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The CCRN is the most recognized critical care credential in the world. Attainment of this credential garners respect from nurses, physicians and administrators. There are minimum requirements and study involved, but with guidance and the right study materials, stress and time are minimized.
Neonatal CCRN courses and Pediatric CCRN courses are presented year-round at various locations throughout the country. To schedule a Pediatric CCRN or Neonatal CCRN Review course, please call 951.285.5699 or email us at forproed@yahoo.com. Please refer to the Upcoming Seminars page for more information!
As you scroll down, you will learn more about the Neonatal and Pediatric CCRN certifications. If you contact us by email (forproed@yahoo.com), or by phone (951.285.5699), we will send you the materials you will need to apply for membership and/or registration to begin the CCRN exam process, including the NEW 2007 TEST PLAN.
Courtesy of AACN:
"CCRN® is a registered service mark of the AACN Certification Corporation and denotes certification in critical care nursing as granted by the AACN Certification Corporation. Registered nurses who have not achieved CCRN certification status or whose CCRN status has lapsed are not authorized to use the CCRN credential. Although a common misconception, the letters CCRN do not stand for "critical care registered nurse." To use the credential in such a way suggests that nurses are REGISTERED as critical care nurses, when in fact that is not true. Registration is a legal matter between a nurse and the state in which he or she practices.
The CCRN examination is a 3-hour test consisting of 150 multiple-choice items. Each CCRN examination, whether focused on the care of the neonatal, pediatric or adult critically ill patient, is based on a Role Delineation / CCRN Validation Study.
The exam are given via Computer Based Testing and are offered year-round five days a week at the more than 100 Applied Measurement Professionals, Inc. (AMP) assessment centers nationwide.
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Eligibility Requirements
This information was obtained from the AACN website at www.aacn.org. You may also obtain information at www.certcorp.org.
Eligibility Requirements
A BSN is NOT required to sit for the CCRN exam.
Applicants must hold current, unrestricted registered nurse licensure in the United States or any of its territories. In order to meet the RN licensure requirement for initial CCRN certification and recertification, an individual nurse's RN license must be unrestricted. This means than an RN license, issued by a state board of nursing, must not have provisions or conditions that would limit the nurse's practice in any way. It is the responsibility of the exam applicant or CCRN-certified nurse to notify the AACN Certification Corporation when any restriction is placed on his / her RN license.
CLINICAL PRACTICE ELIGIBILITY
1,750 hours in direct bedside care of the (adult, neonatal or pediatric) critically ill patient within the last 2 years preceding date of application, with 875 of those hours accrued in the most recent year preceding application are required. Clinical practice hours accrued in an undergraduate student role are NOT acceptable. NOTE: Nurses serving as manager, educator (in-service or academic), CNS or preceptor may now apply their hours spent supervising nursing students or nurses at the bedside. Nurses in these roles must be actively involved in caring for patients at the bedside; for example, demonstrating how to measure pulmonary artery pressures or supervising a new employee or student nurse performing a procedure.
Eligible clinical practice hours for AACN Certification Corporation examinations or certification renewal are those completed in U.S. based facilities or in facilities determined to be comparable to the U.S. standard of acute/critical care nursing practice, as evidenced by ANCC Magnet Status and/or JCAHO or JCR International accreditation.
AACN Certification Corporation recognizes the effect the dynamic healthcare environment has had on critical care nursing practice. While high acuity patients are still cared for in ICU/CCU settings, many patients traditionally cared for in these areas may now be admitted or cared for in a variety of units. AACN Certification Corporation acknowledges that critical care nursing occurs outside the four walls of the traditional ICU/CCU setting. Regardless of the clinical arena, acute and critically ill patients require knowledgeable, clinically competent nurses.
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NEONATAL - This document is designed to serve as an example of the types of procedures that critical care nurses perform. It is only for your own reference, and is no longer part of the eligibility to sit for the exam or for recertification of CCRN status.
Hemodynamic instability that required:
arterial pressure monitoring
central venous pressure monitoring
umbilical / arterial and venous pressure monitoring
intravenous vasoactive agents
Life-threatening conditions that required:
emergency drug administration (e.g. epinephrine, atropine)
intravenous paralytic agents
continuous intravenous insulin infusion
exchange transfusion
Compromised air exchange that required:
continuous respiratory monitors
an endotracheal tube
a newly inserted tracheostomy
nasal / facial CPAP
conventional mechanical ventilation
use of a manual resuscitation device (AMBU / anesthesia bag)
newly inserted chest tube(s) / needle aspiration
continuous pulse oximeter / transcutaneous O2 / CO2 monitor
oral and nasopharyngeal airway
oxyhood
Cardiac dysfunction that required:
continuous EKG monitoring
mediastinal chest tube(s)
prostaglandin therapy
Neurologic dysfunction that required:
ventricular reservoirs / shunts
intravenous push anticonvulsive agents
Physiologic alterations that required administration of:
continuous intravenous narcotic infusion
intravenous push narcotics
immunotherapy (e.g., immunoglobulin, granulocyte infusion)
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Sample Neonatal CCRN Exam Questions
1. After application of a warm saline-soaked gauze dressing to an infant’s abdominal wall defect, the most effective method for preventing evaporative heat loss is to:
A. Place the infant in a warmed isolette
B. Place the infant under a radiant heat source
C. Moisten the gauze dressing every 30 minutes
D. Cover the gauze dressing with plastic
2. A baby has just been intubated for respiratory failure due to respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). The infant’s breath sounds are heard on the right side but not on the left. Which of the following interventions would be most appropriate?
A. Leave the tube in position and increase bag pressure
B. Advance the tube until breath sounds are heard bilaterally
C. Withdraw the tube until breath sounds are heard bilaterally
D. Remove the tube and re-intubate
3. A preterm infant with necrotizing enterocolitis and resultant bowel perforation has returned from the operating room with an ileostomy. The first step in management of the ostomy should include:
A. Contacting the dietitian for recommendations regarding easily digested formula.
B. Contacting the enterostomal nurse to provide a pattern for the ostomy appliance.
C. Applying a dry sterile dressing over the ostomy.
D. Clinitesting stool to determine degree of malabsorption.
4. An infant at 38 weeks gestation is born via cesarean section. At four hours of age, heart rate is 155 and respiratory rate is at 60. Physical assessment reveals grunting, mild retractions, and nasal flaring. A chest X-ray reveals perihilar streaking bilaterally. The following arterial blood gas (ABG) results are obtained:
pH 7.40
pCO2 35
pO2 40
HCO3- 22
Appropriate management of this patient would consist of:
A. Intubation and mechanical ventilation
B. Surfactant replacement therapy
C. Chest tube insertion
D. Oxygen administration via hood
5. A meeting is planned to discuss the parent’s ethical concerns regarding life support interventions for their neonate with Trisomy 18. The nurse’s role would be to:
A. Assist the parents in articulating their questions and concerns.
B. Provide legal information regarding end-of-life decisions.
C. Describe reasons for the infant’s poor prognosis.
D. Inform the parents that the goal of the meeting is to obtain a DNR order.
6. An infant with documented hypoglycemia is being started on a continuous dextrose infusion following a bolus injection of glucose. An appropriate rate of dextrose infusion would be:
A. 1 - 3 mg / kg / min
B. 4 - 8 mg / kg / min
C. 9 - 12 mg / kg / min
D. 13 - 16 mg / kg / min
7. An infant with isometric hydrops is delivered at 28 weeks of gestation by cesarean section. Which of the following interventions should be anticipated in the initial management of this infant?
A. Administration of sodium polystyrene sulfonate (Kayexalate)
B. Placement of an umbilical venous catheter and slow push of O-positive whole blood
C. Thoracentesis and / or paracentesis
D. A difficult intubation
8. The following result were obtained from a cerebro spinal fluid, “CSF” sample obtained by lumbar puncture:
40 WBC / mm
65% polymorphonuclear cells
Glucose 50 mg / dl
Protein 165 mg / dl
Bacteria shown by Gram-staining
On the basis of these results, the most appropriate additional study would include:
A. Drawing blood for sedimentation rate
B. Obtaining surface cultures
C. Continuing monitoring without intervention
D. Obtaining blood and urine cultures
9. The mother of an infant with severe PPHN would like to hold her infant. The infant’s oxygen saturation is 88-92% at rest and mean blood pressure is 28. The nurse’s best response would be to:
A. Explain signs and symptoms that demonstrate instability of the infant.
B. Assist the mother in holding the infant skin-to-skin.
C. Encourage the mother to talk to the infant.
D. Show the mother how to provide gentle infant massage.
Answers
1. d 2. c 3. b 4. d 5.a 6. b 7. c
8. d 9. a
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