WGU SCHOOL OF NURSING AND CLINICAL
SCIENCES|DEPARTMENT OF CRITICAL CARE AND
EMERGENCY MEDICINE|CRITICAL CARE:
DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT – EXAMINATION-
2026
(Advanced Clinical Assessment and Therapeutic Interventions)
CC-DM-2026|Critical Care Nursing / Critical Care Medicine-Comprehensive
Clinical Examination
Which of the following professional organizations best supports critical care nursing practice?
a. American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
b. American Heart Association
c. American Nurses Association
d. Society of Critical Care Medicine
a. American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
A nurse has been working as a staff nurse in the surgical intensive care unit for 2 years and is
interested in certification. Which credential would be most applicable for the nurse to seek?
a. ACNPC-AG
b. CNML
c. CCRN
d. PCCN
1|Page
,c. CCRN
The main purpose of certification is to
a. assure the consumer that you will not make a mistake.
b. prepare for graduate school.
c. promote magnet status for your facility.
d. validate knowledge of critical care nursing.
d. validate knowledge of critical care nursing.
The synergy model of practice focuses on
a. allowing unrestricted visiting for the patient 24 hours a day.
b. holistic and alternative therapies.
c. the needs of patients and their families, which drive nursing competency.
d. patients' needs for energy and support.
c. the needs of patients and their families, which drive nursing competency.
The family of your critically ill patient tells you that they have not spoken with the physician in
over 24 hours and that they have some questions they want clarified. During morning rounds,
you convey this concern to the attending intensivist and arrange a meeting with the family at
4:00 PM. Which competency of critical care nursing does this represent?
a. Advocacy and moral agency in solving ethical issues
b. Clinical judgment and clinical reasoning skills
c. Collaboration with patients, families, and team members
d. Facilitation of learning for patients, families, and team members
2|Page
,c. Collaboration with patients, families, and team members
The AACN Standards for Acute and Critical Care Nursing Practice use what framework to guide
critical care nursing practice?
a. Evidence-based practice
b. Healthy work environment
c. National Patient Safety Goals
d. Nursing process
d. Nursing process
The charge nurse is responsible for making the patient assignments on the critical care unit. An
experienced, certified nurse is assigned to care for the acutely ill patient with sepsis who also
requires continuous renal replacement therapy and mechanical ventilation. The nurse with less
than 1 year of experience is assigned to two patients who are more stable. This assignment
reflects implementation of the
a. crew resource management model.
b. National Patient Safety Goals.
c. Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) model.
d. synergy model of practice.
d. synergy model of practice.
The vision of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses is a health care system driven by
a. a healthy work environment.
b. care from a multiprofessional team under the direction of a critical care physician.
3|Page
, c. the needs of critically ill patients and families.
d. respectful, healing, and humane environments.
c. the needs of critically ill patients and families.
The most important outcome of effective communication is to
a. demonstrate caring practices to family members.
b. ensure that patient teaching is done.
c. meet the diversity needs of patients.
d. reduce patient errors.
d. reduce patient errors.
You are caring for a critically ill patient whose urine output has been low for 2 consecutive
hours. After a thorough patient assessment, you call the intensivist with report. Which
information do you convey regarding background?
a. Urine output of 40 mL/2 hours
b. Current vital signs and history of aortic aneurysm repair 4 hours ago
c. A statement that the patient is possibly hypovolemic
d. A request for IV fluids
b. Current vital signs and history of aortic aneurysm repair 4 hours ago
The family members of a critically ill patient bring a copy of the patient's living will to the
hospital, which identifies the patient's wishes regarding health care. You discuss contents of the
living will with the patient's physician. This is an example of implementation of which of the
AACN Standards of Professional Performance?
4|Page
SCIENCES|DEPARTMENT OF CRITICAL CARE AND
EMERGENCY MEDICINE|CRITICAL CARE:
DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT – EXAMINATION-
2026
(Advanced Clinical Assessment and Therapeutic Interventions)
CC-DM-2026|Critical Care Nursing / Critical Care Medicine-Comprehensive
Clinical Examination
Which of the following professional organizations best supports critical care nursing practice?
a. American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
b. American Heart Association
c. American Nurses Association
d. Society of Critical Care Medicine
a. American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
A nurse has been working as a staff nurse in the surgical intensive care unit for 2 years and is
interested in certification. Which credential would be most applicable for the nurse to seek?
a. ACNPC-AG
b. CNML
c. CCRN
d. PCCN
1|Page
,c. CCRN
The main purpose of certification is to
a. assure the consumer that you will not make a mistake.
b. prepare for graduate school.
c. promote magnet status for your facility.
d. validate knowledge of critical care nursing.
d. validate knowledge of critical care nursing.
The synergy model of practice focuses on
a. allowing unrestricted visiting for the patient 24 hours a day.
b. holistic and alternative therapies.
c. the needs of patients and their families, which drive nursing competency.
d. patients' needs for energy and support.
c. the needs of patients and their families, which drive nursing competency.
The family of your critically ill patient tells you that they have not spoken with the physician in
over 24 hours and that they have some questions they want clarified. During morning rounds,
you convey this concern to the attending intensivist and arrange a meeting with the family at
4:00 PM. Which competency of critical care nursing does this represent?
a. Advocacy and moral agency in solving ethical issues
b. Clinical judgment and clinical reasoning skills
c. Collaboration with patients, families, and team members
d. Facilitation of learning for patients, families, and team members
2|Page
,c. Collaboration with patients, families, and team members
The AACN Standards for Acute and Critical Care Nursing Practice use what framework to guide
critical care nursing practice?
a. Evidence-based practice
b. Healthy work environment
c. National Patient Safety Goals
d. Nursing process
d. Nursing process
The charge nurse is responsible for making the patient assignments on the critical care unit. An
experienced, certified nurse is assigned to care for the acutely ill patient with sepsis who also
requires continuous renal replacement therapy and mechanical ventilation. The nurse with less
than 1 year of experience is assigned to two patients who are more stable. This assignment
reflects implementation of the
a. crew resource management model.
b. National Patient Safety Goals.
c. Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) model.
d. synergy model of practice.
d. synergy model of practice.
The vision of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses is a health care system driven by
a. a healthy work environment.
b. care from a multiprofessional team under the direction of a critical care physician.
3|Page
, c. the needs of critically ill patients and families.
d. respectful, healing, and humane environments.
c. the needs of critically ill patients and families.
The most important outcome of effective communication is to
a. demonstrate caring practices to family members.
b. ensure that patient teaching is done.
c. meet the diversity needs of patients.
d. reduce patient errors.
d. reduce patient errors.
You are caring for a critically ill patient whose urine output has been low for 2 consecutive
hours. After a thorough patient assessment, you call the intensivist with report. Which
information do you convey regarding background?
a. Urine output of 40 mL/2 hours
b. Current vital signs and history of aortic aneurysm repair 4 hours ago
c. A statement that the patient is possibly hypovolemic
d. A request for IV fluids
b. Current vital signs and history of aortic aneurysm repair 4 hours ago
The family members of a critically ill patient bring a copy of the patient's living will to the
hospital, which identifies the patient's wishes regarding health care. You discuss contents of the
living will with the patient's physician. This is an example of implementation of which of the
AACN Standards of Professional Performance?
4|Page
