Thank you for allowing me help you with your CPNE preparation!
About Me
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
I still vividly remember the conversation between my parents the days before he left
for the US. He said he was willing to do anything just to give his kids a better future
and education. He knew exactly what leaving India meant. For him that would mean
to leave behind a management job and retiring comfortably at a the age of 55. He
knew his education and engineering background will not be recognized in the US.
But he did not shy away from working on farms, working multiple jobs just trying to
make ends meet. My dad is a brilliant engineer and he won many awards for
innovative designs. For many years, instead of designing things, all his efforts and
strength went into heavy labor. Only when his elbows gave out and forced him into
early retirement, is he starting to dedicate himself to his projects and designs once
again. All the opportunities that life has presented me are because of my dad and I
am dedicating my website to him, and my hardworking mother, my siblings, and to
my most wonderful husband Sebastian, and of course my beautiful twins Arianna
and Tamira.
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
My nick name is Tina and all friends, family, co-workers call me Tina. I do consider myself to be one of
the biggest Excelsior supporters. Everywhere I go, I talk about what a blessing Excelsior's nursing
program has been to me and many others. I continue to support and talk about Excelsior College to
many faculty members at the community colleges I teach at. The truth of the matter is that without
Excelsior, I would not be an RN today.
I first became interested in nursing during grad school. I started taking graduate level nursing courses at
the Yale School of Nursing while I was acquiring my Master of Public Health degree at the Yale School of
Medicine. The faculty at the School of Nursing urged me to attend and even recommended me for the
transitional 3 year RN to MSN program. Staying in school for another 3 years and putting my life on hold
for another 3 years did not seem feasible or possible to me. I graduated and started teaching at a college
level but couldn't get the thought of being a nurse out of mind. This is when I found out about the
blessed Excelsior nursing program! Besides all the clinical training and work experience I acquired
independently, all my fellow nursing school faculty at the colleges were very supportive and provided me
with additional clinical training to be successful at the EC nursing program.
I started Continuing Health Education to offer CEU courses to CNAs and LVNs. I had just started
developing the content when I was approached one of the few local students I had helped prepare for the
for the Clinical Exam. I have been helping many students in the local area prepare for the Clinical Exam
right from the very time when I first started preparing for the exam myself. Students were coming back
and telling me that they had learned more from me in just a few hours than attending any workshop. I
was told that I simplify everything to make the exam content very understandable. Some of the students
recommended that I offer Clinical Exam workshops and provide direction and guidance to other students
who are ready to take their exam. Around this time, the Utah bootcamp had shut down and Westmed in
San Jose had stopped offering clinical exam help. More and more students were seeking my help and I
was finding it difficult to find time to help them individually. I finally started developing the content to put
such a class together. I knew exactly what a most comprehensive workshop should include since I
attended 3 workshops before taking my clinical exam and most of them were missing something. I
attended 3 workshops because I didn't want to take the exam more than once. It wasn't that I couldn't
decipher though the information! On the contrary, I wanted to consolidate all the information I had
learnt at the different workshops and wanted to review as much as I could. I believe that a good review is
not going to hurt. Attending these workshops gave me an insight how to make my workshop the most
comprehensive one out there. Moreover, I knew how to effectively teach such a class by utilizing my
extensive teaching experience as a college instructor. This is how the CHE Workshops started and
students started flying out from all over the US to train for the CPNE at what is now considered "the best
CPNE workshop"!!
Sebastian and I work full time and only have time to offer 1 workshop a month. I am only able to offer
these workshops, if at all, due to all the help from my wonderful and very supportive husband, Sebastian,
who is also an RN and an instructor for the workshop. We hope to continue helping students with their
clinical exam efforts.
We am looking forward to meeting you and teaching you everything you need to know to pass the clinical
exam. We have really simplified all the exam content and now it is possible for you to pass it on the first
try, regardless of your background or experience.
Tina.
Some of my background info is listed below:
______________________________________________________________________________________
EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS
Yale University, New Haven, CT
School of Medicine, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health
Master of Public Health; Infectious Disease Epidemiology Concentration
University of California, Davis, CA
Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences and Psychology
Medical Microbiology Concentration
Excelsior College, Albany, NY
School of Nursing
Associate of Science in Nursing
Current CA RN License, IV certification, ACLS, BLS, BLS Instructor, NRP
Acute care CNA, Medical Assistant, EMT
WORK EXPERIENCE
RN, Rehabilitation and Recovery Unit
Provide care and treatment to patients at a state hospital.
RN, Telemetry
Care for patients with various medical conditions on a telemetry unit.
RN, Med-Surg (Ortho)
Care for pre-op and post-op patients with hip/knee replacements, fractures, appendectomies. Assist
patients in their recovery and ensure proper use of assist devices (CPMs, Tractions, walkers, OrthoPats
among many others). Provide medications, PCA, and transfusions per physician orders.
RN II, STARS
Responsible for administering medications and treatments per physician orders. Ensure patient safety.
College Instructor, Health Education and Microbiology - 3 Community Colleges
Taught Health Ed courses. Topics include cardiovascular health, infectious diseases, noninfectious
diseases, psychiatric disorders, stress and its management, environmental health, reproductive health,
licit and illicit drugs, recreational drugs, consumerism, contemporary and alternative medicines. Teach
Microbiology courses.
Reproductive Health Consultant, Family Health Council
Revised health education materials translated in the Punjabi language, specifically the new birth control
patch and ring. Held focus groups with Punjabi women and discussed the accuracy and
comprehensibility of the information. Compiled data and submitted a report to CFHC with the
recommended changes.
Health Educator, Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, UCSF
Provide health education sessions for teenagers as a component of the Pro-Teen behavior intervention
research project implemented by UCSF at different hospitals in Northern California. Some of the high-
risk behaviors targeted by the project include drug and alcohol abuse, tobacco use, unsafe sexual
practices, unsafe driving practices, etc.
Health Educator/Assistant Health Administrator, Family Planning Centers
Provided family planning and birth control education to patients. Initiated a strategic planning project to
improve the services for low-income patients. Evaluated existing clinic services, including those
pertaining to reproductive health. Reviewed grant funding for patients without insurance or ability to pay
for treatment.
Consulting Analyst, Yale-Sponsored Research, UNICEF, Headquarters, New York City
Examined the crucial role of parents in fostering adolescent health and evaluated UNICEF’s adolescent
health programs as a part of a global review of adolescent health. Created an assessment tool for
UNICEF’s country offices to examine parents’ role in maximizing adolescent capacities. Evaluated
programs aimed at improving the health of adolescent mothers.
Mental Health Promoter, Patient Care Unit, Home for Mentally ill
Counseled residents who suffered from schizophrenia, depression, personality disorders and other
psychiatric disorders. Administered medicines, motivated and guided patients to attain jobs in order to
become self-sufficient. Took immediate action and gave referrals in case of emergencies. Kept an
updated log of patient activities.
Research Assistant - Endocrinology and Reproduction, University of California
Utilized ELISA assays and followed defined procedures for the Polyclonal Pregnanediol Glucuronide and
Estrone-Conjugate Enzyme Immunoassay to evaluate the quantity of progesterone, estrogen, follicle
stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone. Involved in many ongoing projects including
investigation of the effects of different levels of exercise on women’s menstrual cycles and analysis of
reproductive cycles of endangered animals.
Health Educator – Preventive Medicine, University Health Center
Educated students about sexually transmitted diseases and other health issues. Coordinated Birth
Control Education classes, informed the students of their contraceptive options, and gave them referrals
to birth control, abortion, prenatal services, etc. Special emphasis was given to the control of the AIDS
epidemic by providing information about transmission and prevention of HIV, distributing free condoms,
and conducting health outreach programs.
Research Fellow - Pathology Department, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania.
Designed an ELISA assay to quantify rabies glycoprotein. Validated specific antibodies and antigens to
formulate a sandwich assay for the detection of the rabies virus. Utilized various laboratory techniques
such as polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, western blots, BCA protein assay, etc.
Research Assistant - Plant Pathology, University of Calfornia
Responsible for screening lettuce plants for spontaneous resistance gene mutations. Although lettuce
plants are naturally resistant to fungus, certain spontaneous mutations may make them susceptible to
attack from fungus. Susceptible plants were then isolated for DNA analysis to detect changes or
deletions in sequences.
Research Intern - Breast/Cervical Cancer Control Program, State Department of Health
Initiated programs for breast and cervical cancer screening, targeting low-income and minority women.
Corresponded with hospitals and clinics throughout California to investigate low cost services for low-
income patients. Encouraged health care facilities to provide such screening services by attaining state
funding.
Research Assistant – School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California.
Assisted researchers with ongoing experiments in bovine in-vitro fertilization. Responsible for
preparation of experiments and analysis of data.
COMMUNITY AND VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES
Committee Overseeing Volunteer Services Representative, Yale Univ., New Haven, CT
Organized volunteer activities for medical and graduate students
Amnesty International, Davis Chapter, Davis, CA
Corresponded with foreign officials to persuade them to end atrocities against human rights.
Pine Tree Gardens, Home for mentally ill, Davis, CA
Planned recreational activities for the residents and ensured patient safety
Mission de la Casa, Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, San Jose, CA
Directed the activities of the elderly clients
Clinica Tepati, Free Saturday Clinic, Sacramento, CA
Assisted the medical staff in providing medical care to the homeless or those without health
insurance
Davis Community Meals, Davis, CA
Prepared and served meals to the homeless
PUBLICATIONS
"Urine and Fecal Sample Collection on Filter Paper for Ovarian Hormone Evaluations."
American Journal of Primatology, 1995: v 37, pages: 305-315.
PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS
A Thesis Presentation to The Faculty of the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale
University School of Medicine. “Temporal Trends Analysis of Perinatal Necrotizing Enterocolitis”.
Fellowship Presentation to the Biomedical Graduate Studies Fellowship Program, University of
Pennsylvania. “Quantifying Rabies glycoprotein using an ELISA assay”.
AFFILIATIONS
American Federation of Teachers
Association of Professionals in Infection Control
Member, American Association of University Women
Member, American College of Healthcare Executives
Member, Sigma Delta Epsilon- Graduate Women in Science
Member, ASHA- Indian public service organization, Yale University
University of California Gospel Choir
Education Opportunity Program
Medical Educational Enrichment Series Program for Minority Students
University of California at Davis Physiology Club
HONORS
Yale University Graduate Scholarship
Susan Bliss Scholarship
Steinbech Scholarship
U.S. Public Health Traineeship Grant
Epidemiology and Public Health Scholarship
Investigating An Outbreak Certification awarded by CDC
California Family Health Council, Region IX, Title X, Community Service Grant
University of Pennsylvania Fellowship
Recipient, Robert G. and Ida A. Sproul Scholarship
The National Dean’s List prestigious publication recognition award