CBR AM study guide
CBR AM · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Certified Bariatric Registered - Ambulatory (CBR AM) credential is aimed at nurses, coordinators, dietitians, and advanced practice clinicians who work in outpatient bariatric programs rather than in the operating room or inpatient unit. It signals that a clinician can move a patient through the full ambulatory pathway: screening and preoperative workup, nutrition and behavior change counseling, comorbidity and medication management, postoperative surveillance and complication triage, and long-term weight-maintenance follow-up. The CBR AM study guide has 8 sections and about 2,596 words.
01Patient Assessment, Selection, and Preoperative Preparation
This domain covers the front door of the program: who is a candidate, what the medical, nutritional, psychological, and surgical evaluations must document, and which preoperative measures actually change outcomes and justify informed consent. Expect questions on current eligibility criteria, absolute versus relative contraindications, required laboratory work, and the specific preparations that must be verified before scheduling.
412 words, about 2 min02Surgical and Procedural Interventions
This domain covers the operations themselves: how each anatomy creates a specific complication and nutrition profile, the expected weight loss, and the perioperative bundles that make ambulatory bariatric surgery feasible. Sleeve gastrectomy: about 75–80% of the stomach removed along the greater curvature; purely restrictive; staple-line leak classically at the angle of His; roughly 25% total weight loss.
350 words, about 2 min03Nutrition and Dietary Management
This domain covers the staged diet progression, protein and fluid targets, procedure-specific supplement regimens, and the nutrition syndromes - dumping, dehydration, thiamine deficiency - that appear on nearly every form. Clear liquids day 0–1, full liquids 1–2 weeks, pureed about 2 weeks, soft about 2 weeks, regular diet by roughly 6 weeks.
317 words, about 2 min04Postoperative Care and Complication Management
Recognition and first action for complications in the first 30 days, plus the later problems - stricture, marginal ulcer, internal hernia - that bring patients back to the clinic. Days 1–7: anastomotic or staple-line leak, bleeding, pulmonary embolism, dehydration.
301 words, about 2 min05Behavioral Health and Psychological Support
This domain covers the psychological evaluation, which conditions require treatment before surgery, informed consent and expectation setting, and the behavioral risks that emerge afterward - especially alcohol and transfer addiction. Validated screens: PHQ-9, GAD-7, binge eating scale or EDE-Q, AUDIT-C, nicotine screen.
311 words, about 2 min06Medical Comorbidity Management and Pharmacology
Perioperative management of diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, and anticoagulation, plus the pharmacology that changes once anatomy is rearranged. Stop sulfonylureas and mealtime insulin before surgery; reduce basal insulin and use a sliding scale.
294 words, about 1 min07Long-Term Follow-Up and Weight Maintenance
This domain covers lifelong surveillance, laboratory monitoring, weight-regain evaluation, and pregnancy and bone-health counseling - the content that separates a durable program from a surgical episode. Visits at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months, then annually; programs track follow-up rates as a quality metric.
300 words, about 2 min08Ambulatory Program Operations, Safety, and Quality Improvement
This domain covers the ambulatory program's patient selection, facility readiness, accreditation and quality reporting, and the safety infrastructure supporting same-day or 23-hour bariatric surgery. Controlled OSA, ASA class generally I–III, BMI thresholds set by the facility (often below 50–60), a reliable escort, and reasonable proximity to the facility.
311 words, about 2 min