[ghillbert]

Both of the last 2 posters, all the info about certification exams (and recertifying by CEs) is at www.aacn.org

CSC and CMC are subspecialty exams (cardiac medicine and surgery) which can be taken and added to another certification (eg. CCRN-CSC) to show a cardiac specialty.

[deeDawntee]

Originally Posted by heysmalls

Hi everyone!!
I am very puzzled about how you renew the ccrn with the cerps. Where do you go to do this and does it cost anything. I have not taken the test yet, but i would like too. Just wanted to have everything all together before i made up my mind to do it. I just can't find the cerp's. If anyone could help, i would greatly appreciate it. Congrats to all who have passed the test.

When you apply to take your initial CCRN exam, you should definitely join the AACN, there are many benefits, one of which is FREE CERP's through their website. They have articles (I think most are from their magazine) and you need to pass the test at the end of the article, and then you achieve 'credit' for that article. What is really great is that your ongoing transcripts are stored on-line for you, so you know exactly how many more cerps you need for recertification. They also indicate which category of Cerp you are achieving so that you are sure to get all the requirements out of the way. I believe you can also get credit for other education you may be aquiring along the way, but I would definitely be sure to get approval from the AACN at the time, so you don't end up having to get a bunch of extra cerps before you get your recertification. They do it by honor, except that a certain amount of people per year will be audited.

I hope that answers your question! And welcome to our little thread!!



Please use us as fully as you want and there are always new people finding this thread who are in the process of studying, it is a great way to stay motivated and empowered.

How long have you worked in critical care?? That's great that you are already looking forward to your CCRN!!!

[CDRretired]

I took the exam last year after attending a CCRN Prep course and studying for 3 months. It is a big deal at my hospital to have certification as we are applying for the Beacon Award and Magnet status. Anyway, I have given this advice to everyone taking the test and their response has been overwhelming positive.

Before you answer one question, take approx. 15 min and write down (on your scrap paper they give you) everything you think will help you pass the exam. Formulas, EKG pearls, Normal lab values, charts, graphs, etc. You may not need to refer back to these notes, but I found towards the end of the test, I was getting mentally tired & my mind was beginning to question my answers. That's when I referred back to those notes. It also gave me confidence.

So good luck to all of you taking the test!

[deeDawntee]

Originally Posted by CDRretired

I took the exam last year after attending a CCRN Prep course and studying for 3 months. It is a big deal at my hospital to have certification as we are applying for the Beacon Award and Magnet status. Anyway, I have given this advice to everyone taking the test and their response has been overwhelming positive.

Before you answer one question, take approx. 15 min and write down (on your scrap paper they give you) everything you think will help you pass the exam. Formulas, EKG pearls, Normal lab values, charts, graphs, etc. You may not need to refer back to these notes, but I found towards the end of the test, I was getting mentally tired & my mind was beginning to question my answers. That's when I referred back to those notes. It also gave me confidence.

So good luck to all of you taking the test!

Thanks for the great tip!!!

[ghillbert]

I totally agree CDR, I do the same thing. I wrote down my DKA -v- HHNK values, my normal hemodynmics, systolic/diastolic murmurs, blood values.

Just ensures that after an hour and a half, when your brain is fried, you can look over and recall stuff.

To be honest though, most of the stuff for this exam was not recall but application of stuff I already knew.

[XIGRIS]

Ok i know this is for CCRN exam but I am just gonna post it here beacause nobody has responded to my question.

Anyone taking the CMC exam? For those who have written the exam, what book did u use for review? Any suggestions?

[ghillbert]

I'm going to take the CSC and/or CMC pretty soon. I have the test plan from the aacn website, and I'll probably just use the "pass CCRN" and my cardiothoracic surgical text (Finkelmeier). I think it's the same stuff as CCRN, but just more in depth about the cardiac stuff.

[deeDawntee]

Originally Posted by XIGRIS

Ok i know this is for CCRN exam but I am just gonna post it here beacause nobody has responded to my question.

Anyone taking the CMC exam? For those who have written the exam, what book did u use for review? Any suggestions?

Hi Xigris, thanks for asking... personally, I don't know anything about either the CMC or the CSC exams but if you use the search bar on Allnurses some information from past posters pops up. Hopefully, you will find some more useful information there.

Good luck!!

[tutu123]

yes, I am. Good Lord the nuero part is killing me. I would like to bounce questions off other people.

[deeDawntee]

Originally Posted by tutu123

yes, I am. Good Lord the nuero part is killing me. I would like to bounce questions off other people.

Absolutey, there are many who have passed and I am sure would be more than happy to answer questions, along with myself.

What kind of resources are you using?

Ask away!!!!