Progressive Care Nursing Certification: Preparation, Review, and Practice Exams

by Thomas S. Ahrens, Donna Prentice, Ruth M. Kleinpell

The best review available for Progressive Care certification! CD-ROM with 2 comprehensive practice exams Progressive Care Nursing Certification is a complete step-by-step guide that thoroughly covers everything you need to know to pass the examination administered by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN). Presented in short, easy-to-read chapters, the book includes subject-specific practice exams, allowing you to target your study and quickly identify weak areas. In addition, the handy “Editor’s Note” highlights what’s important and gives you an idea of the number of questions you should expect on a given topic. Everything you need to pass the Progressive Care certification exam:

623 pages, Paperback

First published May 17, 2011

Reviews

[Lola]

Well it must be worth something because I am certified on the first try. This book is extremely comprehensive and contains TOO MUCH INFORMATION! More than is needed to pass the PCCN.

[Kate]

I took my PCCN exam yesterday and I passed, thankfully! It was a very hard test, most definitely the hardest test I have ever taken. I studied with this book and the accompanying CD for over two months and focused most of my attention on Cardiovascular, Pulmonary, and Renal sections. The nursing synergy model was more prevalent on the actual exam than what I had expected and I hadn't prepared much on that nor does this book offer the type of information that was asked related to the synergy model. I had several questions on cultural competency in nursing; I would suggest reading on the AACN website for that information. The practice tests are good and challenging enough that it will prepare you for the exam. For the exam, know all things cardiovascular including what leads correspond with which type of MI and the vessel involved (RCA, LAD, etc). I think this book is very well-written and really offers a lot of in depth information, some important and relevant to the exam, others not so much but it's an excellent review.
All I can say is thank goodness that exam is over and passed. Thank goodness I prepared with this book!

[BookNerd4Life]

This book is too cumbersome to use in preparation for the PCCN exam. There is information that could be summed up in one to two paragraphs instead of 10-20 pages. The questions were not on the same difficulty as that of the actual PCCN exam. I believe the book would be a valuable resource for a Medical surgical nurse to use as a tool to prepare for transitioning to a progressive care unit. It would be great if the author can generate a revised, updated, true PCCN version.