Do you have to take CCRN exam to stay in ICU?

Specialties Critical

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I'm still in nursing school but I want to work in CC when I graduate an I was just wondering if the exam is mandatory? This is the first time I have heard about it as I was looking around in this thread. Thank u!

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Specializes in ER/ICU/STICU.

Not anywhere that I have worked. However, my current unit is pushing everyone to get their CCRN. There are certain requirements you need in order to sit for the exam.

Here is a link for those requirements:

Initial CCRN Certification

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Ccrn is just a way to show your dedication and knowledge base when it comes to critical care nursing.. while it definately is nice to have, I haven't heard of any hospitals requiring it for employment

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I am currently working on a research paper related to the preparation that nurses receive to be patient educators. Could you please share with me your thoughts on how much time is spent in nursing school on patient teaching and how prepared you feel in the clinical setting to carry out your duties as a patient educator? Does anyone have experience on your unit that you can share about how well your unit prepares you to teach your patients?

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Specializes in Critical Care, Cardiology, Education.

CCRN is absolutely not mandatory. You can work your entire career without CCRN certification and not have a problem. That being said, CCRN certification (or any specialty certification for that matter) shows your commitment to high-quality patient care. There is also a growing body of research that ties certification to improved patient outcomes, staff satisfaction, nurse retention, etc. It's a good thing.

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