Testimonial from Maria Cuaycong and Maria Latag
Maria Cuaycong Maria Latag
Dear: Inna Terry, Manola Barlow, Debb Soucie, Debbie Kroeker, and all MNU staff
We, Maria Cuaycong and Maria Latag, have just recently passed the CELBAN that was held October 11, 2011. We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude towards all of you. We believe that we could not have made it if we were not enrolled in the Canadian Culture and Communication for Nurses program (CCCN). The nursing modules online and onsite helped out a lot in preparing us for the CELBAN.
At first, we really didn't know what English test to take. We had considered taking IELTS because we were familiar with this type of exam. However, we learned that the CCCN program was tailored for IEN’s like us who were preparing for the CELBAN. (The program is like a preparatory phase for CELBAN, CCA and CRNE.) In addition, we believed that we would be able to identify well with the CELBAN because this exam focuses on clinical and nursing aspects. Before making a final decision, we really wanted to know what to expect on the CELBAN. We found out that an institutional CELBAN (part of the CCCN program) had been scheduled, and we immediately registered. The institutional CELBAN provided us with the opportunity to prepare for the official CELBAN. In addition, the institutional CELBAN enabled us to identify our strengths and weaknesses. The feedback we received after the exam made us aware of what skills we needed to further develop. The KEY was FAMILIARIZATION! Right after we had taken the Institutional CELBAN, we made our decision to take the official CELBAN. (Now we had a working framework.)
We started reviewing our learning goals that we had made at the start of our module. We had to make our goals realistic, and we needed to specify a timeline in order to achieve set goals. These goals guided our learning. As for me, Maria C., I had to work on my writing. More specifically, I had to work on my point form writing skills. (Learning how to form and use point form writing was a lesson from Module 1.) Other skills I had to familiarize myself with were how to write incident or occurrence reports, using reported speech, and reviewing the use of tenses like simple past, past perfect, simple future, etc.
As for improving our listening skills, we had onsite and online listening exercises, which we found to be most helpful. The regular exercises on viewing and listening to a nurse-patient and/or doctor-patient interview developed our listening skills as well as our use of therapeutic communication. We learned communication techniques, lay terms and idiomatic expressions, and how to gather important information. We were also able to transfer the skills we learned throughout our listening activities and practice, to our speaking activities and practice.
The baseline speaking assessment enabled us to monitor our progress in speaking English, and in using therapeutic communication techniques. Role playing onsite and on Skype, and watching and discussing videos, helped us to improve our speaking skills. As well, the exit speaking assessment allowed us to witness our growth from the beginning to the end of the session.
As for reading, skimming and scanning exercises and input onsite and online were most beneficial. We needed to apply what we had learned onsite and online every time we read a text, a book, a lesson, etc., which people often do in their daily lives.
I, Maria L., would also recommend iEnglish for those who are preparing for the CELBAN. All of the topics that we discussed were crucial in developing my listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. I particularly found the lecture on "Understanding and Attacking Multiple Choice Questions'"very helpful. It gave me a better understanding on how to answer multiple choice questions, and how not to become confused by the wrong choices.
Most importantly, we would like to express our deepest thanks and gratitude for the invaluable support we received from our onsite instructor, Inna. She dedicated a lot of time editing our occurrence reports. She also patiently took the time to explain to us our grammatical errors in speaking, after our simulated CELBAN speaking exercises.
We would not have succeeded in passing the official CELBAN if not for all of your unselfish coaching and assistance. Again, we are most grateful and thankful. We will always proudly recommend this program to other internationally-educated nurses like us.
Thank you very much!
Best wishes,
Maria Cuaycong and Maria Latag
