CRRN® Prep Program

Our CRRN^® Prep Program provides all of the tools you'll need to pass the CRRN^® examination, develop your clinical skill set, and elevate your career - all while earning CEUs. With a CRRN^® credential, you'll set yourself apart as a specialized and committed rehabilitation nurse, equipped to provide an advanced level of care.

This self-guided, comprehensive program includes 28 courses, recommended readings, and 300 practice questions divided into four simulated exams to help you prepare for success on test day.

Rehabilitation Nursing for Spinal Cord Injury

Presented by Cheryl Lehman, PhD, RN, CRRN

Ethical Principles in Rehabilitation Nursing

Presented by Kristen L. Mauk, PhD, DNP, RN, CRRN, GCNS-BC, GNP-BC, FARN, FAAN

Management of Cognitive & Perceptual Issues in Rehabilitation Nursing

Presented by Julie Brandy, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, CNE

Rehabilitation Nursing for Patients with Communication Disorders

Presented by Michelle Camicia, PhD, RN, CRRN, CCM, NEA-BC, FARN, FAHA, FAAN

Management of Sleep and Rest in Rehabilitation Nursing

Presented by Stephanie Burnett, DNP, RN, ACNS-BC, CRRN

Optimizing Coping and Stress Management Skills for Patients and Caregivers

Presented by Gail Sims, MSN, RN, CRRN

Management of Sexuality and Sexual Function in Rehabilitation Nursing

Presented by Donald Kautz, MSN, RN, CRRN

Overview of Pediatric Rehabilitation Nursing

Presented by Cyndi Cortes, DrPH, MSN, MRE, CPNP-PC, CRRN, COI

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Case Excerpt:

John Lewis is a 29-year-old male, newly admitted to the rehabilitation unit for a T-1 complete spinal cord injury. Before his injury, he practiced as a lawyer. Injured during a skiing accident, he is now depressed and anxious. He is not married, and his parents are deceased. He has one sibling who lives in another state. Mr. Lewis complains to the nurse that he has a severe headache.

Question:

Which of the following should the nurse do first in response to Mr. Lewis’s complaint of headache?

Correct! Incorrect! Subscribe to access over 300 more questions like this one.

The correct answer is "Reposition Mr. Lewis into a head-up, feet-down position."

A headache in a person with a complete spinal cord injury above T-6 is suspicious for autonomic dysreflexia. A head-up, feet down position is the first intervention. Acetaminophen is not indicated for this condition, which is an emergency situation. Although he may have anxiety, it cannot be assumed that anxiety is the cause of the headache. Transferring to a head down position in bed may make the condition worse.

Offer Mr. Lewis 650 mg. of acetaminophen as ordered prn for pain.

Incorrect.
Suggest that Mr. Lewis make an appointment with the psychologist to discuss his anxiety.

Incorrect.
Reposition Mr. Lewis into a head-up, feet-down position.

Correct. A headache in a person with a complete spinal cord injury above T-6 is suspicious for autonomic dysreflexia. A head-up, feet down position is the first intervention. Acetaminophen is not indicated for this condition, which is an emergency situation. Although he may have anxiety, it cannot be assumed that anxiety is the cause of the headache. Transferring to a head down position in bed may make the condition worse.
Transfer Mr. Lewis to bed, put the head of the bed down, darken the room, and turn off the TV.

Incorrect.

Kristen L. Mauk, PhD, DNP, RN, CRRN, GCNS-BC, GNP-BC, FARN, FAAN

Dr. Mauk has been a professor of nursing for many years. Prior to moving to Colorado, she was a professor of nursing at a large private university in Indiana for nearly 25 years, and there she held the first Kreft Endowed Chair for the Advancement of Nursing Science, a position dedicated to gerontological nursing. She earned a BSN from Valparaiso University, an MS in adult health from Purdue University, a PhD from Wayne State University, a post-master's GNP certification from University of Virginia, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree from Valparaiso University. Dr. Mauk has 37 years of experience in chronic illness nursing, rehabilitation, and gerontological nursing and teaches in these specialties at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. She is certified in rehabilitation as a gerontological nurse practitioner and clinical nurse specialist. She has authored or edited eight books, including three that were recognized with an AJN Book of the Year Award. She has served on editorial boards for Rehabilitation Nursing and Geriatric Nursing and has written numerous articles and book chapters. Dr. Mauk is a frequent presenter at conferences at the regional, national, and international levels. She is the cofounder and president of Senior Care Central/International Rehabilitation Consultants, providing educational, clinical, and legal nurse consulting in rehabilitation and senior care in the US and internationally. Dr. Mauk is also a past president of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (ARN) and has served ARN in many roles, most significantly on the Council of Leaders, as editor of the fifth edition of the Core Curriculum, as PRN course faculty, on the task force to develop the ARN Professional Rehabilitation Nursing Competency Model, and as editor-in-chief of Rehabilitation Nursing. Some of Dr. Mauk's recognitions include the Suzanne Smith INANE Mentoring Editors Award (2017), nominee for the National Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching (2016), three AJN Book of the Year awards (2017, 2010, 1999), CASE/Carnegie Indiana Professor of the Year (2007), VU Caterpillar Award for Excellence in Teaching (2007), ARN Educator Role Award (2007), and the ARN Distinguished Service Award (2005). Dr. Mauk has taught nurses and students in China over the past few years. She has a passion for helping other countries to develop rehabilitation nursing into a strong specialty to promote quality care for their aging populations and those with disabilities.

Julie Brandy, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, CNE

Dr. Brandy is an Associate Professor of Nursing at Valparaiso University. She holds a PhD in Nursing Science from Loyola University, Chicago, a master's degree as a clinical nurse specialist in psychiatric/mental health nursing, and a post-graduate Certificate as a family nurse practitioner from Valparaiso University. Dr. Brandy is certified as a family nurse practitioner by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and as a nurse educator by the National League for Nursing. Her clinical background includes experience in critical care, surgery, acute, and residential psychiatric care, family practice. She currently practices as a nurse practitioner overseeing the care of rehabilitation and extended-care patients at a residential facility. Dr. Brandy's work has been published in the Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services and Jacob's Journal of Gerontology. She is a member of several professional nursing organizations including Sigma Theta Tau, American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, American Psychiatric Nurses Association, National Gerontological Nursing Association, and the Midwest Nursing Research Society. She has been invited to serve as a reviewer for the Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association and the Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services. Her research interests include spirituality and mental health.

Stephanie Burnett, DNP, RN, ACNS-BC, CRRN

Dr. Stephanie Davis Burnett is an advanced practice nurse with more than 35 years of experience in the field of rehabilitation nursing. She is considered an expert in the areas of rehabilitation, leadership, and staff education. Her certifications include being a board-certified clinical nurse specialist (ACNS-BC) and a certified rehabilitation registered nurse (CRRN). She holds Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) and masters in nursing (MSN) degrees from the University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree from Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN. Stephanie's experience includes positions as a hospital staff nurse, nurse manager, staff educator, and program coordinator; and in academia, adjunct faculty member in the masters of nursing level program. She also works as an independent expert rehabilitation nursing consultant in the area of nursing practice and staff education. Stephanie is a published author, editor, and accomplished speaker-presenter in her chosen field of practice. Dr. Burnett served as editor of the ARN publication "Evidence-based Rehabilitation Nursing: Common Challenges and Interventions, 2nd Ed." (2013) and chapter co-author in two recent editions of the ARN core curriculum. Stephanie is an active member in three professional nursing organizations: Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (ARN), of which she is a past national president, past chair, and member of the Rehabilitation Nursing Certification board and ARN Board of Directors; American Nurses Association (ANA); and, National Black Nurses Association (NBNA). Her nursing experience in leadership and rehabilitation and her collaborative skills make her a highly sought and skilled conference presenter. Dr. Burnett is currently a self-employed consultant in the field of rehabilitation nursing and legal nurse consultant, residing in the Birmingham, AL area.

Donald Kautz, MSN, RN, CRRN

Donald D. Kautz earned his BSN from the University of Northern Colorado, and his MSN and PhD in Nursing from the University of Kentucky. Don worked in many areas of Rehabilitation Nursing, including acute inpatient rehab on spinal cord, head injury, stroke, and general rehab units. He worked as a staff nurse in a pain clinic, outpatient clinics, and home health. In addition, he worked as a rehab unit nurse manager, and a neuroscience and rehabilitation clinical nurse specialist. For the last 20 years, Don taught nursing in ADN, BSN, RN to BSN, and MSN in Education programs. He has presented at over 100 local, state, regional, national, and international nursing conferences, and co-authored over 100 publications. Don retired in December 2016.

Cheryl Lehman, PhD, RN, CRRN

Dr. Cheryl Lehman has been a registered nurse since graduating from the Decatur Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in 1978. Since that time, she earned a BSN from Maryville University-St. Louis in 1990; an MSN in Adult Health Nursing from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston in the Clinical Nurse Specialist role in 1994; and a PhD in Preventive Medicine and Community Health with a focus in Rehabilitation Science in 2005, also from UTMB. Dr. Lehman is board-certified in rehabilitation nursing (CRRN); gerontological nursing (RN-BC); and in the CNS role (CNS-BC). Dr. Lehman's clinical nursing experience includes medical surgical, geriatric, and rehabilitation nursing in the roles of staff nurse, nursing educator, and clinical nurse specialist. She has worked in the rehabilitation nursing field since 1987. She is a past-president of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses, and the Editor and a co-author for the 7th edition of The Specialty Practice of Rehabilitation Nursing: A Core Curriculum. Dr. Lehman's articles and chapters on rehabilitation and gerontological topics have also been widely published in national journals and textbooks. Dr. Lehman retired in 2014 at the rank of Clinical Professor from the University of Texas system after 24 years of service. She worked in the clinical setting at UTMB for 17 years, and her most recent service was in the School of Nursing at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, where she worked for 7 years in the undergraduate and graduate nursing programs. Dr. Lehman currently serves as a nursing consultant in educational and legal endeavors.

Michelle Camicia, PhD, RN, CRRN, CCM, NEA-BC, FARN, FAHA, FAAN

Michelle Camicia, PhD, MSN, CRRN, CCM, NEA-BC, FAHA, FARN, FAAN, is the director of operations for Kaiser Foundation Rehabilitation Center at the Vallejo Medical Center. She is responsible for day-to-day operations of the Center as well as outreach, quality, and regulatory oversight. Michelle is a past president of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses. She has participated in numerous national and international advisory panels and committees related to professional nursing practice, rehabilitation, and healthcare reform and has published 13 peer-reviewed publications. Michelle currently serves on the National Institutes of Health National Advisory Board on Medical Rehabilitation Research, the National Quality Forum Neurology Standing Committee, and the editorial board of Rehabilitation Nursing, and is chair-elect of the American Heart/Stroke Association International Stroke Conference State-of-the-Science Symposium. Michelle recently finished her doctorate in nursing and healthcare leadership program at The Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at the University of California, Davis. She is studying the predictive validity of the Preparedness Assessment for the Transition Home After Stroke (PATH-s), a novel instrument she developed with a colleague to assess stroke caregivers' commitment and capacity for the caregiving role.

Gail Sims, MSN, RN, CRRN

Gail Sims serves as a Patient Care Coordinator at Kaiser Permanente in Roseville, CA. She served as the Director of Nursing at Kaiser Foundation Rehabilitation Center in Vallejo, CA for 8 years. She has also been a nurse surveyor for the Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities for the past 11 years. During the past thirty-nine years, nursing leadership and clinical management have been the main focus of her professional practice. She has been an Infection Control Nurse in long term and acute care settings on two separate occasions and served as adjunct faculty at two universities in their BSN programs. She has also served on the national board for the professional specialty organization of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses and has advocated for health care reform in Washington DC with the ARN Board on three annual Hill visits. She has presented rehabilitation nursing topics at ARN national conferences and annual symposiums throughout her career. She has contributed to three rehabilitation nursing textbooks as well as two professional nursing journals.

Cyndi Cortes, DrPH, MSN, MRE, CPNP-PC, CRRN, COI

When Cyndi Cortes became an interdisciplinary training trainee at the Sparks Center for Developmental and Learning Disabilities as a Master of Science in Nursing student, she did not realize how that decision would impact her clinical and professional career. While working at Children's of Alabama in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Cortes developed a love and concern for children and adults with special health care needs and their caregivers. While at Samford University, she helped plan, organize, and implement CampUs, a summer day camp for children with special health care needs. She also volunteers with her church's ministry for children with special health care needs. Caring for caregivers is a topic about which Dr. Cortes is passionate, and she will frequently discuss healthy lifestyle habits with all those with whom she interacts.