The CCRN certification is achieved by those acute/critical care nurses who pass the CCRN exam in neonatal, pediatric, and/or adult critical care nursing. 

The CCRN exams are 3-hour tests consisting of 150 multiple-choice items. Of the 150 items, 125 are scored and 25 are used to gather statistical data on item performance for future exams. The CCRN exams focus on adult, pediatric, and neonatal patient populations. Eighty percent (80%) of each exam focuses on Clinical Judgment and is age-specific for the adult, pediatric, and neonatal populations. The remaining 20% covers Professional Caring and Ethical Practice. Professional Caring and Ethical Practice questions may be asked about any age across the life span while Clinical Judgment questions are restricted to adult, neonatal or pediatric populations.

Candidates are tested on a variety of patient care problems that are organized under major categories. Please note the percentage of the CCRN exam devoted to each category

Cardiovascular - 18%

Pulmonary - 17%

Endocrine/Hematology/GI/Renal/Integumentary - 20%

Neuro/Musculoskeletal/Psychosocial - 13%

Multisystem - 14%

Professional Caringl & Ethical - 20%

 

The PCCN certification is achieved by those nurses who pass the PCCN exam in adult progressive care nursing. PCCN certification denotes to the public those practitioners who possess a distinct and clearly defined body of knowledge called progressive care nursing

The PCCN exam is a 2½-hour test consisting of 125 multiple-choice items. Of the 125 items, 100 are scored and 25 are used to gather statistical data on item performance for future exams. Please refer to the PCCN Test Plan for detailed content information. The PCCN exam focuses on adult patient populations only.

PCCN Test Plan The content of the PCCN exam is described in the test plan included in this handbook. Candidates are tested on a variety of patient care problems that are organized under major categories. Please note the percentage of the PCCN exam devoted to each category.

Cardiovascular - 33%

Pulmonary - 14%

Endocrine/Hemtology/GI/Renal - 18%

Neurology/Multisystem/Behavioral - 15%

Professional Caring & Ethical - 20%

 

To learn more about PCCN Certification: https://www.aacn.org/~/media/aacn-website/certification/get-certified/handbooks/pccnexamhandbook.pdf?la=en

 

To learn more about CCRN Certification: https://www.aacn.org/~/media/aacn-website/certification/get-certified/handbooks/ccrnexamhandbook.pdf?la=en