CCRN/PPCN certification Exam AACN
critical care exam 1 (part 1)
two main professional organizations that support critical care? which one best supports
critical care nurses? - Answers -Name the two organizations
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN)
Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM)
Which one do you think best supports critical care nurses?
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN)
dedicated to providing knowledge and resources to those caring for acutely and critically
ill patients
AACN: mission? vision? values? - Answers -Mission: focuses on assisting acute and
critical care nurses to attain knowledge and influence to deliver excellence care
Vision: supports creating a health care system driven by the needs of patients and
families in which critical care nurses make their optimal contributions, which is
described as synergy (mixture of nurse, system, and patient along with patient
characteristics and nurse competencies)
Values: accountability, advocacy, integrity, collaboration, leadership, stewardship,
lifelong learning, quality, innovation, and commitment
what is the synergy model and how is it used in practice? - Answers -The Synergy
Model focuses on the extent to which nurses' competencies match patients'
characteristics. The goal of Synergy Model nursing is to "restore the patient to an
optimal level of wellness as defined by the patient and family
certifications: CCRN? PCCN? ACCNS? ACNPC-AG? why are certifications important? -
Answers -CCRN → nurses who provide care for critically ill adult, pediatric, or neonatal
populations
PCCN → nurses who provide acute care in progressive care, telemetry, and similar
units
Once nurses achieve the CCRN or PCCN credential, they can be eligible to sit for
additional subspeciality certification in cardiac medicine or cardiac surgery
ACCNS→ acute and critical care clinical nurse specialist
ACNPC-AG→ acute care nurse practitioners
Why are certifications important?
validates knowledge of critical care nursing, promotes professional excellence, and
helps nurse to maintain a current knowledge base
What 4 specific projects/organizations are in place to assist nurses in providing safe
care? - Answers -The Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN)
National Patient Safety Goals→ by the Joint Commission
, Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
rapid response teams/ medical emergency teams
what does QSEN do? - Answers -roadmap for integrating quality and safety principles
into prelicensure nursing education
six core competencies: patient-centered care, teamwork and collaboration, evidence-
based practice, quality improvement, informatics, and safety
What do national patient safety goals do? - Answers -reduce medical errors and
promote an environment that facilitates safe practices
reduce infections
ex. improve accuracy of patient identification, improve communication among health
care providers, improve medication safety, use alarms safely, reduce risk of healthcare-
associated infections, identify safety risk, and prevent complications associated with
surgery and procedures
What does IHI do? - Answers -action plan for reducing health care-associated infections
and preventing infections with multidrug-resistant organisms
promoted the concept of bundles of care to reduce harms, such as infections
bundles→ evidence-based practices that are done as a whole to improve outcomes (ex.
ventilator bundle)
What is the goal of rapid response teams? - Answers -goal→ identify and manage both
stable and unstable patients and those at high risk for cardiopulmonary arrest to prevent
unnecessary deaths
Can you explain what a bundle of care is? Give an example of one you may see at the
bedside? - Answers -Can you explain what a bundle of care is?
Bundle of Care→ evidence based best practices that are done as a whole to improve
outcomes
A "bundle" is a group of interventions related to a disease process that, when executed
together, result in better outcomes than when implemented individually.
Give an example of one you may see at the bedside
Ventilator Bundle
What are four barriers to effective handoff communication? Can you give an example of
what these would look like at the bedside? - Answers -Physical Setting→ background
noise, lack of privacy interruptions
Social Setting→ organizational hierarchy and status issues
Language→ differences between people of varying racial and ethnic backgrounds or
geographic areas
Communication Medium→ limitations of communications via telephone, e-mail, paper,
or computerized records versus face-to-face
what is the highest risk time of communication breaking down? What four standardized
measures have been implemented to help prevent communication breakdown at shift
critical care exam 1 (part 1)
two main professional organizations that support critical care? which one best supports
critical care nurses? - Answers -Name the two organizations
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN)
Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM)
Which one do you think best supports critical care nurses?
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN)
dedicated to providing knowledge and resources to those caring for acutely and critically
ill patients
AACN: mission? vision? values? - Answers -Mission: focuses on assisting acute and
critical care nurses to attain knowledge and influence to deliver excellence care
Vision: supports creating a health care system driven by the needs of patients and
families in which critical care nurses make their optimal contributions, which is
described as synergy (mixture of nurse, system, and patient along with patient
characteristics and nurse competencies)
Values: accountability, advocacy, integrity, collaboration, leadership, stewardship,
lifelong learning, quality, innovation, and commitment
what is the synergy model and how is it used in practice? - Answers -The Synergy
Model focuses on the extent to which nurses' competencies match patients'
characteristics. The goal of Synergy Model nursing is to "restore the patient to an
optimal level of wellness as defined by the patient and family
certifications: CCRN? PCCN? ACCNS? ACNPC-AG? why are certifications important? -
Answers -CCRN → nurses who provide care for critically ill adult, pediatric, or neonatal
populations
PCCN → nurses who provide acute care in progressive care, telemetry, and similar
units
Once nurses achieve the CCRN or PCCN credential, they can be eligible to sit for
additional subspeciality certification in cardiac medicine or cardiac surgery
ACCNS→ acute and critical care clinical nurse specialist
ACNPC-AG→ acute care nurse practitioners
Why are certifications important?
validates knowledge of critical care nursing, promotes professional excellence, and
helps nurse to maintain a current knowledge base
What 4 specific projects/organizations are in place to assist nurses in providing safe
care? - Answers -The Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN)
National Patient Safety Goals→ by the Joint Commission
, Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
rapid response teams/ medical emergency teams
what does QSEN do? - Answers -roadmap for integrating quality and safety principles
into prelicensure nursing education
six core competencies: patient-centered care, teamwork and collaboration, evidence-
based practice, quality improvement, informatics, and safety
What do national patient safety goals do? - Answers -reduce medical errors and
promote an environment that facilitates safe practices
reduce infections
ex. improve accuracy of patient identification, improve communication among health
care providers, improve medication safety, use alarms safely, reduce risk of healthcare-
associated infections, identify safety risk, and prevent complications associated with
surgery and procedures
What does IHI do? - Answers -action plan for reducing health care-associated infections
and preventing infections with multidrug-resistant organisms
promoted the concept of bundles of care to reduce harms, such as infections
bundles→ evidence-based practices that are done as a whole to improve outcomes (ex.
ventilator bundle)
What is the goal of rapid response teams? - Answers -goal→ identify and manage both
stable and unstable patients and those at high risk for cardiopulmonary arrest to prevent
unnecessary deaths
Can you explain what a bundle of care is? Give an example of one you may see at the
bedside? - Answers -Can you explain what a bundle of care is?
Bundle of Care→ evidence based best practices that are done as a whole to improve
outcomes
A "bundle" is a group of interventions related to a disease process that, when executed
together, result in better outcomes than when implemented individually.
Give an example of one you may see at the bedside
Ventilator Bundle
What are four barriers to effective handoff communication? Can you give an example of
what these would look like at the bedside? - Answers -Physical Setting→ background
noise, lack of privacy interruptions
Social Setting→ organizational hierarchy and status issues
Language→ differences between people of varying racial and ethnic backgrounds or
geographic areas
Communication Medium→ limitations of communications via telephone, e-mail, paper,
or computerized records versus face-to-face
what is the highest risk time of communication breaking down? What four standardized
measures have been implemented to help prevent communication breakdown at shift
