AACN Certification CCRN/PCCN Critical Care Exam 1
ELABORATED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS LATEST
UPDATED 2026
AACN - Correct Answers certify nurses; protect consumer by establishing high standards of
professional practice
CCRN - Correct Answers certification for nurses who provide care in critically ill adult, pediatric,
or neonatal populations
PCCN - Correct Answers certification for nurses who provide acute care in progressive care,
telemetry, and similar units
CNML - Correct Answers certification for critical care managers and leaders
CCNS - Correct Answers certification for acute and critical care clinical nurse specialists
Level A (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - Correct Answers meta-analysis or metasynthesis
studies; results consistently support specific action, intervention, or treatment
Level B (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - Correct Answers randomized and nonrandomized
controlled studies; results consistently support specific action, intervention, or treatment
Level C (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - Correct Answers qualitative, descriptive, or
correlational studies, reviews, or trials with inconsistent results
Level D (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - Correct Answers Peer-reviewed with clinical
studies to support recommendations
,Level E (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - Correct Answers theory-based evidence from
expert opinions
Level M (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - Correct Answers Manufacturer's
recommendation only
Ask-Tell-Ask (Communication) - Correct Answers Communication technique that assesses
concerns before providing info
Situational Awareness (Communication) - Correct Answers being aware of one's surroundings
Calgary Family Assessment - Correct Answers Assessment that involves structural,
developmental, and functional assessments
Family Bundle - Correct Answers Provide structure for planning and carrying out family care;
based on 5 concepts: evaluate, plan; involve; communicate; support (EPICS)
Principlism - Correct Answers widely applied ethical approach based of 4 fundamental moral
principles to contemporary ethical dilemmas; respect for autonomy; beneficence;
nonmaleficence; justice
Beneficence - Correct Answers the duty to provide benefits to others when in a position to do
so, to help balance harms and benefits; the benefits of an action should outweigh the burdens
Futility - Correct Answers states that care should not be given if it is futile in terms of improving
comfort or the medical outcome
Veracity - Correct Answers states that persons are obligated to tell the truth in their
communication with others
,Fidelity - Correct Answers requires that one has a moral duty to be faithful to the commitments
made to others
Elements of Informed Consent - Correct Answers competence (capacity); voluntariness;
disclosure of information
Living Will - Correct Answers a witnessed written document or oral statement voluntarily
executed by a person that expresses the person's instructions concerning life-prolonging
procedure; not legally binding in some states
Proxy - Correct Answers a competent adult, not designated to make health care decisions for an
incapacitated person, but is authorized by state statute to make healthcare decisions for the
person
Surrogate - Correct Answers a competent adult designated by a person to make health care
decisions should that person become incapacitated
Patient Self-Determination act (End-of-life issue) - Correct Answers requires that all healthcare
facilities that receive medicare or medicaid funding inform their patients about their right to
initiate an advance directive and the right to consent to or refuse medical treatment
Withholding, Limiting, or Withdrawing Therapy - Correct Answers Priority should be anticipating
patient symptoms; assessment of patient response; titration of therapy to relieve emotional and
physical distress; common meds used are analgesics (ie. Morphine) and anxiolytics (ie.
benzodiazepines)
Ventilator WIthdrawal - Correct Answers Known as "terminal weaning"; consist of titration of
ventilator support to minimal levels, removal of ventilator, but not artificial airway, or complete
extubation; titrate pain meds and sedation as needed to relieve symptoms of respiratory
distress
, Commonly withheld therapy - Correct Answers vasopressors; antibiotics; done when goal of
treatment shift to palliation instead of cure; address these before withdrawing or withholding
ventilation
Ethical Principles for withholding and withdrawing life-sustaining treatment - Correct Answers
life-sustaining treatment should not be withdrawn while patient is receiving paralytic agents.
When paralytic drugs are discontinued, patient must demonstrate sufficient motor activity to
allow thorough clinical assessment before withdrawal of support
Hemodynamic Assessment - Correct Answers Used to titrate therapies to a specific end point;
detect inadequate tissue perfusion; quantify severity of disease; and guide therapy
normal cardiac output (CO) (hemodynamic values) - Correct Answers 4 to 8 L/minute
normal central venous pressure (CVP) and Right atrial pressure (RAP) (hemodynamic values) -
Correct Answers 2 to 6 mm Hg
Normal stroke volume (SV) (hemodynamic values) - Correct Answers 60 to 130 mL/beat
normal mixed venous O2 sat (SvO2) (hemodynamic values) - Correct Answers 60% to 75%
Normal central venous O2 sat (ScvO2) - Correct Answers 65% to 85%
what affects BP reading - Correct Answers presence of cardiac dysrhythmias; respiratory
variation; shivering; external cuff compression; decreased peripheral perfusion
Jugular Venous Pressure - Correct Answers Provides an estimate of intravascular volume; an
indirect measure of central venous pressure (CVP); Normal is 7 to 9 cm
ELABORATED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS LATEST
UPDATED 2026
AACN - Correct Answers certify nurses; protect consumer by establishing high standards of
professional practice
CCRN - Correct Answers certification for nurses who provide care in critically ill adult, pediatric,
or neonatal populations
PCCN - Correct Answers certification for nurses who provide acute care in progressive care,
telemetry, and similar units
CNML - Correct Answers certification for critical care managers and leaders
CCNS - Correct Answers certification for acute and critical care clinical nurse specialists
Level A (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - Correct Answers meta-analysis or metasynthesis
studies; results consistently support specific action, intervention, or treatment
Level B (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - Correct Answers randomized and nonrandomized
controlled studies; results consistently support specific action, intervention, or treatment
Level C (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - Correct Answers qualitative, descriptive, or
correlational studies, reviews, or trials with inconsistent results
Level D (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - Correct Answers Peer-reviewed with clinical
studies to support recommendations
,Level E (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - Correct Answers theory-based evidence from
expert opinions
Level M (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - Correct Answers Manufacturer's
recommendation only
Ask-Tell-Ask (Communication) - Correct Answers Communication technique that assesses
concerns before providing info
Situational Awareness (Communication) - Correct Answers being aware of one's surroundings
Calgary Family Assessment - Correct Answers Assessment that involves structural,
developmental, and functional assessments
Family Bundle - Correct Answers Provide structure for planning and carrying out family care;
based on 5 concepts: evaluate, plan; involve; communicate; support (EPICS)
Principlism - Correct Answers widely applied ethical approach based of 4 fundamental moral
principles to contemporary ethical dilemmas; respect for autonomy; beneficence;
nonmaleficence; justice
Beneficence - Correct Answers the duty to provide benefits to others when in a position to do
so, to help balance harms and benefits; the benefits of an action should outweigh the burdens
Futility - Correct Answers states that care should not be given if it is futile in terms of improving
comfort or the medical outcome
Veracity - Correct Answers states that persons are obligated to tell the truth in their
communication with others
,Fidelity - Correct Answers requires that one has a moral duty to be faithful to the commitments
made to others
Elements of Informed Consent - Correct Answers competence (capacity); voluntariness;
disclosure of information
Living Will - Correct Answers a witnessed written document or oral statement voluntarily
executed by a person that expresses the person's instructions concerning life-prolonging
procedure; not legally binding in some states
Proxy - Correct Answers a competent adult, not designated to make health care decisions for an
incapacitated person, but is authorized by state statute to make healthcare decisions for the
person
Surrogate - Correct Answers a competent adult designated by a person to make health care
decisions should that person become incapacitated
Patient Self-Determination act (End-of-life issue) - Correct Answers requires that all healthcare
facilities that receive medicare or medicaid funding inform their patients about their right to
initiate an advance directive and the right to consent to or refuse medical treatment
Withholding, Limiting, or Withdrawing Therapy - Correct Answers Priority should be anticipating
patient symptoms; assessment of patient response; titration of therapy to relieve emotional and
physical distress; common meds used are analgesics (ie. Morphine) and anxiolytics (ie.
benzodiazepines)
Ventilator WIthdrawal - Correct Answers Known as "terminal weaning"; consist of titration of
ventilator support to minimal levels, removal of ventilator, but not artificial airway, or complete
extubation; titrate pain meds and sedation as needed to relieve symptoms of respiratory
distress
, Commonly withheld therapy - Correct Answers vasopressors; antibiotics; done when goal of
treatment shift to palliation instead of cure; address these before withdrawing or withholding
ventilation
Ethical Principles for withholding and withdrawing life-sustaining treatment - Correct Answers
life-sustaining treatment should not be withdrawn while patient is receiving paralytic agents.
When paralytic drugs are discontinued, patient must demonstrate sufficient motor activity to
allow thorough clinical assessment before withdrawal of support
Hemodynamic Assessment - Correct Answers Used to titrate therapies to a specific end point;
detect inadequate tissue perfusion; quantify severity of disease; and guide therapy
normal cardiac output (CO) (hemodynamic values) - Correct Answers 4 to 8 L/minute
normal central venous pressure (CVP) and Right atrial pressure (RAP) (hemodynamic values) -
Correct Answers 2 to 6 mm Hg
Normal stroke volume (SV) (hemodynamic values) - Correct Answers 60 to 130 mL/beat
normal mixed venous O2 sat (SvO2) (hemodynamic values) - Correct Answers 60% to 75%
Normal central venous O2 sat (ScvO2) - Correct Answers 65% to 85%
what affects BP reading - Correct Answers presence of cardiac dysrhythmias; respiratory
variation; shivering; external cuff compression; decreased peripheral perfusion
Jugular Venous Pressure - Correct Answers Provides an estimate of intravascular volume; an
indirect measure of central venous pressure (CVP); Normal is 7 to 9 cm
