CCRN (Adult)

AACN publishes the exam's test plan and testable nursing actions in the CCRN Exam Handbook – Direct Care Pathway, along with sample questions and a bibliography. Use that handbook as your authoritative blueprint rather than a commercial outline, since AACN states it does not approve, endorse, or require any specific exam preparation product for eligibility.

Choose one of two options. Two-Year Option: 1,750 hours of direct care of acutely/critically ill adult patients in the previous two years, with 875 accrued in the most recent year before applying. Five-Year Option: at least 2,000 hours over the previous five years, with 144 accrued in the most recent year.

Hours must be in a U.S.- or Canada-based facility, or one determined comparable to the U.S. standard of acute/critical care nursing practice. They must be spent actively providing direct care, or supervising nurses or nursing students at the bedside if you work as a manager, educator, preceptor or APRN. The majority of your practice hours must focus on critically ill patients.

Possibly. AACN states the Direct Care Eligibility Pathway is for nurses who provide direct care to acutely/critically ill adult patients regardless of physical location, and lists critical care transport/flight among example areas. What matters is whether your verifiable hours meet the direct-care definition and the majority-of-practice focus on critically ill patients.

Your clinical hours must be verifiable by your clinical supervisor or a professional colleague (RN or physician). You must supply contact information for that verification, which AACN uses if you are selected for audit. Keep supervisor and colleague details current before you submit the application.

AACN lists $260 for AACN members and $375 for nonmembers. Confirm the current amount on the application page at the time you apply, since the fee shown in the CCRN Exam Handbook – Direct Care Pathway and on the CCRN (Adult) Direct Care page is the authoritative figure.

Candidates most often underprepare by studying only their own unit's patient population. The exam draws on the published test plan across acutely and critically ill adult practice, so work through the test plan and testable nursing actions systematically, then use sample questions and a practice exam with rationales to find and close gaps.

Start with the CCRN Exam Handbook – Direct Care Pathway: read the test plan and testable nursing actions, then the sample questions. Identify two or three areas where your current practice gives you the least exposure and study those first. Finish with a practice exam and review every rationale, including the ones you answered correctly.

AACN's Exam Policy Handbook covers exam rescheduling and cancellation, what to expect on the day of your exam, name and address changes, and upholding the value of certification. Consult that handbook and AACN Certification Corporation directly for the rules that apply to your situation.

AACN states this certification is accepted by the Magnet Recognition Program. You must hold a current, unencumbered U.S. RN or APRN license; unencumbered means you are not currently under formal discipline by the board of nursing in the states where you practice and have no provisions or conditions limiting practice.