ANCC MedSurg-BC case studies
ANCC MedSurg-BC · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification is a specialty credential offered through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), which lists Med-Surg among its certification options alongside advanced practice credentials such as AGACNP-BC, AGPCNP-BC, and Family NP. ANCC describes certification as validating "that you have the skills needed to succeed in this ever-changing profession." The credential is aimed at registered nurses who care for adult medical-surgical patients and want independent, third-party verification of specialty knowledge beyond licensure. The ANCC MedSurg-BC case studies are 5 cases and about 3,265 words.
1Postoperative Deterioration: Sepsis, Hemorrhage, or Hypovolemia?
R, 62, is post-op day 1 after an open cholecystectomy with a subcostal drain. Admission baseline: BP 142/86, HR 72, SpO2 98% on room air.
746 words, about 4 min2Heart Failure and CKD: Conflicting Orders in a Hypotensive, Congested Patient
L, 74, is admitted with acute decompensated heart failure. Ejection fraction 30%, CKD stage 4 with baseline creatinine 2.4.
635 words, about 3 min3DKA at Hour Six: Interpreting Resolution, Not Just Glucose
T, 28, is admitted with diabetic ketoacidosis. Initial labs: glucose 512 mg/dL, pH 7.12, bicarbonate 10 mEq/L, anion gap 26, K 5.2, BUN 24, creatinine 1.3.
546 words, about 3 min4Charge Nurse Assignment: Matching Scope, Competence, and Acuity
You are the charge nurse on a 32-bed medical-surgical unit. Staffing: yourself (largely out of assignment), one RN with 1 year of experience, one LPN with 15 years of experience, one UAP, and a float RN from the orthopedic unit who says, 'I've never taken care of a tracheostomy.' Patients include: (A) post-op day 1 with a new tracheostomy requiring q2h suction and frequent respiratory assessment; (B) a stable patient with a unit of packed RBCs ordered now; (C) a patient with C.
640 words, about 3 min5Acute Confusion After Hip Repair: Delirium and the Reversible Causes
K, 81, is post-op day 2 after surgical repair of a hip fracture. She lives alone and managed her own medications before admission; family reports 'some forgetfulness,' but she was oriented to person, place, and time at baseline.
698 words, about 3 min