CCRN Certification: Critical Care RN Certification

Understanding the CCRN Certification

The Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN) certification is one of several national specialty board certifications available to intensive care nurses through the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN). It is a challenging credential to obtain, as the examination encompasses a broad range of critical care knowledge and expertise.

What is the CCRN Certification?

The CCRN certification, offered by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), is a national board certification for intensive care nurses. This certification validates a nurse's expertise in managing patients with life-threatening conditions.

Who is eligible for the CCRN exam?

To sit for the exam, candidates must have at least 1,750 hours of direct bedside care of critically ill patients within the last two years and an active RN license in good standing. Candidates must pass a rigorous written board examination to earn and use the credential.

What if I don't work in the ICU anymore?

The CCRN-K is a viable certification for critical care nurses who work outside of critical care areas, such as unit educators, nursing educators, etc.

Benefits of Obtaining the CCRN Certification

Safer, Better Patient Care

Kendall-Gallagher et al. (2011) demonstrated a lower incidence of "failure to rescue" among critical care nurses who are CCRN-certified. Failure to monitor/rescue is the leading cause of malpractice claims directed at ICU nurses, accounting for 47% of claims (Myer et al., 2020). In other words, nurses with specialty certifications (such as CCRN ) are far less likely to have adverse patient outcomes resulting in severe disability or death than nurses who are not certified.

Objective Measure of Critical Care Expertise: Expert Witness & Legal Nursing

The CCRN (or equivalent subspecialty credential) is required for each team member of CFS Consultants. When seeking a critical care nurse expert witness, attorneys should prioritize those who are CCRN-certified, highly experienced, and clinically active.

Bonuses and Pay Differentials

Some institutions offer monetary bonuses or pay differentials for CCRN-credentialed nurses.

Nurse Anesthesiology Program Admissions

The CCRN credential is mandatory for nurses applying to nurse anesthesiology programs. To read more about the value of CCRN certification, visit the AACN website.

Preparing for the CCRN Exam

Although the exam more or less tests similar concepts from year to year, AACN occasionally makes changes to the exam to reflect current trends in clinical practice. For example, care of obese patients was added to the exam outline in 2016.

Review the CCRN Exam Outline

The CCRN exam blueprint can be accessed via the AACN website through this link (updated March 2025). 80% of the exam covers clinical judgment, assessing the candidate's knowledge of different disease processes and physiologic derangements. The remaining 20% evaluates professional knowledge and systems-based thinking. The best source for up-to-date CCRN exam blueprints is the AACN.

CCRN Review Course

Old-school nurses like our team here at CFS Consultants fondly recall our own CCRN preparation with Dr. Laura Gasparis-Vonfrolio. One of the very first nurse educators who offered their wealth of knowledge to aspiring CCRN applicants, Dr. Gasparis-Vonfrolio was a trailblazer whose sense of humor and entertaining approach to education remain legendary. Her company, CCRN Review Online, remains a staple among CCRN preparation tools today. She is hilarious and a national treasure! She used to offer a DVD-based CCRN review course, which has now been transitioned to an online education format.

Other noteworthy sources include Nicole Kupchick of Nicole Kupchick Consulting & Education. We have had friends who have taken Kupchick's CCRN course and they appreciated her clear teaching style.

While Kaplan doesn't seem to offer a formal CCRN review course, it does offer a question bank with CCRN-exam-style questions. In our experience, one of the best ways to prepare for the CCRN examination is to do as many practice questions as possible. Other options for question banks include BoardVitals. We also recommend StatPearls for their question bank & concise explanations. Working through practice questions (as many as possible) leading to exam day is essential for ensuring success!

CCRN Renewal: How do I renew my CCRN?

Once nurses obtain their CCRN certification, we must maintain it through ongoing education and practice. There are a few options currently available to nurses looking to renew their CCRN:

Option 1: Continuing Education

The AACN requires certified nurses to earn 100 continuing education (CE) hours every three years. These CE hours must be approved activities spanning the domains AACN outlined in their Synergy model.

Option 2: Academic Credit

AACN also accepts evidence of formal higher education credit hours in place of CE activities. Known as Continuing Education Recognition Units (CERPS), the AACN recognizes 1 academic credit (semester unit) = 15 CERPs. This option facilitates the continuing education of critical care nurses through continuing college education. For example, a nurse taking a 3-credit-hour course towards a bachelor's degree would receive 45 CERPs for that course, provided that it is directly related to nursing practice.

Option 3: Re-Test

Additionally, nurses can renew their certification by retaking the exam.

Conclusion

The CCRN certification represents more than just a credential; it embodies a nurse's dedication to excellence in critical care, professional growth, and above all, patient safety.

References

American Association of Critical Care Nurses. (n.d.). Home. American Association of Critical

Care Nurses: AACN. https://aacn.org

Dierkes, A. M., Schlak, A. E., French, R., McHugh, M. D., & Aiken, L. (2021). Why some nurses

obtain specialty certification and others do not. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 51(5), 249–256. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNA.0000000000001009

Kendall-Gallagher, D., Aiken, L. H., Sloane, D. M., & Cimiotti, J. P. (2011). Nurse specialty

certification, inpatient mortality, and failure to rescue. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 43(2), 188–194. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1547-5069.2011.01391.x

Myers, L. C., Heard, L., & Mort, E. (2020). Lessons learned from medical malpractice claims

involving critical care. American Journal of Critical Care: An Official Publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 29(3), 174–181. https://doi.org/10.4037/ajcc2020341