Question for those CCRNs out there..... I have about 15 mths ICU experience and am preparing to take CCRN. We do the whole gambit in our ICU - trauma, neuro, fresh hearts, surgical, medical. About the only thing we do not do are MI ruleouts (they go to a coronary care unit). I've been studying the PASS CCRN book and am doing the questions on the CD that comes with the book. I am also planning to take a CCRN Review course this summer. I'm getting a little nervous because I am really, really starting to see that the more I learn, the more I realize I don't know.
So, how did you prepare for the exam? Any tips or pointers? Is my relatively short amount of critical care experience going to really work against me? Does anyone have websites with CCRN sample questions?
I just passed the CCRN last week, and I agree that the Kaplan book was not really helpful at all and the Pass CCRN! book itself was way too detailed. However, the CD that came with Pass CCRN! was a great resource and the questions on that CD are for the most part harder than the questions on the actual exam. The Laura Gasparis Vonfrolio CD's were great too, I took notes on them and I found that she did a great job highlighting important parts of the exam. Also, it is probably most important to focus on pulmonary and cardiac as those two subjects make up over half the test. For everything else, just know highlights.
I took CCRN two years ago--I used Pass CCRN (bought it at one of her ccrn prep classes) and the Gasparis-Vonfrolio DVDs but my FAVORITE study method was Critical Care Examination Review by Laura Gasparis Vonfrolio. It is all practice tests with answers and rationale in the back. (much harder than the actual CCRN exam in my opinion) Good Luck!
I only used Pass CCRN. The book has a lot of info and to be honest I only read the sections on cardiac and respiratory then I just did practice questions/exams on the CD it came with. I took the test last month and passed. My suggestion is to know swan numbers and how to interpret them and also the synergy part. If you can do well on synergy and cardiac that is 60% of the test right there.
Hello. I recenty took the test and missed passing buy just 3 points. I looked at the results and basically got walloped on the ethics section. Is there any good study material for that section that anyone has found? Pass CCRN doesn't have much in they way of test questions/study material for that section so I'm at a loss as to how to attack that section. Thanks.
I took the CCRN exam 4 yrs ago. Used the LGV review tapes, the disc from PASS CCRN and actually saw Laura Gasparis-Vonfrolio in person at a live CCRN review. She is a HOOT! If you can see her live, I highly recommend it!! She is AWESOME and you can pass the exam on her materials alone, I believe.
I am considering taking the CCRN. I bought the "Pass CCRN" book a few years ago but overanalyzed it and it was way too much info and I never took it. I also bought the LGV review book which is great. And the cassettes - but my car no longer has cassette so I can rarely listen to them anymore, but thats another story. Is this stuff outdated do you think? Its all like 5 yrs old.
Also, I may take the CPAN also since I currently am in PACU. But space them out, like spring and fall. Am I nuts? Anyone else tackle 2 exams in one year?
winnieleigh
16 Posts
I just passed my CCRN. The Kaplan book was not helpful at all!