CCRN

[cardiacxo]

Who has recently taken the CCRN exam? I am a cardiac critical care nurse and am planning on taking it soon. I have the Pass CCRN book and have been doing questions on the evolve test bank scoring mid 70s. Was there anything that you would suggest making sure to look over on the test? Anyone else use and pass with the PASS CCRN? I'm trying to see what my odds are looking like! Hope to pass the first time obviously. Tips/Suggestions from anyone who has recently taken the test are welcome.

[Tbutbu]

Maybe the TCRN would be more up your alley. We have a couple of ICU nurses that have taken it.

"The new TCRN® (Trauma Certified Registered Nurse) examination is the only professional board certification focused exclusively on the care of patients ACROSS THE CONTINUUM OF TRAUMA CARE..."

[lighthouse2]

What are benefits of certification? Just curious.

[iceyv3]

I passed!!! So glad to be done with that exam lol.

[Mallory1121]

Yikes! @Blueboat - With full respect, as nurses, we should support and encourage each other to obtain as much knowledge as we can to better ourselves as professionals and to contribute to better patient outcomes...This is an uphill battle of a career and we have enough entities working against us and/or discouraging us and our knowledge base.

@oldandintheway -I would highly encourage you to obtain your CCRN as an ER nurse! I hold my CCRN along with my CEN and TCRN. I work in a level 1 emergency department that is divided between an acute care ER and a critical care ER. In critical care, we sometimes have ICU holds for DAYS (state hospital...sigh)..I had no problems with my ER experience qualifying as ICU experience within the AACN. In fact, my partner was accepted into 3 different CRNA programs coming from a level 1 Emergency Department. You likely DO have the organic knowledge expected to pass the exam, despite what some ICU nurses may believe of ER nurses. In my Emergency Department, we titrate all the drips that they titrate in the ICU, and yes, "without an MD present" In fact, we can titrate an unlimited amount of drips on one patient. In the ICUs at my hospital, they can titrate a max of 2 drips and everything after that the order must be changed by the MD....we manage IVDs & ICP monitoring, intubations, chest tubes, ECMO patients, we float in pacer wires, we have patients maxed on all pressors, post-arrest hypothermia, antiarrythmics, MTP, a-lines, central lines..you name it and we do it. Obtaining my CCRN really did help me and even if you work in an ER that isn't this intense or "you only have an ICU patient for a few hours..not days"..it doesn't matter! Managing ARDS, obtaining and interpreting ABGs, Managing sepsis->severe sepsis->septic shock (an issue that can be greatly intercepted or reduced in the ER), massive blood transfusions, what different pressors do/are used for... are just a few of the many things that the CCRN covers and you will benefit from knowing as an ER nurse.

Obviously - There will be questions that you will be unfamiliar with regarding swanz...IABPs...etc..but they are things that you can LEARN. Knowledge is unlimited, yes the CCRN is difficult but is definitely obtainable for an ER nurse...Do it! and GOOD LUCK!

[Mallory1121]

Yikes! @Blueboat - With full respect, as nurses, we should support and encourage each other to obtain as much knowledge as we can to better ourselves as professionals and to contribute to better patient outcomes...This is an uphill battle of a career and we have enough entities working against us and/or discouraging us and our knowledge base.

@oldandintheway -I would highly encourage you to obtain your CCRN as an ER nurse! I hold my CCRN along with my CEN and TCRN. I work in a level 1 emergency department that is divided between an acute care ER and a critical care ER. In critical care, we sometimes have ICU holds for DAYS (state hospital...sigh)..I had no problems with my ER experience qualifying as ICU experience within the AACN. In fact, my partner was accepted into 3 different CRNA programs coming from a level 1 Emergency Department. You likely DO have the organic knowledge expected to pass the exam, despite what some ICU nurses may believe of ER nurses. In my Emergency Department, we titrate all the drips that they titrate in the ICU, and yes, "without an MD present" In fact, we can titrate an unlimited amount of drips on one patient. In the ICUs at my hospital, they can titrate a max of 2 drips and everything after that the order must be changed by the MD....we manage IVDs & ICP monitoring, intubations, chest tubes, ECMO patients, we float in pacer wires, we have patients maxed on all pressors, post-arrest hypothermia, antiarrythmics, MTP, a-lines, central lines..you name it and we do it. Obtaining my CCRN really did help me and even if you work in an ER that isn't this intense or "you only have an ICU patient for a few hours..not days"..it doesn't matter! Managing ARDS, obtaining and interpreting ABGs, Managing sepsis->severe sepsis->septic shock (an issue that can be greatly intercepted or reduced in the ER), massive blood transfusions, what different pressors do/are used for... are just a few of the many things that the CCRN covers and you will benefit from knowing as an ER nurse.

Obviously - There will be questions that you will be unfamiliar with regarding swanz...IABPs...etc..but they are things that you can LEARN. Knowledge is unlimited, yes the CCRN is difficult but is definitely obtainable for an ER nurse...Do it! and GOOD LUCK!

[Chisca, RN]

ICU is the only dept that qualifies..

The ICU is wherever the patient is at. As others have pointed out busy ERs frequently have ICU level patients waiting on a bed so why wouldn't that experience qualify? Even my acute dialysis experience counts.

Option 1: Practice as an RN or APRN for 1,750 hours in direct care of acutely/critically ill patients during the previous 2 years, with 875 of those hours accrued in the most recent year preceding application.

https://www.aacn.org/certification/get-certified/ccrn-frequently-asked-questions