CRNI study guide
CRNI · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Certified Registered Nurse Infusion (CRNI) is a specialty nursing credential intended for registered nurses whose practice centers on infusion therapy - the delivery of fluids, medications, blood components, and parenteral nutrition through peripheral and central vascular access devices. Nurses typically seek it after accumulating bedside infusion experience, and it is often used to demonstrate specialty competence to employers, patients, and credentialing committees. The CRNI study guide has 10 sections and about 3,257 words.
01Assessment, Planning, and Patient Education
Infusion assessment is layered. Start with the whole patient: diagnosis and treatment plan, comorbidities (diabetes, renal or cardiac disease, coagulopathy), current medications, allergies, laboratory values (CBC, coagulation studies, electrolytes, renal function), nutritional and fluid status, cognitive status, health literacy, and the patient's preferences and goals.
349 words, about 2 min02Vascular Access Device Selection, Insertion, and Care
Selection is driven by duration, solution characteristics, vessel quality, and patient preference. Peripheral short catheters suit short-term, non-irritating therapy.
329 words, about 2 min03Administration of Infusion Therapies
Confirm the right patient (two identifiers), drug, dose, route, time, rate, and documentation, plus compatibility and allergies. For high-alert medications (vasopressors, insulin, heparin, opioids, concentrated electrolytes, chemotherapy), use an independent double check and standardized concentrations, and program the pump with a drug library where available.
305 words, about 2 min04Complications and Interventions
Phlebitis presents as erythema, warmth, tenderness, or a palpable cord; stop the infusion and remove the catheter. Infiltration is fluid entering tissue (cool, pale, blanched, taut); extravasation is a vesicant or irritant doing the same - burning, pain, blistering.
317 words, about 2 min05Infection Prevention, Safety, and Risk Management
Hand hygiene is the single most effective intervention. For central line insertion: chlorhexidine skin antisepsis, maximal sterile barrier precautions, optimal site selection, and daily review of line necessity.
334 words, about 2 min06Transfusion Therapy and Blood Component Administration
Confirm informed consent, verify the type and screen/crossmatch specimen, and check that the order specifies the product, volume, and any irradiation or leukoreduction requirement. Baseline vital signs are required.
343 words, about 2 min07Parenteral Nutrition
Parenteral nutrition (PN) is for patients who cannot meet needs enterally. It contains dextrose, amino acids, electrolytes, vitamins, trace elements, and often lipids as a separate emulsion or in a total nutrient admixture.
332 words, about 2 min08Pharmacology, Fluid and Electrolyte Therapy, and Dose Calculations
Know the high-alert infusions - vasopressors, insulin, heparin, opioids, concentrated electrolytes, chemotherapy - and their double-check requirements, standard concentrations, and rate limits. Know common antidotes and reversal agents (protamine for heparin, vitamin K and PCC for warfarin, naloxone for opioids, flumazenil for benzodiazepines, glucagon/dextrose for hypoglycemia).
304 words, about 2 min09Psychosocial Support and Care Coordination
Infusion therapy is repetitive, invasive, and often frightening. Screen for anxiety, needle phobia, depression, body image concerns (especially with visible catheters and hair loss), sleep disruption, financial strain, and caregiver burden.
322 words, about 2 min10Professional Practice, Standards, Quality, and Evidence-Based Practice
Practice is governed by the Infusion Nurses Society (INS) Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice, state nurse practice acts, organizational policy, and manufacturer labeling. Know that the standard of care is a combination of these - and that when a facility policy conflicts with a national standard, the discrepancy should be raised, not silently resolved by individual preference.
322 words, about 2 min