The CCRN, drawn out.
One connected story from the Circuit to the Synergy Model, 500+ visuals with waveforms the way the monitor draws them, and plain English before the jargon. Included in every CCRN bundle.
A4 pages
chapters, one connected story
visuals across the book
practice questions
comparison tables
Critical care is visual. So is this book.
The monitor teaches in pictures, so the book does too. Nineteen chapters, told as one connected metaphor story, so every new system plugs into the one before it.
One connected story
The Circuit feeds the Pump, the Pump rides the Wiring, the Bellows load the blood, and the story keeps going through all 19 chapters. Concepts connect instead of piling up, so what you read in week one still holds the rest together on exam day.
Drawn like the monitor draws it
Arterial lines, CVP waves, PA tracings, heart blocks, and vent loops, redrawn by hand as 300+ coded diagrams. The hard topics become maps: pupil patterns, cord syndromes, the shock fingerprints.
Practice with a why
285 exam-style questions, 15 closing every chapter, with full rationales. Every option gets a written why, the wrong ones included, so a miss teaches instead of stings.
Not a textbook.
A book.
Most CCRN prep is a wall of dense text you abandon by week two. This one is drawn, color-coded, and paced like a book you actually finish.
- 500+ visuals. 234 illustrated figures and 300+ coded diagrams, all in one consistent hand.
- 155 comparison tables. Column by column, and every column is a question the exam asks.
- 112 plain-English boxes. Every hard topic opens in words you can read after a night shift.
- A one-page cheat sheet per chapter. Every chapter condenses onto a single page, plus 32 worked examples with the math shown.
The Wiring · Diagram page
The four AV blocks, stacked so the difference is visible.
The Circuit · Cheat sheet
Every chapter ends on one page like this.
The Vault · Diagram page
The pupil pattern map, findings turned into a picture.
The Frame and the Shell · Worked example
The Parkland formula, worked to the milliliter.
What’s inside.
Three real pages · lifted straight from the book
1 / 3 · Chapter · 02 The heart enters the story as a four-part pump inside the Circuit built in Chapter 1.
2 / 3 · Chapter · 01 The waveform the way the monitor draws it, labeled point by point.
3 / 3 · Chapter · 06 The whole cascade condensed onto the one page that closes the chapter.
Swipe · 3 sample pages
800 pages in total · three shown here
Read Chapter 1, free
The book’s opening chapter, all 51 pages, yours to keep. Hemodynamics taught as a pump, pipes, and a fleet of trucks, with the waveforms drawn the way the monitor draws them. See the method and the visual standard on the page before you choose a bundle.
- Free PDF
- No credit card
- Instant access
- 01Foundations
The Circuit
Hemodynamics and oxygen delivery, a pump, pipes, a fleet of trucks, and the gauges that watch them. The foundation the whole exam hangs on.
Nineteen chapters, one connected story
The Foundation
Chapter 01Hemodynamics and oxygen delivery, the spine of the whole exam. Every chapter that follows plugs into the Circuit built here.
- 01
The Circuit
Hemodynamics and oxygen delivery, the spine of the whole exam
The Pump and the Bellows
Chapters 02 to 05The heart as a pump inside the Circuit, the wiring that drives it, then the lungs that load the blood and the machine that works them.
- 02
The Pump
The heart as a four-part pump inside the Circuit
- 03
The Wiring
The conduction system, blocks and rhythms, drawn stroke by stroke
- 04
The Bellows
The lung as the loading station, gases and acid-base
- 05
The Ventilator
The machine that works the bellows, and its dangers
The Body Systems
Chapters 06 to 14Sepsis toppling the organs in turn, the brain in its rigid box, the cord, the gut and liver, the kidney, the glands, the blood, and the frame and the skin.
- 06
The Cascade
Sepsis, one infection toppling the organs in turn
- 07
The Breach
The body assaulted from outside, barrier breached, reserve spent
- 08
The Vault
The brain in a rigid box where volume becomes pressure
- 09
The Cable
The spinal cord and the four ways it fails
- 10
The Refinery
The gut and liver, five jobs and four failures
- 11
The Filter
The kidney, three jobs and three failures
- 12
The Signals
The glands, each with a crisis at either end
- 13
The Fleet
The blood as the working fleet of the Circuit
- 14
The Frame and the Shell
The frame, the skin, and the crushed compartment
The Person
Chapter 15The human being inside the machinery. Delirium, coping, and the care the monitors cannot see.
- 15
The Person in the Bed
The human being inside the machinery, and delirium
Professional Caring & Ethical Practice
Chapters 16 to 19Four chapters for the Professional Caring and Ethical Practice block, from the Synergy Model to the team, the system, and the evidence.
- 16
The Synergy Model
Matching what the nurse brings to what the patient needs
- 17
Standing for the Patient
Advocacy and moral agency on the four principles
- 18
Presence and Preparation
Caring practices and facilitation of learning
- 19
The Wider View
The team, the system, and the evidence
Mapped to the AACN Adult CCRN test plan. Every chapter ends with a one-page cheat sheet and a 15-question practice set with full rationales.
Included in the Complete Pass System
CCRN Essentials is not sold on its own. It ships inside every CCRN Complete Pass System plan, next to the adaptive QBank, the video course, and the flashcards that drill what the book teaches.
A $75 value on its own, included in full in every plan.
- CCRN Complete Pass System
Sitting the CCRN?
- CCRN Essentials, the full 800-page book (PDF)
- 1,200+ clinical practice questions
- 3 timed mock exams
- The CCRN Explained video course, 108 lessons
- 900+ flashcards
$589+ valueSee bundle plansfrom $79.99
Built for the nurse, not the shelf
One volume, one connected story. However you come to the CCRN, the book meets you there.
The new ICU nurse
First certification attempt. The story starts at the Circuit and builds outward, with 112 plain-English boxes opening every hard topic before the jargon arrives.
The visual learner
500+ visuals in one consistent hand: waveforms the way the monitor draws them, 155 comparison tables, and the hard topics turned into maps.
The retaker
Failed by a handful of questions? Trap callouts name the setups that catch strong candidates, and all 285 practice items explain every option, the wrong ones included.
The night-shift studier
Studying between shifts. Plain English opens each topic, a mnemonic sits on every hard one, and each chapter condenses onto a one-page cheat sheet, so short sessions still land.
The review-course refugee
Sat through a lecture course and kept none of it? This is the counterweight: one connected story, taught in pictures, at your own pace, inside every bundle.
The unit educator
Certifying a cohort on one consistent source. Every seat’s Complete Pass System bundle includes the full 800-page book.
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about CCRN Essentials.
About the Book
The Adult CCRN certification from AACN. All 19 chapters follow the AACN Adult CCRN test plan, including four full chapters on Professional Caring and Ethical Practice. It is not written for the Pediatric or Neonatal CCRN exams.
CCRN Essentials is not sold separately. It ships inside every CCRN Complete Pass System plan alongside the adaptive QBank, the three timed mocks, the CCRN Explained video course, and the flashcards. Choose any bundle length and the full book is included.
It is drawn, not transcribed: 500+ visuals carry the content, with waveforms redrawn the way the monitor draws them. The 19 chapters run as one connected story, the Circuit feeding the Pump, the Pump riding the Wiring, so concepts connect instead of piling up. And every hard topic opens in plain English, 112 boxes of it, before the clinical language arrives.
A print-ready digital PDF: A4, 800 pages, designed at 300 DPI. Print the chapters you are working on, annotate on a tablet, or read on any screen.
285 exam-style items, 15 closing every chapter, with full rationales. Every option gets a written explanation, the wrong ones included, so each question teaches even when you miss it.
Yes. Every chapter condenses onto a single cheat-sheet page: the cutoffs, the equations, and the one-line rules, ready for a final-week pass through the whole book.
About PrepSolution
You’ll receive an email with your login credentials and the book download within 5 minutes of purchasing any CCRN Complete Pass System plan. If you don’t see it, check your spam folder or contact support@prepsolution.com.
No. The Complete Pass System is a one-time payment for the access length you choose, and the book PDF is yours to keep. There are no recurring charges, no auto-renewals, and no hidden fees.
No. PrepSolution is an independent exam preparation company. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by AACN. Our content is developed from AACN’s publicly available test plan and handbook.
Many employers cover professional development costs including exam prep materials. After purchase, you’ll receive a receipt that can be submitted for reimbursement. Contact support@prepsolution.com if you need a customized invoice.
Walk in with the whole picture.
One connected story, 800 pages, drawn to be remembered, inside every CCRN Complete Pass System plan.
start here
CCRN® is a registered trademark of AACN Certification Corporation. This independent study resource is not endorsed by or affiliated with AACN. Exam fees, eligibility, content, and scoring are set by AACN and can change. Always verify current requirements at aacn.org.