If you’re a critical care nursing working in some variation of an intensive care unit, you’ve likely asked yourself this very question – “Is pursuing a CCRN certification worth the time and investment? ” While that is ultimately your personal decision, I’d like to take the time to give my opinion about certification after having held my own CCRN title for the past three years. In this article, we’ll discuss what the benefits of CCRN certification are, some certification statistics, and potential drawbacks to certification. Hopefully this article helps you decide if sitting for your critical care registered nurse certificate is worth doing for you personally. RN or APRN license are eligible to take the AACN Cardiac Surgery Subspecialty Certification exam.
Nursing certifications also benefit the nurses themselves, as they can open up career opportunities that might not be available otherwise. The AACN also published their own practice exam booklet that contains 100 questions similar to those you’ll see on the exam. This might be a good tool to use to evaluate your progress with studying the cardiac content. I’d suggest using it towards the half way point or end of the time you’ve set aside to prep for the exam.

There are a total of 90 questions on this exam, 15 of which will not count for or against your grade. You’ll need to get a minimum score of 54/75 (~72%) to pass and you’ll be given two hours to answer the exam in its entirety. Another thing to keep in mind, you won’t know which 15 questions are being “thrown out.” This means it’s incredibly important to treat each question as if it contributes to your score.

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Are you ready to take your nursing career to the next level with an AACN Cardiac Surgery Subspecialty Certification (CSC)? Exam Edge is here to help you pass your certification exam with confidence. Our comprehensive online practice exams are designed to replicate the real AACN CSC exam experience, providing you with the knowledge and psychological advantage needed to succeed.
I only used the Ace the CSC book to take and pass the CSC examination. The main reason I thought it was difficult was because first off, I don’t work strictly in a CVICU. Second of all, I tried to rely more on past experience to answer some of the questions. When I did my CMC exam I ended up receiving a 65/75 but thought that exam was even more difficult. But back to the CSC book, I felt it was sufficient enough to get you through the exam.
We believe you can perform better on your exam, so we work hard to provide you with the best study guides, practice questions, and flashcards to empower you to be your best. We have listed the most popular nursing certifications below, along with links to the websites of the organizations that offer them. To get certified, you first need to know which certification suits you.

From there, you can research the certification, learning about exam eligibility, costs, and study materials. Once you have ticked all of those boxes, you can move on to your study and complete the examination. As the nursing shortage continues, it becomes more critical to fill nursing vacancies with skilled, highly qualified registered nurses. An estimated 100,000 nursing jobs go unfilled every year, and more than 500,000 RNs are expected to retire within the next five years.
Candidates must also meet clinical practice requirements in the field of cardiac surgery, such as having a minimum of 1,750 hours of direct bedside care experience within the past two years. The Cardiac-Vascular Nursing Certification (CV-BC) is a credential the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) awarded to registered nurses who pass the Cardiac-Vascular Nursing Certification exam. A cardiac vascular nurse with this certification has demonstrated entry-level clinical skills and knowledge. The test fixates on potential issues that may emerge with cardiovascular surgery patients post-operation and how to illuminate them.
You can renew with continuing education credits or by testing again. You would renew with the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN).
Teague teaches postoperative cardiac surgery classes to new nursing graduates and new members of the CVICU team who don’t have prior cardiac surgery experience. Promote excellence in nursing by enabling future and current nurses with the education and employment resources they need to succeed. At the end of that time period, the licensed RN or ARNP must have been employed for at least 432 hours, with 144 of those hours within the past year, in the area of caring for patients who underwent cardiac surgery within the past 48 hours. Lee Taylor-Vaughan, JD, MSN, RN, ACNP, CCRN-CSC-CMC, PCCN, CEN, TCRN, NREMT-P, LNC, CFRN is a native of Yorkshire England, who began his healthcare career–over 20 years ago–in the ER & ICU.
In contrast, a nurse with telemetry skills may work directly with patients or in a setting where they monitor the telemetry information of patients on heart monitors. And with cardiac catheterization training, they can work in critical or acute care environments and with medical technicians trained to work in telemetry care. The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) is responsible for administering the Cardiac Surgery Subspecialty Certification exam. The AACN is a professional nursing organization dedicated to promoting high standards of nursing practice, providing education and resources for nurses, and advocating for the professional interests of its members. At Exam Edge, we understand the importance of proper preparation for your AACN CSC certification exam.
The Cardiac Surgical Certification (CSC) allows nurses to provide postoperative care to cardiac surgical patients. Certified Nurses Day, an annual worldwide event, is dedicated to celebrating certification as a means to help ensure high standards of patient care and to promote continuing excellence in the nursing profession. Styles designed the first comprehensive study of nurse credentialing. A cardiac nurse specialist provides support to both patient and the cardiologist. They explain treatment plans, follow up with patients, record data collected by heart monitors and telemetry equipment, and track a patient’s progress. A cardiac nurse can work in an emergency room, in a clinical setting, and also work as a traveling nurse.

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He is currently practicing as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner in a Cardiothoracic Surgery Intensive Care Unit in the NYC Metro area. These are the topics on the exam and how frequently they appear, according to the super-popular CSC exam review course provided by the AACN. This is a certification you can get after working in a position for a certain number of hours as I explained earlier in this post. If you decide to renew with continuing education credits, there are very specific requirements for them.
Certification also demonstrates a high level of competence in the field of cardiovascular care, which helps provide high-quality care to patients and establish trust as well. Obtaining your CCRN certification can help increase your self confidence, knowledge and skills, critical thinking ability, competency, and implementation of patient-centered evidence-based care. For employers, this is enticing because it can result in reduced patient complications, fewer medical and medication errors, and safer decision making by nursing staff. Additionally, it outwardly displays your expertise to colleagues, other healthcare professionals (HCPs), and patients/family members. To your nursing management, it demonstrates initiative to learn and qualify for a certification in your specialty that is not necessarily required of you.

This is a comprehensive review course that follows the American Association of Critical care Nurses’ (AACN) CSC examination blueprint. It is an ideal review for any seasoned nurse, a new nurse, or a student who desires to learn more about Cardiac Surgery Nursing. This course is a great foundation for students, recent graduates entering the nursing workforce, and anyone who works in the cardiac surgery setting. This program is for you if you’re studying for the Cardiac Surgery Certification (CSC) exam (see below). This program will also provide an overview of Advanced Cardiac Surgery Resuscitation guidelines (a unique and evidence-based approach to the unique measures required when resuscitating cardiac patients).
Now let’s discuss some of the drawbacks of getting your CCRN certification. This exam is a difficult one to master, regardless of how long you’ve been a nurse in the ICU setting. It can be incredibly time consuming to prepare for, expensive to invest in review materials for studying, and it requires studying in your off time outside of work. The cost of the exam, if not covered or reimbursed by your employer, is not cheap either at the price of $250 for AACN members or $365 for non members. According to the AACN, the organization that creates the exam and maintains certifications, one in three or 33% of test takers do not pass this exam.
Paper Application For applicants applying with a group, taking a paper-and-pencil exam, and/or testing outside the US, a paper application is required. The application will ask for your RN or APRN license information and an honor statement. At this time, you must also pay the $230 examination fee ($140 for AACN members). I asked Nicole this question, and she said she would study for this exam the same way you would have studied for the CCRN.
You can have all of the skills and knowledge in the world, but without the right certification, you can’t prove it. Like the CCRN, PCCN applicants must have extensive clinical experience and can renew their certifications every three years. The complete eligibility requirements differ between certifications. The entire comprehensive package retails for $72.99, but is available to you today at the incredibly low price of $39.99 for our instant access ebook or $44.99 for our printed book. “I purchased the study guide, and I just wanted to let you know that I passed my test. I just want to thank you again, and hope you have continued success in your ventures.”
The booklet also contains rationales for you to review afterwards. This is a cheap option to utilize for additional practice questions; however, I have some additional suggestions in the next paragraphs that may be more lucrative both in content and cost. Upon successful completion of the AACN Cardiac Surgery Subspecialty Certification exam, candidates will be awarded the CSC credential. This certification is valid for three years, after which it must be renewed through the AACN’s renewal process. The renewal process typically involves obtaining a certain number of continuing education hours and demonstrating ongoing clinical practice in the field of cardiac surgery.
During this time, he has completed programs for EMT, Paramedic, a BS, an MS in Nursing from Rutgers University, and a Doctorate in Law from Concord Law School. Know that studying should include both a content review and some practice questions. The Cardiac Surgery Certification (CSC) is a subspecialty certification for nurses who already have another certification, like the CCRN and PCCN. Treatments are also getting more effective and that could create a lot of possibilities for nurses in Oncology. What’s more, healthcare workers in this profession get to be part of potentially exciting innovations in cancer care, ones that could save millions of lives.

If you’re a nurse in the ICU setting and are either studying for or have passed your critical care (CCRN) exam, this article is for you! Unlike the cardiac surgery certification (CSC), the cardiac medicine certification (CMC) can be earned by nurses taking care of non-surgical cardiac patients. In other words, this means you don’t have to be a CVICU nurse to become specialty certified with the CMC! I have a medical ICU (MICU) background and routinely care for patients with cardiac issues, post-MI patients, cardiogenic shock patients, and those requiring vasoactive titratable medications. If that sounds like you too, then, by all means, pursue certification!
This program is designed to provide the foundational course from the nursing degree curriculum to prepare students for entry into the Nursing Program. Completion of career studies certificate does not guarantee admissions into the Nursing Program. At the completion of this certificate program the students is eligible to apply for the Virginia Board of Nursing Nurse Aide Certification Exam.
A Progressive Care Nursing Certification (PCCN) allows nurses to provide care for acutely ill adult patients whose conditions are only moderately stable or are at elevated risk of instability. Such nurses must provide intensive care to their patients, and the PCCN certification denotes a level of vigilance required to deliver such care. Because of the extensive training, the role demands a higher salary. A cardiac nurse’s salary can range between $61,000 on the low and $120,000 on the upper end. A nurse that has trained in advanced cardiovascular life support is qualified to work with patients who are in a cardiac emergency situation.
There are 90 multiple-choice questions on the exam, 15 of which are not scored. To pass the exam, you will need to answer at least 80% of the questions correctly. This means that AACN panelists are given information such as test results and other panelists’ rating results to determine the cut score. The cut score is a raw number that is based on how the AACN panelists established the difficulty ratings for each question. After you arrive, you will need to provide one form of valid, government-issued photo ID.
In addition, once the course has been accessed, there are no refunds available. Your hospital may actually pay for this certification and testing materials! You should definitely ask your hospital if they offer reimbursement for the exam, and if so how you would go about doing so.
You can also do what I did and review the cardiovascular sections of your CCRN prep materials. I also utilized the cardiovascular ICU questions from the Pass CCRN question bank online. You can check out my CCRN article for more information about that resource here. For the health and safety of our patients, our staff and our community, TMC HealthCare mandates COVID-19 vaccines for all employees.
That process is spelled out on their website, and it’s certainly not something you can do at the last minute. You definitely need to plan to get these done well before your certification expires. There are two options for obtaining enough practice hours for the exam.