Carol Rauen, rn, ms, ccns, ccrn, pccn, cen, rn-bc, the department editor, is an independent clinical nurse specialist in The Outer Banks of North Carolina. Carol contributed the CCRN questions. She welcomes feedback from readers and practice questions from potential contributors at [email protected].
Elizabeth Katz Brock, rn, ms, ccrn, acnp, an acute care nurse practitioner in the surgical critical care department at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC, contributed the introduction and the Cardiac Surgery Certification (CSC) questions.
RAUEN
BROCK
Advanced practice nurses (APNs) are often plagued with the dilemma of whether or not to renew nursing certifications, as the benefits of maintenance are not always recognizable. APNs have a myriad of licenses and credentials to uphold, and maintaining additional certifications can be both costly and labor intensive (eg, expense of the renewal and association...