AACN Certification CCRN/PCCN Critical
Care Exam 1 Questions and Answers
Updated 2026
AACN - Answercertify nurses; protect consumer by establishing high standards of professional
practice
CCRN - Answercertification for nurses who provide care in critically ill adult, pediatric, or neonatal
populations
PCCN - Answercertification for nurses who provide acute care in progressive care, telemetry, and
similar units
CNML - Answercertification for critical care managers and leaders
CCNS - Answercertification for acute and critical care clinical nurse specialists
Level A (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - Answermeta-analysis or metasynthesis studies; results
consistently support specific action, intervention, or treatment
Level B (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - Answerrandomized and nonrandomized controlled
studies; results consistently support specific action, intervention, or treatment
Level C (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - Answerqualitative, descriptive, or correlational studies,
reviews, or trials with inconsistent results
Level D (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - AnswerPeer-reviewed with clinical studies to support
recommendations
Level E (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - Answertheory-based evidence from expert opinions
Level M (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - AnswerManufacturer's recommendation only
,Ask-Tell-Ask (Communication) - AnswerCommunication technique that assesses concerns before
providing info
Situational Awareness (Communication) - Answerbeing aware of one's surroundings
Calgary Family Assessment - AnswerAssessment that involves structural, developmental, and
functional assessments
Family Bundle - AnswerProvide structure for planning and carrying out family care; based on 5
concepts: evaluate, plan; involve; communicate; support (EPICS)
Principlism - Answerwidely applied ethical approach based of 4 fundamental moral principles to
contemporary ethical dilemmas; respect for autonomy; beneficence; nonmaleficence; justice
Beneficence - Answerthe 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 - Answerstates that care should not be given if it is futile in terms of improving comfort or the
medical outcome
Veracity - Answerstates that persons are obligated to tell the truth in their communication with
others
Fidelity - Answerrequires that one has a moral duty to be faithful to the commitments made to
others
Elements of Informed Consent - Answercompetence (capacity); voluntariness; disclosure of
information
Living Will - Answera 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 - Answera 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 - Answera competent adult designated by a person to make health care decisions should
that person become incapacitated
Patient Self-Determination act (End-of-life issue) - Answerrequires 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 - AnswerPriority 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 - AnswerKnown 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 - Answervasopressors; 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 - Answerlife-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 - AnswerUsed 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) - Answer4 to 8 L/minute
normal central venous pressure (CVP) and Right atrial pressure (RAP) (hemodynamic values) -
Answer2 to 6 mm Hg
Normal stroke volume (SV) (hemodynamic values) - Answer60 to 130 mL/beat
normal mixed venous O2 sat (SvO2) (hemodynamic values) - Answer60% to 75%
Care Exam 1 Questions and Answers
Updated 2026
AACN - Answercertify nurses; protect consumer by establishing high standards of professional
practice
CCRN - Answercertification for nurses who provide care in critically ill adult, pediatric, or neonatal
populations
PCCN - Answercertification for nurses who provide acute care in progressive care, telemetry, and
similar units
CNML - Answercertification for critical care managers and leaders
CCNS - Answercertification for acute and critical care clinical nurse specialists
Level A (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - Answermeta-analysis or metasynthesis studies; results
consistently support specific action, intervention, or treatment
Level B (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - Answerrandomized and nonrandomized controlled
studies; results consistently support specific action, intervention, or treatment
Level C (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - Answerqualitative, descriptive, or correlational studies,
reviews, or trials with inconsistent results
Level D (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - AnswerPeer-reviewed with clinical studies to support
recommendations
Level E (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - Answertheory-based evidence from expert opinions
Level M (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - AnswerManufacturer's recommendation only
,Ask-Tell-Ask (Communication) - AnswerCommunication technique that assesses concerns before
providing info
Situational Awareness (Communication) - Answerbeing aware of one's surroundings
Calgary Family Assessment - AnswerAssessment that involves structural, developmental, and
functional assessments
Family Bundle - AnswerProvide structure for planning and carrying out family care; based on 5
concepts: evaluate, plan; involve; communicate; support (EPICS)
Principlism - Answerwidely applied ethical approach based of 4 fundamental moral principles to
contemporary ethical dilemmas; respect for autonomy; beneficence; nonmaleficence; justice
Beneficence - Answerthe 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 - Answerstates that care should not be given if it is futile in terms of improving comfort or the
medical outcome
Veracity - Answerstates that persons are obligated to tell the truth in their communication with
others
Fidelity - Answerrequires that one has a moral duty to be faithful to the commitments made to
others
Elements of Informed Consent - Answercompetence (capacity); voluntariness; disclosure of
information
Living Will - Answera 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 - Answera 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 - Answera competent adult designated by a person to make health care decisions should
that person become incapacitated
Patient Self-Determination act (End-of-life issue) - Answerrequires 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 - AnswerPriority 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 - AnswerKnown 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 - Answervasopressors; 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 - Answerlife-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 - AnswerUsed 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) - Answer4 to 8 L/minute
normal central venous pressure (CVP) and Right atrial pressure (RAP) (hemodynamic values) -
Answer2 to 6 mm Hg
Normal stroke volume (SV) (hemodynamic values) - Answer60 to 130 mL/beat
normal mixed venous O2 sat (SvO2) (hemodynamic values) - Answer60% to 75%
