CNN Test

CNN Test: What Is It All About?

CNN

The CNN test is the certification exam given for anyone who hopes to qualify as a Certified Nephrology Nurse. A nephrology nurse is one who specializes in working with and treating patients with severe kidney problems who must undergo dialysis treatments. Many people commonly refer to these nurses as dialysis nurses, but the correct term is nephrology nurse. It is actually one of the newer nursing specialties. There are many requirements that a person must meet in order to practice as a certified nephrology nurse, and one of these requirements is passing the CNN test.

The test consists of 200 questions, and the maximum amount of time a person can take to complete it is four hours. Obviously, this is a very demanding test. If a person takes the entire four hours allotted to finish the test, that means he or she must answer 50 questions an hour in order to finish. A prospective nephrology nurse must be thoroughly prepared when sitting down to take the CNN exam. There are various versions of the exam, and depending on which one a person takes, the minimum passing score will be between 70percent and 75percent. Every year, thousands of test takers fail the exam and either have to retake it at some point in the future or give up on their dream of nephrology nursing.

The CNN test covers all aspects of nephrology nursing, both theoretical and practical. A little over one third of the questions will be about the underlying medical concepts of renal failure, while approximately half of the questions will be testing specific knowledge about either hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. The remaining questions (about 20 percent) will cover kidney transplants and acute therapies. In all these different subject areas, the questions will cover topics such as pathology and complications, professional nursing practices, principles of infection control, appropriate interventions and possible complications, principles of renal replacement therapies, medications, patient and family education, and related interdisciplinary questions. The CNN test is not easy, and anyone who sits down to take it without proper preparation is very unlikely to pass.