Student Profile: Cathy Schloeder, PMP

I am a registered nurse by background with a master’s in organizational management.  My current role is process improvement and a liaison between clinical and informatics to ensure the electronic health record adequately supports the needs of the organization.

I considered to having PMP Certification because I have led and/or participated on numerous projects over the past several years including working in a Six Sigma department on an assignment.  I wanted to pursue a certification and chose PMP based upon the respect I have for PMPs I have had the opportunity to work with.  I also researched what was covered in the PMBOK and felt that the material was very relevant to my job.

What was the most difficult part of my PMP studies?  Healthcare projects are very different from IT projects therefore much of the information in the PMBOK was new to me.  The PMP exam covers an extensive amount of information, I found it difficult to memorize the vast amount of material in a short period of time.  I was always an A student yet taking the sample tests I was scoring in the 60’s to 80’s which was somewhat unsettling to me.

I learned about the The PM PrepCast when googling PMP certification and bootcamps, I ran across the PrepCast and how incredibly less expensive it was in comparison to a bootcamp.  Plus I even found a ten dollar off coupon at the time!

I found the PrepCast to be comprehensive and the emails with links to sample questions and additional resources to also be very valuable.  I cannot think of anything missing.

My #1 recommendation for those studying for the exam -  I found it most successful to have my PMBOK open to the section being covered in the PrepCast and take notes directly onto the PMBOK pages, then put a post-it note to flag that page of the PMBOK if I got a question wrong on a sample test and felt it needed further review.  By having notes I took from the PrepCast directly in the PMBOK, it triggered my memory of the PrepCast material.  This, in combination with purchasing the Rita Mulcahy PMP guide was all I needed to successfully pass the exam with 45 days preparation (putting in about 20 hours of intense studying each week over that period).