Pdf
CCRN/PPCN Certification Exam AACN Critical Care
Exam 1 With 100% Correct Answers Grade A
Certified 2025/26
two main professional organizations that support critical care? which one best supports critical
care nurses? - correct answersName 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? - correct answersMission: 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? - correct answersThe 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? -
correct answersCCRN → 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? -
correct answersThe 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
, Pdf
what does QSEN do? - correct answersroadmap 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? - correct answersreduce 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? - correct answersaction 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? - correct answersgoal→ 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? -
correct answersCan 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? - correct answersPhysical 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 change? -
correct answersShift handoff is when communication is at the highest risk to be broken down.
What standardized measures have been implemented to help prevent communication breakdown
at shift change?
Ask-Tell-Ask→ strategy for encouraging nurses to assess concerns before providing more
information, especially when discussing stressful issues with patients and families
CCRN/PPCN Certification Exam AACN Critical Care
Exam 1 With 100% Correct Answers Grade A
Certified 2025/26
two main professional organizations that support critical care? which one best supports critical
care nurses? - correct answersName 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? - correct answersMission: 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? - correct answersThe 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? -
correct answersCCRN → 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? -
correct answersThe 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? - correct answersroadmap 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? - correct answersreduce 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? - correct answersaction 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? - correct answersgoal→ 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? -
correct answersCan 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? - correct answersPhysical 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 change? -
correct answersShift handoff is when communication is at the highest risk to be broken down.
What standardized measures have been implemented to help prevent communication breakdown
at shift change?
Ask-Tell-Ask→ strategy for encouraging nurses to assess concerns before providing more
information, especially when discussing stressful issues with patients and families
