us to go up to the testing room in 2nd floor.
This are some of the photos i have taken in the venue:
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| this is the exact building - exam room at 2nd level |
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| the building's lobby |
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| the door leading to exam room |
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| angled shot of the exam room's door |
As I entered the room, the staff let me sit and gave me a manual about the rules inside the testing center. I read it for about 10 minutes. Later, they handed me key to put all my belongings in the locker. Mobile phones, coins, wallet, hankies, my bag, and everything inside my pocket except my PRC Id (or passport). And they even checked for themselves if my pockets were really empty. Then they asked for my
identification. At that time, I brought my PRC Id. They asked me about some
personal details regarding my identification. Once verified, they encoded my
details in the computer and took a picture of me using webcam. Then, they gave me final instructions on what
to do while on exam. After that, I sit in front of the computer. The monitor was
ready for my first mouse click. Headset was provided. Since I’m not sensitive
or easily distracted by various petty noises inside the exam room, I did not
put on the headset. A single sample
question was provided in the exam and the computer let me answered it by
clicking the mouse or by using the keyboard. The timer only started clocking
once I clicked the BEGIN in the computer screen. I finished answering all the
70 items in about 100 minutes thus I still have 20 minutes left in the clock.
So, I reviewed all my bookmarked items (these are the items I have skipped
previously or with the answers I am in doubt). The computer let you do such
thing. A couple of minutes left in the timer, I ended up the session and the
screen prompted me if I am sure to end the exam. This was the most breathtaking
part of the exam yet I was so anxious – when the computer confirms me if I am
sure to end my session. The computer displayed automatically (less than 10 seconds) the result of my
exam upon I confirmed it. I Passed.
After that, the proctor will let you wait for the exam result. At this time, it is still prohibited to discuss or talk with any of your fellow examiners. The room is filled with CCTVs in every corner. I just sit calmly and quietly in the chair though my heartbeats are like partying rowdily inside my body. After 30 minutes of waiting, the proctor handled me my official exam result. And this is how it looked like:
As a first timer of the prometric exam, honestly, I find it
less difficult as compared to the one I have taken, the CGFNS, few years back,
and of course, our own local board exam (NLE). Though, some passers claimed,
that Saudi prometric is a way too easy as compared to the NCLEX-RN exam or the
HAAD/DHA exam, but still, personally, I still advise to have at least 2 to 4
weeks of intensive review, whether it is by self study or in a review center. You should have a well grasp of the A-D/N-P-I-E type of questions. I
highly recommend the Saunders Q&A NCLEX-RN Exam 4th Edition.
This is the one I used when I practiced answering NCLEX-RN type questions.
Before starting to practice, make it sure you knew or had memorized the various
normal laboratory values (blood chemistry, therapeutic drug range and toxicity,
serum values, etc) because these would be your primary basis in choosing the
appropriate and correct intervention in a given situation. As we all knew, any
deviation from the standard values is abnormal and that’s a good cue in
choosing the correct option.
As far as I remembered, the questions I have encountered in
my 2-hour exam were about dislodged chest tubes, stepping up using 4-point cane,
fluid volume deficits, congestive heart failure, intervention for Above Knee
Amputation (AKA), phantom pain related to DM2, site for gastrectomy, drug
dosage computation, hyperthyroidism, PPE
for rubeola, most priority in Bell’s palsy, sign & symptoms of shock, femoral dislocation, increased ICP, DHN, myocardial infarction, dehydration,
insulin administration, nursing diagnosis, actions for adverse effects of BT,
procedures used for testing sensory, managing pain, indications for external
pneumonectic compression in knee chest position, electrolyte normal values,
exercise with pelvic tractions, and hip dislocations, ABG analysis, Reynaud’s
phenomenon, peptic ulcer disease and so on. I noted down those topics into my
phone upon leaving the premises of the building. Indeed, my 2-week intensive review and self-study plan provided me the result i wished for. The certificate is valid for 3 years.
Nowadays, most employers from KSA, requires prometric certificate before they gave you the chance to be hired. I guess because they wanted to save time and money in shortlisting all the applicants. Prometric passer applicants has an edge already as compared to those who don't have yet because the employer will not pay anymore for their prometric since they have their certificate. Besides, employers saved time in acquiring applicants license card from the saudi council. However, some employers most especially from KSA MOH (Ministry of Health), they don't requires prometric certificate as long as the applicant is qualified to the position. Once hired, only then the applicants will sit in for an exam in KSA.
I hope my own experience could help. Thanks.
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