CCRN Neonatal study guide
CCRN Neonatal · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The CCRN Neonatal (often shortened to CCRN-N) is the neonatal subspecialty credential in the CCRN family of certifications administered by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). It is aimed at registered nurses who already manage critically ill and premature newborns - typically in level III and level IV NICUs - and who want their bedside expertise validated beyond unit orientation and competency checklists. The CCRN Neonatal study guide has 5 sections and about 1,661 words.
01Clinical Judgment: Cardiovascular
Fetal circulation depends on right-to-left flow through the foramen ovale and ductus arteriosus and on high pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR). At birth, lung inflation and rising oxygen drop PVR, and the ductus constricts over hours to days.
341 words, about 2 min02Clinical Judgment: Pulmonary
Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS): surfactant deficiency in preterm infants, onset within hours, grunting, retractions, ground-glass film with air bronchograms; antenatal steroids plus early CPAP or surfactant are the mainstays. Transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN): term or near-term, often after cesarean birth, tachypnea with fluid in the fissures that resolves in 24–72 hours with supportive care.
334 words, about 2 min03Clinical Judgment: Endocrine, Hematologic, Gastrointestinal, Renal, and Integumentary
Screen glucose in at-risk infants (preterm, small or large for gestational age, infant of a diabetic mother). Treat symptomatic or very low glucose with 10% dextrose 2 mL/kg IV followed by a continuous infusion; asymptomatic mild lows often respond to feeding.
342 words, about 2 min04Clinical Judgment: Musculoskeletal, Neurologic, and Psychosocial
Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) evolves through stages; abnormal tone, feeding difficulty, altered consciousness, and seizures after a sentinel event or fetal acidosis are the clues. Therapeutic hypothermia at about 33.5°C for 72 hours improves outcomes when started within 6 hours of birth in eligible infants - know the entry criteria (gestational age, birth weight, cord or early blood gas, exam, amplitude-integrated EEG).
315 words, about 2 min05Clinical Judgment: Multisystem and Professional Caring and Ethical Practice
Early-onset sepsis (first 72 hours) is usually group B Streptococcus or E. coli; late-onset is often coagulase-negative Staphylococcus and fungal in the very preterm on broad-spectrum antibiotics.
329 words, about 2 min