Stroke Verified Registered Nurse vs Certified Neuroscience Nurse

Cojo9829 · Oct 1, 2016

The first part should have said Stroke Certified

Kallie3006, ADN · Oct 1, 2016

The CNRN deals with the neuro system as a whole including the surgery aspect of patient care. It is a more comprehensive course and covers a "broader" area than the SCRN. The SCRN has only been around since about 2013 and covers the neurological care of patients but of course the main focus is CVA/TIA. Depending on your field and the focus of your floor would be determining on which you would want to achieve. There is a free course for receiving your NIHSS that is good for 24 months, although your employer may request refresher earlier. This allows a more in depth look at assessment of a patient that has had a stroke, or one that you may suspect of having on n the hospital. I would talk to the Director of your floor and inquiry about the pros vs cons of the national certs, that may help you on your decision. The AANN has more information on their page that may be worth you looking into.

Cojo9829 · Oct 1, 2016

Thank you. I have worked ortho/Neuro and now work acute rehab. Or patient population consists of CVA, TIA. TBI,medical and surgical pts. If I were to take the CNRN exam, would it better prepare me for the SCRN exam? I have looked at the AANN site.

WoozleRN · Oct 2, 2016

I got my SCRN in 2014 and my CNRN this past March. At least from my experience with my unit (neuroscience ICU in a comprehensive stroke center), the SCRN was infinitely easier. At the time that I took it, it dealt primarily with the acute phases of hemorrhagic and ischemic strokes, which is what we mainly see. The CNRN dealt with a lot of neurological patient populations which are generally not seen in the adult ICU setting (such as multiple sclerosis), and there were so many questions dealing with pediatrics. The CNRN required a lot more studying for me, whereas the SCRN was mostly "yep, this is what I do at work all day."