CNN-NP study guide
CNN-NP · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The CNN-NP (Certified Nephrology Nurse – Nurse Practitioner) is a nephrology specialty certification offered by the Nephrology Nursing Certification Commission (NNCC), a charter member of the American Board of Nursing Specialties. It is aimed at established nurse practitioners who already hold a nephrology practice base: NNCC describes the credential as being for nurse practitioners with at least 2,000 hours practicing in nephrology. The CNN-NP study guide has 4 sections and about 1,186 words.
01Assessment and Diagnosis
This domain tests whether you can build a defensible nephrology diagnosis: correct CKD staging, precise AKI criteria, and a workup that separates glomerular, tubular, and vascular disease before treatment starts. CKD requires a marker of kidney damage (albuminuria, hematuria, structural or biopsy abnormality) or eGFR below 60 for at least 3 months.
307 words, about 2 min02Clinical Management and Pharmacotherapy
This domain tests medication and treatment decisions across the CKD continuum, from albuminuria to dialysis and transplant - when to start, when to stop, and what to monitor. For CKD with albuminuria: maximally tolerated ACE inhibitor or ARB (never both together); an SGLT2 inhibitor (dapagliflozin or empagliflozin) down to eGFR 20; finerenone, a nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, when albuminuria persists despite those two and potassium allows; and a GLP-1 receptor agonist such as semaglutide, which reduced kidney outcomes in the FLOW trial.
297 words, about 1 min03Health Promotion, Patient Education, and Counseling
This domain tests what you teach and how you teach it: the dietary, behavioral, and preventive interventions that change outcomes, delivered at the right time and in a format the patient can act on. Sodium under 2 g/day (about 5 g salt); protein 0.8 g/kg/day in CKD without dialysis, higher for dialysis patients; individualized potassium and phosphorus counseling that names real foods rather than issuing a generic sheet.
316 words, about 2 min04Professional Practice, Quality, and Leadership
This domain tests the non-clinical side of advanced practice: leading an interdisciplinary team, measuring and improving care, and handling the ethical and regulatory demands of dialysis and transplant settings. Nephrology care is interdisciplinary - nephrologist, NP, RN, dietitian, social worker, pharmacist, technician.
266 words, about 1 min