ccrn exam

ethelbsnrn · Dec 3, 2003

I am reviewing too for this exam. Plan to take it by June, no rush. But I have gathered info from this BB, and the following are most recommended:

Laura Gasparis books and tapes

Thomas Ahrens' CCRN book

Springhouse CCRN reviewer

Goodluck!

zrmorgan · Dec 6, 2003

used Gasparis' books they are great and to the point

she wrote one that I used that was particularily helpful....I dont remember the name, but it was about 70 pages of "pearls" broken down into the subject sections.

I was surprised to see a lot of nursing theory on the test.

as far as calculating lvedp/svr etc...I think that would be a bit extreme....start by knowing what they mean and how common pathophys can effect these numbers (eg what does aortic stenosis do to the LVEDP?) Remember that hemodynamics is a small portion of the cardiovascular section of the whole exam though, and don't waste too much time....the ccrn test pamphlet should give you a percentage of the questions which focus on that material.

dont forget the nursing theory, psych/soc crap

if I can ease any anxiety...I took it with only a year of experience in a small ccu that had only 1 or 2 swans a month. it is a "studyable" exam.... if you have had some experience it will help you a great deal.

just my two bits

z

XIGRIS · Dec 6, 2003

just an fyi.

i just took the exam last friday (dec 5 ) and passed it with flying colors.

my advice: ( this is what my exam covers )

read the core curriculum. some answers were taken from that book word for word. that is the ONLY advice i can give you. ( that is, based on my exam last Friday ).

i recertified by taking the exam instead of CEU's. took CCRN 3 times. passed it all the time with the core alone.

good luck to you.

btw, i almost forgot. take your time when you take the test.

u'll make it

BDD · Dec 6, 2003

I bought the PASS CCRN book by Dennison, the Laura Gasparis Vonfrolio (I think) audio tapes with the "pearls" included, and the Critical Care Examination Review questions by Gasparis. For me, the PASS CCRN book helped me the most. I studied for about 8 weeks with all this, took the test, and passed with no problem. I would love to say that there is a way to study for the emotional support stuff, but there isn't, in my opinion. Other than that, there were some things on the test that were very easy to answer and other things that were hard to answer. On Dennison's website, one reader posted that her practice test scores using the CD-ROM were an almost exact marker of her CCRN test score. This was actually the case for me as well. Just be calm, take your time, and realize that 200 questions is going to take a while. Good Luck on the test.

Tubenem' · Dec 8, 2003

Took the test about a year ago, only listened to Gasparis' tapes they were awesome. She really preps you on what is going to be on the test. One exception is that I had a lot of pulmonary anatomy type questions? Alot of acid base stuff but overall not a real difficult test.

BarbPick · Dec 8, 2003

I hold 3 certifications, (being an obscessed over achiever is not the point), the point is how I learned to prepare for the exams. Buy a new study guide that has practice tests. Take the tests cold, do not open the book and read one word. Then evaluate how you did, strengths vs weaknesses. Study the areas you didn't do as well on first, than slam the easier stuff for a home run. It has worked for me 3 times. I found myself going over and over the first chapter and not getting past it . Check you skill level first.

ethelbsnrn · Dec 8, 2003

Barbpick - what are your certifications? CCRN, CEN, BCCVN? Just curious. :confused:

BarbPick · Dec 8, 2003

CRNI certified Registered Nurse Infusion (the roughest off all exams) questions about tpn like what is the absolute concentration of glucose in the tpn recipe, and more chemo than the OCN exam

OCN Oncology certified Nurse

CDE Certified Diabetes Educator, which I will drop.

I hold a certificate designated Forensic Nurse Specialist accepted by the Florida Board af Nursing and the Florida Bar, there is no real exam yet.

PilotJim68 · Dec 8, 2003

Originally posted by BarbPick
I hold 3 certifications, (being an obscessed over achiever is not the point), the point is how I learned to prepare for the exams. Buy a new study guide that has practice tests. Take the tests cold, do not open the book and read one word. Then evaluate how you did, strengths vs weaknesses. Study the areas you didn't do as well on first, than slam the easier stuff for a home run. It has worked for me 3 times. I found myself going over and over the first chapter and not getting past it . Check you skill level first.

This is how I study for most of my exams right now...if given the opportunity to take any practice exams. I do the same thing for the study questions in the back of the chapters then see what areas I need to work on....I think this is a good way to prepare.

AnesthesiaBound · Dec 11, 2003

I took the CCRN in September. It was tough, but not like I thought. I studied Pass CCRN and did the practice tests. I made note cards off of the answers to the post-test and I had Gasparis' tapes.

But the bummer is, maybe 25% of the exam was recognizable as something I studied. If you've been a nurse for a while and reasonably good at critical thinking, it's not too bad. The questions are scenario-based, so depend on your experience.

The worst part about the exam is that it is heavily weighted as if you are an EMT or ER nurse. You simply don't deal with the same problems in the ICUs.

Good luck in Jan and with interview/school.

B

tcrn · Jan 2, 2004

Did you find that the cd rom for the pass ccrn was like the real test? My husband thinks that I should focus on that more.... Maybe some of the questions will be direct quotes?? I like the fact that it explains rationale.

thanks!

trish