We are delighted you are interested in pursuing CCRN certification. Your motivation reflects the dedication you exemplify as you provide direct bedside care to acutely or critically ill patients and their families. By demonstrating you have mastered certain skills, knowledge and abilities, you can distinguish yourself as a leader at the bedside.
CCRN® is a registered service mark of the AACN Certification Corporation and denotes certification in critical care nursing as granted by the AACN Certification Corporation. Registered nurses who have not achieved CCRN certification status or whose CCRN status has lapsed are not authorized to use the CCRN credential. Although a common misconception, the letters CCRN do not stand for "critical care registered nurse." To use the credential in such a way suggests that nurses are REGISTERED as critical care nurses, when in fact that is not true. Registration is a legal matter between a nurse and the state in which he or she practices. For a definition of certification, as opposed to registration, click here.
The CCRN examination is a 3-hour test consisting of 150 multiple-choice items. Each CCRN examination, whether focused on the care of the neonatal, pediatric or adult critically ill patient, is based on a Role Delineation / CCRN Validation Study.
The exams are given via Computer Based Testing and are offered year-round five days a week at the more than 100 Applied Measurement Professionals, Inc. (AMP) assessment centers nationwide. Paper and pencil versions of the exam are generally offered at the National Teaching Institute (NTI), which will be held next in Chicago, IL, May 3-8, 2008. The NTI exam is offered at a discounted price for both members and nonmembers, and you do not have to be attending the NTI to sit for the exam. The application deadline for the May, 2008 exam was in March, 2008. Paper and pencil versions of the exam are also offered at the SEPA Chapter Trends conference in Philadelphia, PA; visit the What's New area of this Web site for exam information.
To access the 88-page Certification Exam Handbook, which includes the 3-page CCRN exam application, please click here.
The above document may be viewed and printed out using Acrobat Reader, available below. This handbook can also be e-mailed to you as a Word 2000 or Rich Text Format (.rtf) attachment; click on Contact Us above and specify which handbook and format you would like. However, all of the information contained in the handbook, as well as the application, may be found on this Web site.
For more information on one of the following CCRN categories, please click on the appropriate title:
Initial CCRN Certification CCRN Recertification Alumnus CCRN status CCRN Retired status Inactive CCRN status AACN/CCRN Ambassadors
Eligibility Requirements Reference Lists CCRN Test Plans Sample CCRN Exam Questions CCRN Exam Fees Detailed Testing Info.: Application Process, Timeline, Applications, etc.
A BSN is NOT required to sit for the CCRN exam.
Applicants must hold current, unencumbered registered nurse licensure in the United States. In order to meet the RN licensure requirement for initial CCRN certification and recertification, an individual nurse's RN license must be unencumbered. This means that an RN license, issued by a state board of nursing, must not have provisions or conditions that would limit the nurse's practice in any way. It is the responsibility of the exam applicant or CCRN-certified nurse to notify the AACN Certification Corporation when any restriction is placed on his / her RN license.
Critical care practice as a registered nurse is required for 1,750 hours in direct bedside care of (adult, neonatal or pediatric) acutely or critically ill patients during the 2-year period preceding date of application, with 875 of those hours accrued in the most recent year preceding application. All 1,750 hours must be in care of same patient population (for example, for the adult CCRN exam, all 1,750 hours must be caring for acutely/critically ill adult patients). Clinical practice hours accrued in an undergraduate student role are NOT acceptable. Nurses serving as manager, educator (in-service or academic), CNS or preceptor may now apply their hours spent supervising nursing students or nurses at the bedside. Nurses in these roles must be actively involved in caring for patients at the bedside; for example, demonstrating how to measure pulmonary artery pressures or supervising a new employee or student nurse performing a procedure.
Eligible clinical practice hours for AACN Certification Corporation examinations or certification renewal are those completed in U.S.-based or Canada-based facilities or in facilities determined to be comparable to the U.S. standard of acute/critical care nursing practice, as evidenced by ANCC Magnet Status or Joint Commission International accreditation.
AACN Certification Corporation recognizes the effect the dynamic healthcare environment has had on critical care nursing practice. While high acuity patients are still cared for in ICU/CCU settings, many patients traditionally cared for in these areas may now be admitted or cared for in a variety of units. AACN Certification Corporation acknowledges that critical care nursing occurs outside the four walls of the traditional ICU/CCU setting. Regardless of the clinical arena, acutely and critically ill patients require knowledgeable, clinically competent nurses.
The CCRN-certified nurse has the advanced body of knowledge necessary to care for the complex needs of complex patients whether acute or critically ill. Forty percent of the 40,000 certified CCRNs work in areas outside the ICU/CCU setting. AACN Certification Corporation values all CCRNs and nurses caring for these patients and has updated the CCRN program to reflect the ever-changing healthcare environment. The specialized body of knowledge for critical care nurses delineated by the Study of Practice is still the framework and basis for exam content.
While accomplishment of specific technical skills is no longer required to be eligible to sit for the CCRN exam, having knowledge of physiology and management of patients requiring hemodynamic monitoring or ventilators may benefit you in understanding the questions presented on the exam. Having knowledge and experience with patient situations involving technology that monitors or maintains life functions will enhance your understanding of the patient care scenarios outlined in the examination. If you are unfamiliar with a specific technology (for example intracranial pressure monitoring), in addition to learning about the technology through studying, you may wish to seek out clinical experiences that enable you to become familiar with normal and abnormal readings, patient assessment, and troubleshooting.
ADULT - click here to see the list of recommended experiences for Adult CCRN candidates. NEONATAL - click here to see the list of recommended experiences for Neonatal CCRN candidates. PEDIATRIC - click here to see the list of recommended experiences for Pediatric CCRN candidates.
Verification of eligibility is not required; however, the name and address of a supervisor or coworker who can verify the requirements must be given. If you are randomly selected for audit, this associate will be contacted to verify that you have met the eligibility requirements. A supervisor or coworker is defined as a clinical supervisor (such as RN or physician) or a registered nurse colleague (may or may not be CCRN-certified) with whom you work.
Additional eligibility requirements may be adopted by AACN Certification Corporation at its sole discretion from time to time. Any such requirements will be designed to establish, for the purposes of CCRN certification, the adequacy of a candidate's knowledge and experience in caring for the critically ill.
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Payable in U.S. Funds. Fees are subject to change without notice.
The most recent study or practice, completed in 2003, defines the dimensions of critical care practice and identifies the actual tasks, knowledge and experiences required of a registered nurse practicing in a neonatal, pediatric or adult critical care setting.
In the study, neonatal, pediatric and adult critical care nurses across the United States were surveyed to ascertain the frequency and significance of the various elements of their practice. Through an extensive review and evaluation process, the tasks crucial to critical care nursing were defined using the Synergy Model as an organizing framework. CCRN examinations are based on these tasks and the knowledge required to perform them. The Executive Summary of the 2003 Job Analysis is available by clicking here.
The above document may be viewed and printed using Acrobat Reader, available below. The document may also be obtained via e-mail as Word 2000 or Rich Text Format (.rtf) attachments; click on Contact Us above and specify the document and format you would like to receive.
CCRN certification is achieved by those critical care nurses who pass a CCRN examination in neonatal, pediatric and / or adult critical care nursing. CCRN certification denotes to the public those practitioners who possess a distinct and clearly defined body of knowledge called critical care nursing.
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