CCRN Definition

CCRN is a registered service mark and brand name indicating a credential granted by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) Certification Corporation. This credential is for nurses working with critically and acutely ill patients. It does not mean "Critical Care Registered Nurse," as AACN does not guarantee those who pass its exam and meet its requirements are Registered Nurses. Registered nursing licensure is provided by states. Approximately 58,000 individuals are certified globally as CCRNs.

What CCRN Means

• Gaining a CCRN certification signifies that a nurse has validated knowledge of caring for critically and acutely ill patients at their bedsides. Maintaining certification helps nurses remain up to date on the knowledge required to properly care for these individuals; the certification indicates to hospital administrators, colleagues and patients that they have recognized and specific knowledge in critical care. Specialty areas include adult, pediatric and neonatal nursing.

Eligibility

• Nurses must attest to being unencumbered Registered Nurses (RN) or Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) practicing in their states. They must have completed 1,750 hours of direct bedside care of acutely and/or critically ill patients within two years of applying for the CCRN, 875 hours of those in the year just prior to the application. Upon fulfilling these eligibility requirements, nurses may sit for the CCRN exam.

CCRN Examination

• Applicants must pass the CCRN exam created by the AACN Certification Corporation in order to gain the credential of CCRN. Exams are computer- or paper-based and at least one form of the exam is available all year. Computer-based testing is available every week through at least one of 170 locations, and the paper version is offered once a year in May at the National Teaching Institute and Critical Care Exposition and at TRENDS educational conferences. A candidate who feels qualified and has met the eligibility requirements for the adult and pediatric exams may sit for both. Results for exams taken over the computer are available immediately, while results for the paper version arrive in four to six weeks.

Recertification

• Those with CCRNs stay certified for three years. Unencumbered RNs and APRNs can renew their certifications by either retaking the exam or meeting the requirements of renewal by Synergy CERPS (Continued Education Recognition Points), which are similar to contact hours. They must also meet the clinical practice requirements of 432 hours of direct beside care of acutely and/or critically ill patients. Of those hours, 144 must be met in the year just prior to renewal.

CCRN Departments

• Eligibility determination for CCRN is based on patient care and acuity, but generally, nurses that are eligible work in the following departments, as outlined by AACN Certification Corporation: emergency departments, Intensive Care Units (ICUs), Critical Care Units (CCUs), neuro/neurosurgical ICUs, medical/surgical ICUs, surgical ICUs, cardiac/surgical ICUs, respiratory ICUs, Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs), Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs), critical care transport/flight, trauma units and in nurse anesthesia.