Pediatric Nurse Certification Exam Content Outline

This is a paper-and-pencil exam

There are 175 questions on this examination. Of these, 150 are scored questions and 25 are nonscored pretest questions. Questions are pretested to determine how well they perform before they are used in the scored portion of the examination. The pretest questions cannot be distinguished from those that will be scored, so it is important that a candidate answer all questions. However, a candidate's score is based solely on the 150 scored questions. Performance on pretest questions does not affect a candidate's score.

This Test Content Outline identifies the areas that are included on the examination. The percentage and number of questions in each of the major categories of the scored portion of the examination are also shown.

Note: Patient Care Situations Are Based in a Variety of Settings (hospital, home, and community)

Test Content Outline

1. Developmental/Behavioral Sciences (22.00%)
   1. Psychosocial/cognitive development (e.g., ages and stages, changes across the life span, life transitions, Erikson, Piaget, Maslow) - See Note 1: Major Health Problems
   2. Physical development (e.g., normal growth expectations, developmental milestones) - See Note 1: Major Health Problems
   3. Family concepts and issues (e.g., social support systems, psychological implications, roles, responsibilities)
   4. Cultural/spiritual diversity (e.g., ethnicity, spirituality, culture, religion, beliefs about health and illness, demographic changes)
   5. Behavior modification
2. Communication (10.67%)
   1. Therapeutic communication (effective interpersonal communication skills; e.g., listening, verbal and nonverbal, interviewing, cultural/spiritual awareness, boundary issues, communication barriers and accessibility, individual and group dynamics)
   2. Confidentiality issues/Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) (as it relates to patient privacy/information)
   3. Written communication/documentation
   1. Requirements (e.g., accuracy, clarity, timeliness, legibility, patient/resident/client-specific, approved abbreviations, appropriate notation, patient documentation)
   2. Forms of communication (e.g., plan of care, discharge instructions, patient education, electronic resources, appropriate pamphlets and use)
   4. Professional communication (e.g., communicating with colleagues and other health team members, multidisciplinary collaboration, effective responses toward inappropriate/non-professional behavior, advocacy and accountability)
3. Nursing Process (patient/family-centered, multidisciplinary approach, age/size-specific)—See Note 1: Major Health Problems (16.00%)
   1. Physical/psychosocial patient/family assessment (including processes, skills, equipment, and scales/tools that are age/size-specific; e.g., FLACC Scale, FACES Pain Rating Scale, Denver Developmental Screening Tool (DDST), diagnostic studies)
   2. Nursing diagnosis (including appropriate nursing terminology)
   3. Outcome identification (achievable, measurable)
   4. Planning (including standard therapies, complementary and alternative therapies (CAM); e.g., cost-effective care, short- and long-term discharge planning including resources, clinical pathways, incorporating the educational needs of the patient/family, risk reduction factors)
   5. Implementation (carrying out the plan using appropriate psychomotor skills, critical-thinking skills, control of the environment, and evidence-based practices; including standard therapies and complementary and alternative therapies (CAM), pain management)
   6. Evaluation (patient outcome measurements, measuring effectiveness of interventions, determining progress toward goals and modifying as needed)
4. Basic and Applied Science—See Note 1: Major Health Problems (17.33%)
   1. Trauma and disease processes (including age-specific anatomy and physiology, genetic disorders, infectious diseases, traction)
   2. Pharmacology (e.g., drug interactions, over-the-counter, herbal, complementary, prescription, therapeutic drug levels, weight-specific dosing, total parenteral nutrition (TPN))
   3. Nutrition (e.g., nutritional guidelines, routes, formulas, vitamins/supplements, therapeutic/alternative diets, growth charts, Body Mass Index (BMI), weight gains/loss)
   4. Chemistry (e.g., fluid and electrolyte balance/imbalance, acid-base balance, lab values)
5. Educational Principes and Strategies (4.00%)
   1. Principles of teaching and learning (e.g., literacy, readiness to learn, motivation, learning styles, culture, barriers to learning, developmentally appropriate principles for adults and children)
   2. Methodology (including developmentally appropriate strategies and tools, individual and group education)
   3. Educational outcomes and evaluations (e.g., return demonstration, direct observation, pre/post-test)
6. Life Situations and Adaptive/Maladaptive Responses (8.67%)
   1. End of life/death and dying (including palliative care)
   2. Crisis concepts and interventions (e.g., family crises, disaster responses, initial diagnosis responses)
   3. Substance abuse (e.g., alcohol, tobacco, drugs)
   4. Psychological responses (e.g., coping and adjustment, grief and loss, responses to illness and hospitalization, suicide ideation, gang membership, depression, eating disorders, living with chronic illness)
   5. Child maltreatment (including vulnerable child; family violence; physical, emotional, sexual abuse and neglect; Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy)
7. Health Maintenance, Promotion, and Wellness
   1. Immunizations (schedules, administrations, side effects, requirements, risks vs. benefits, cultural beliefs, common misconceptions)
   2. Anticipatory guidance/patient safety (home, hospital, community; e.g., falls, poisoning, vehicular safety, toy safety, risk reduction, sexuality)
   3. Community-based screenings and resources (e.g., hearing and vision, scoliosis, Denver Developmental Screening Tool (DDST), associations, and foundations)
   4. Barriers to care (e.g., access, availability, culture, sensitivity, literacy)
8. Management/Leadership (4.67%)
   1. Quality improvement (e.g., problem identification/quality indicators)
   2. Management principles (e.g., basic tenets of change theory, dealing with conflict, critical thinking, delegation, supervision, styles of leadership)
   3. Organizational structure (e.g., mission statement, values, policies, procedures, standards of care, chain of command)
   4. Professional development (e.g., annual competencies, self-development, professional organizations)
9. Research (2.00%)
   1. Research (e.g., the steps of the research process, use of research results in practice)
   2. Evidence-based nursing practice (including best practices)
10. Legal and Ethical Issues (4.00%)
    1. Guidelines (federal, regulatory, and professional; e.g., fire safety, disaster planning, environmental hazards, Nursing Code of Ethics, Nurse Practice Act, standards of practice, risk management)
    2. Reimbursement (e.g., third party payors and Medicaid/Medicare)
    3. Authority for decision-making (e.g., guardianship, custody and consent, do not resuscitate (DNR), advanced directives, dilemmas)

This page last revised 1/24/2007.