CFRN case studies
CFRN · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN®) is the foundational nursing specialty certification from the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN) for RNs working at transport programs and across the emergency spectrum. It is built around the realities of delivering care in flight - whether the crew is responding to the scene of an accident, a natural disaster, or an inter-facility transfer - and it validates the advanced clinical knowledge required to move critically ill and injured patients safely. The CFRN case studies are 5 cases and about 3,274 words.
1Postoperative Abdomen at Cabin Altitude
A 34-year-old man is 18 hours out from an exploratory laparotomy for a small-bowel obstruction. He has a nasogastric tube to low intermittent suction, a stapled midline incision, and a firm, distended abdomen.
643 words, about 3 min2Post-Arrest Transfer: Destination and Hemodynamics
A 61-year-old woman collapsed at home. Bystander CPR started within 4 minutes, and ROSC was achieved after 14 minutes of resuscitation for ventricular fibrillation.
655 words, about 3 min3Below Minimums at 2315: Crew Resource Judgment
It is 2315 in January. The temperature is -3°C, a freezing fog advisory is in effect, and the sending hospital's helipad is reporting a 200 ft ceiling and 1/2 mile visibility.
640 words, about 3 min4Oxygen Supply Calculation and a COPD Patient at Altitude
You are transporting a 72-year-old man with a COPD exacerbation and pneumonia. On the ground he is on a non-rebreather at 10 L/min with an SpO2 of 94%, a respiratory rate of 28, and a baseline PaCO2 of 58 mmHg.
645 words, about 3 min5A Minor, a Gunshot Wound, and Two Destinations
A 16-year-old boy has a single gunshot wound to the right upper quadrant. He is alert, in severe pain, with a BP of 108/70, HR 122, and a rigid abdomen.
691 words, about 3 min