AACN EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH COMPLETE
SOLUTIONS VERIFIED 2026/2027 LATEST UPDATE GRADED A+
AACN - ANSWER certify nurses; protect consumer by establishing high standards of professional
practice
CCRN - ANSWER certification for nurses who provide care in critically ill adult, pediatric, or neonatal
populations
PCCN - ANSWER certification for nurses who provide acute care in progressive care, telemetry, and
similar units
CNML - ANSWER certification for critical care managers and leaders
CCNS - ANSWER certification for acute and critical care clinical nurse specialists
Level A (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - ANSWER meta-analysis or metasynthesis studies;
results consistently support specific action, intervention, or treatment
Level B (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - ANSWER randomized and nonrandomized controlled
studies; results consistently support specific action, intervention, or treatment
Level C (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - ANSWER qualitative, descriptive, or correlational
studies, reviews, or trials with inconsistent results
Level D (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - ANSWER Peer-reviewed with clinical studies to support
recommendations
Level E (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - ANSWER theory-based evidence from expert opinions
Level M (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - ANSWER Manufacturer's recommendation only
Ask-Tell-Ask (Communication) - ANSWER Communication technique that assesses concerns before
providing info
,Situational Awareness (Communication) - ANSWER being aware of one's surroundings
Calgary Family Assessment - ANSWER Assessment that involves structural, developmental, and
functional assessments
Family Bundle - ANSWER Provide structure for planning and carrying out family care; based on 5
concepts: evaluate, plan; involve; communicate; support (EPICS)
Principlism - ANSWER widely applied ethical approach based of 4 fundamental moral principles to
contemporary ethical dilemmas; respect for autonomy; beneficence; nonmaleficence; justice
Beneficence - ANSWER 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 - ANSWER states that care should not be given if it is futile in terms of improving comfort or
the medical outcome
Veracity - ANSWER states that persons are obligated to tell the truth in their communication with
others
Fidelity - ANSWER requires that one has a moral duty to be faithful to the commitments made to
others
Elements of Informed Consent - ANSWER competence (capacity); voluntariness; disclosure of
information
Living Will - ANSWER 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 - ANSWER 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 - ANSWER 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) - ANSWER 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 - ANSWER 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 - ANSWER 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 - ANSWER 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 - ANSWER 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 - ANSWER 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) - ANSWER 4 to 8 L/minute
normal central venous pressure (CVP) and Right atrial pressure (RAP) (hemodynamic values) -
ANSWER 2 to 6 mm Hg
Normal stroke volume (SV) (hemodynamic values) - ANSWER 60 to 130 mL/beat
normal mixed venous O2 sat (SvO2) (hemodynamic values) - ANSWER 60% to 75%
Normal central venous O2 sat (ScvO2) - ANSWER 65% to 85%
SOLUTIONS VERIFIED 2026/2027 LATEST UPDATE GRADED A+
AACN - ANSWER certify nurses; protect consumer by establishing high standards of professional
practice
CCRN - ANSWER certification for nurses who provide care in critically ill adult, pediatric, or neonatal
populations
PCCN - ANSWER certification for nurses who provide acute care in progressive care, telemetry, and
similar units
CNML - ANSWER certification for critical care managers and leaders
CCNS - ANSWER certification for acute and critical care clinical nurse specialists
Level A (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - ANSWER meta-analysis or metasynthesis studies;
results consistently support specific action, intervention, or treatment
Level B (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - ANSWER randomized and nonrandomized controlled
studies; results consistently support specific action, intervention, or treatment
Level C (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - ANSWER qualitative, descriptive, or correlational
studies, reviews, or trials with inconsistent results
Level D (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - ANSWER Peer-reviewed with clinical studies to support
recommendations
Level E (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - ANSWER theory-based evidence from expert opinions
Level M (Scale for Rating Research Evidence) - ANSWER Manufacturer's recommendation only
Ask-Tell-Ask (Communication) - ANSWER Communication technique that assesses concerns before
providing info
,Situational Awareness (Communication) - ANSWER being aware of one's surroundings
Calgary Family Assessment - ANSWER Assessment that involves structural, developmental, and
functional assessments
Family Bundle - ANSWER Provide structure for planning and carrying out family care; based on 5
concepts: evaluate, plan; involve; communicate; support (EPICS)
Principlism - ANSWER widely applied ethical approach based of 4 fundamental moral principles to
contemporary ethical dilemmas; respect for autonomy; beneficence; nonmaleficence; justice
Beneficence - ANSWER 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 - ANSWER states that care should not be given if it is futile in terms of improving comfort or
the medical outcome
Veracity - ANSWER states that persons are obligated to tell the truth in their communication with
others
Fidelity - ANSWER requires that one has a moral duty to be faithful to the commitments made to
others
Elements of Informed Consent - ANSWER competence (capacity); voluntariness; disclosure of
information
Living Will - ANSWER 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 - ANSWER 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 - ANSWER 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) - ANSWER 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 - ANSWER 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 - ANSWER 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 - ANSWER 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 - ANSWER 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 - ANSWER 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) - ANSWER 4 to 8 L/minute
normal central venous pressure (CVP) and Right atrial pressure (RAP) (hemodynamic values) -
ANSWER 2 to 6 mm Hg
Normal stroke volume (SV) (hemodynamic values) - ANSWER 60 to 130 mL/beat
normal mixed venous O2 sat (SvO2) (hemodynamic values) - ANSWER 60% to 75%
Normal central venous O2 sat (ScvO2) - ANSWER 65% to 85%
