Medical-Surgical Nurse Certification Exam Content Outline

This is a computer-based test (CBT)

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.

Test Content Outline

This exam pertains to patients ages 18 and up.

1. Development
   1. Theories/Theorists (Erickson, Piaget, Maslow)
   2. Stages of Adult Development
      1. Physical Development
      2. Cognitive Development
   3. Change Across the Life Span/Life Transitions
      
2. Communication
   1. Therapeutic Communication and Interviewing Skills
   2. Communication Barriers (e.g., resources: interpreter, computer; barriers; hearing/sight/cognitive impairment)
   3. Professional Communication
      
3. Basic and Applied Sciences
   1. Anatomy and Physiology (e.g., homeostasis such as fluid and electrolyte imbalance, acid base and neuroendocrine) (see Note 1: Body Systems)
   2. Disease Process (e.g., pathophysiology, chronic vs. acute, multi-system organ faliure) (See Note 1: Body Systems)
   3. Pharmacology
      1. Herbal/Alternative/Complementary
      2. Classification
      3. Side Effects/Adverse Reactions
      4. Interactions (food/drug; drug/drug)
      5. Patient Education
   4. Nutrition
      1. Balanced Nutrition
      2. Specialty Diet
      3. Parenteral/Enteral
      4. Lab Values
      5. Patient Education
      6. Barriers (e.g., ileus, dysphagia)
4. Behavioral Sciences
   1. Coping (e.g., adjustment and change, anxiety, body image)
   2. Crisis Interventions (e.g., pyschosocial assessment, suicidal risk, crisis team)
   3. End of Life/Dealth and Dying (e.g., Kubler-Ross, palliative/hospice care)
   4. Human Sexuality
   5. Cultural/Ethnic Beliefs and Practices
   6. Psychological Responses (e.g., stress, anger, depression, denial)
   7. Substance Abuse
   8. Vulnerable Adult (e.g., abuse and neglect)
      
5. Patient/Family Education
   1. Theories and Principles of Teaching and Learning
   2. Methodology
   3. Educational Outcomes and Evaluation (e.g., measures, compliance, educational goal setting)
   4. Individualized Patient Education (e.g., cultural, family, spiritual needs, support, resources)
6. Delivery of Care
   1. Cost Effective Care (e.g., length of stay, clinical pathway, supplies)
   2. Resources for Continuing Care (e.g., interdisciplinary collaboration, community resources)
   3. Pain Management (e.g., modalities)
   4. Complementary Therapies (e.g., biofeedback, massage, guided imagery, music)
   5. Evidence-Based Practice (e.g., best practices, problem list, utilizing literature to support practice)
   6. Safety Issues/Environmental Assessment (e.g., disaster preparedness, patient safety goals, environmental hazards, restraints, risk management)
7. Nursing Process
   1. Assessment (physical/psychosocial/psychomotor)
   1. Tools/Scales (e.g., pain, falls, skin, stroke, functional status)
   2. Vital Signs and/or Lab Values
   3. Review of Systems
   2. Nursing Diagnoses
   3. Planning (e.g., plan of care, mutually agreed upon goals, goal setting)
   4. Interventions (e.g., application/interpretation of findings, treatment/procedures)
   5. Evaluation/Outcomes Measurement (e.g., goal attainment, reevaluation)
8. Health Promotion and Wellness
   1. Health Maintenance/Wellness Principles (e.g., immunizations, Healthy People 2010, smoking cessation)
   2. Life Style Management/Anticipatory Guidance (e.g., management of health, medication, exercise, and diet; mutually agreed upon goals; spirituality)
9. Management/Leadership
   1. Quality/Performance Improvement (e.g., failure mode analysis, opportunities for improvement, root cause analysis)
   2. Principles of Accountability, Conflict Resolution, Delegation, Supervision, Assertiveness
   3. Advocacy
   4. Professional Development (e.g., role modeling/mentoring, maintaining ongoing competencies, career advancement)
   5. Collaboration (e.g., committees, interdisciplinary teams/groups)
10. Legal Issues/Ethical Issues
    1. Regulatory Guidelines/Confidentiality Issues (e.g., HIPAA, OSHA, AHRQ)
    2. Standards of Practice/Malpractice (e.g., Nurse Practice Act, acts of commission/omission)
    3. Patients' Bill of Rights/Patient Self Determination (e.g., informed consent, advanced directives)
    4. Decision Making/Dilemmas (e.g., religious/cultural issues, resources, organ transplant, end of life, ethics committee)
    5. Documentation (e.g., abbreviations, decimal points, late entry, tampering of records)

Note 1: Body Systems

1. Cardiovasculary and pulmonary
2. Gastrointestinal, renal, and genitourinary
3. Musculoskeletal, neurologic, and integumentary
4. Metabolic and endocrine
5. Immunologic and hematologic
6. Multisystem

This page last revised 11/27/2007.