I sometimes hear from nurses who took a certification examination that they struggled with the Professional Caring and Ethical Practice questions. I am sure it is not because they do not know how to be caring and ethical nurses; most nurses are very compassionate and have a strong moral compass. Instead, I wonder if they are approaching the Professional Caring questions too much like clinical questions. Clinical Judgment questions ask for analysis of data to assess or treat a patient’s physiological needs, and the answer is often clear if one has the right knowledge. Professional Caring questions ask for actions that are patient centered and address patient needs that are not necessarily related to the medical aspects of practice.

By way of example, look at the first CCRN review question in this column. You read the question and immediately your anxiety grows because you do not know anything about breastfeeding...

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