For those that have taken the RNC or CCRN

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Specializes in NICU.

For those of you that have taken the neonatal RNC or CCRN exam, how well were you doing on practice questions? I'm about half way through the core curriculum question book and have an overall average of 82%. Is this good enough to pass the test? I remember getting worse scores studying for my nclex and I passed, but I'm not sure how that compares to this test! I'm hoping to take the test within the next 2 months, but I'm getting very nervous!

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PACU.

I helped proctor our last test, and I snuck a look a the test book...it was pretty difficult and the core curriculum, while great, is just a baseline for the test. I'd get a few more resources to go thru. Is there a review course available by you? We had classes put on by our education coordinators and they had a "test" on each subject.

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Specializes in NICU Level III.

I was doing really well on NNP exam practice questions and not so hot on the actual review book that goes w/ Verklan/Walden. I passed the test and thought it was easy, but I had gone to a conference that told you exactly what to study. There are a lot of really random questions on there and lot of ABG interpretations.

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For those of you that have taken the neonatal RNC or CCRN exam how well were you doing on practice questions? I'm about half way through the core curriculum question book and have an overall average of 82%. Is this good enough to pass the test? I remember getting worse scores studying for my nclex and I passed, but I'm not sure how that compares to this test! I'm hoping to take the test within the next 2 months, but I'm getting very nervous![/quote']

I took and passed the CCRN 2 yrs ago. Honestly I hardly studies but I do have quite a bit of experience...I made it through the review book once finished the morning of taking the test. I found for the CCRN the review book helped me...some of the questions were simular. The key is not to be nervous....in fact I was certain I would fail! The reason I took the thing in the first place was to skip the final clinical for college for my BSN.

Good Luck Hon!

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Specializes in Neonatal ICU (Cardiothoracic).

I took the RNC exam in 2007, and just took the NNP cert exam this year... I found the Core Curriculum by Verklan as well as the accompaying study guide/questions very helpful.

I remember scoring 70-80s on the practice exams, and easily passed both "real" exams.

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Specializes in NICU.

I studied the Merenstein and Gardner book "Handbook of Neonatal Intensive Care". It was comprehensive and easy to understand. If your NICU or hospital has a library, I'd also suggest skimming through "Physical Assessment of the Newborn". It's published by NICU Ink. And, BTW, if you're a member of NANN, part of their membership includes a subscription to "Neonatal Network" magazine, and 15 hours of CEUs offered for free each year. Each issue has a few articles that they offer for continuing education, with multiple choice questions. The articles are well-written and current.

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Specializes in NICU Level III.

Is the CCRN pretty much the same as the RNC test? Would it be useless to have both?

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Specializes in Neonatal ICU (Cardiothoracic).
Is the CCRN pretty much the same as the RNC test? Would it be useless to have both?

It's not the same exam...but it's kind of pointless to be double certified. You'll have different CEU maintenance requirements, etc...

IMHO, do the RNC. It's more widely known for the neonatal population, and there are a lot of resources to use studying for it. I would check with your particular hospital and manager to see what is preferred there, and which they would reimburse you for.

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