CCRN Review courses increase your odds of passing the exam on your first try.
Believe it or not, you need more than your clinical nursing experience to pass the CCRN exam. Remember preparing for the NCLEX? You still needed to study even though you had just completed a few years of training. The CCRN exam is quite similar. Test questions are not meant to trip you up, but many of the questions often feel like there are multiple correct answers unless you really know your stuff. Here’s a rundown of why a CCRN review course is worth your money, and your time.
Choosing between a CCRN review book and review course
Nurses are generally self-motivated and very driven. You certainly have to be to work in critical care nursing. Thus, many critical care nurses feel that they can design an individual study plan and do their preparation on their own with a CCRN review book. While CCRN review books are packed with information, it can be hard to discern what is precisely vital for you to know. Additionally, if there are topics you are having trouble grasping, a review book cannot explain it in a different way to increase your understanding.
If you are a learner who can read something, understand it, and remember it, a review book may be a cost-effective strategy for you. Yet, most adults learn best through other means, such as through hearing and seeing information and discussing it in more detail. Therefore, if you do not learn well from a textbook, you may not be as likely to pass the exam on your first try.
Why A CCRN review course increases your chances of passing
Review courses can present the information you need to know in a variety of ways. Review courses may incorporate:
- In-person lectures
- Discussion groups
- Audio lectures
- Simulations
- Videos
- Online lectures
- Practice questions
- Practice exams
Many nurses wonder if their experience qualifies for the CCRN application. Per the AACN, nurses from a variety of departments can sit for the exam, such as:
- ICUs
- CCUs
- Specialty ICUs (cardiac, neuro, medical, surgical)
- Trauma units
- Emergency departments
- Critical care transport
- Nurse anesthesia
Because review courses offer the material in a variety of formats, it can tap into different styles of learning. Some people learn best by hearing information, whereas others retain information easier after they see it or do it. Furthermore, CCRN review course instructors make it their business to know what you need to know to pass. Therefore, your instructors can emphasize specific topics and spend more time helping you understand them.
Aren’t review courses a big time commitment?
Many nurses hesitate to enroll in a CCRN review course because they don’t want to take time away from work (or life) to attend an in-person lecture. Yet, in-person lectures are not necessary to maximize your learning and increase your passing odds. With modern educational tools, there are excellent CCRN online review courses. Furthermore, some courses offer self-paced learning, which is ideal for most nurses.
How much do CCRN review courses cost?
CCRN review courses generally cost between $100-$350. Compared to CCRN review books, which cost between $25-$70, a review course can seem pretty costly. However, we know that nurses who take a review course are better prepared and more confident on test day.
Is a CCRN review course worth the money?
Finally, most nurses who don’t pass on the first time end up signing up for a review course to increase their odds of passing the second time.
Tips on affording a CCRN review course
You getting your CCRN offers tremendous benefits to your organization. CCRN nurses have better patient outcomes and are more likely to thrive in leadership roles. You are also in a better position to save more lives. Therefore, many organizations will help support you financially in getting your CCRN certification.
Talk to your supervisor if you are thinking about pursuing your CCRN. Your supervisor may offer to cover your exam fees and even reimburse you for some or all of your CCRN review course costs. Furthermore, most organizations provide a pay raise to nurses who obtain board certification.
What to look for in a CCRN review course
There are several things you want to consider when you are looking for a review course. Firstly, think about how you will best learn. Do you like to watch videos, hear lectures, see simulations, or have access to discussion groups?
Secondly, think about your time commitment. Can you take time off from work for an in-person lecture, or are there even any courses near you? Or, do you prefer to have a self-paced course that you can access at any time?
Critical Care Academy offers a unique CCRN review course
Critical Care Academy designed its CCRN review course around the Adult Learning Theory. Through this theory, we know adult learners have different needs than school-age learners. As adults, we have:
- Less time to dedicate to schooling
- More self-doubt in our abilities to retain information
- Decreased neuroplasticity
- Contradiction in what we learned in the past from current learning, and
- Lack of support and financial resources for adult education.
At Critical Care Academy, we kept all these things in mind to provide the most evidence-based adult learning platform for nurses pursuing their CCRN. Our course includes:
- 10 high-definition video modules
- 100 practice questions
- Supplemental handouts to further facilitate your understanding of complex topics
- Practice quizzes
- Discussion boards
- A final practice exam
All of our resources are self-paced and mobile-friendly to help you learn on the go without compromising your other obligations.
Enroll in Critical Care Academy today to take the next step
in your career and better your patient outcomes.