Certification validates the patient care provided by the perioperative nurse committed to professional excellence. Join CCI to learn more about how earning the CNOR credential can benefit you, your patients, and your workplace. Eligibility requirements, successful study strategies, and test question analysis are discussed. The session concludes with a question and answer segment with CCI staff.

1. +
Pathway to Excellence
CNOR
Certification

2. +We are conducting a sound test. Please type
in the chat box if you CANNOT hear the
speaker.

3. +
HOUSEKEEPING DETAILS
Submit questions via the Chat feature found at
the lower right hand corner of your screen.
Questions will be answered after the webinar.
 If you need additional information or support,
please call us at 888-257-2667. Our office is open
8-4, MST

4. +
YOUR HOSTS FOR TONIGHT’S
PRESENTATION
 Jim Stobinski, PhD, RN, CNOR, CSSM
Director,Credentialing and Education
 Julie Mower, MSN, RN, CNS, CNS-CP, CNOR
and
 DawnWhiteside, MSN, RN, CNOR, RNFA
Nurse Managers,
Credentialing and Education Development

5. +
OBJECTIVES
1. Review eligibility requirements for CNOR
certification.
2. Examine elements of the CNOR exam.
3. Discuss successful study strategies using
recommended test prep materials.
4. Explore strategies for answering multiple-choice
questions.
5. Describe the application process.
5

6. +
CNOR CERTIFICATION
CNOR Certification is defined as:
The documented validation of the professional achievement
of identified standards of practice by an individual registered
nurse providing care for patients before, during and after surgery.
6

7. +
CNOR ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
 Licensed as a RN in the country where currently
practicing perioperative nursing.
 Completed a minimum of two years and 2,400 hours of
perioperative nursing practice in an administrative,
teaching, research, or general staff capacity.
 At least 50%, or 1,200 hours, must be in the
intraoperative setting.
 Must be currently working either full- or part-time in a
perioperative nursing role.
7

8. +
CNOR EXAM
 200 multiple choice questions
 3 hours and 45 minutes to complete the test
 Updated annually to reflect current perioperative
guidelines
 Administered by an independent testing company,
Prometric
 May be taken Monday through Saturday, excluding
holidays, at test centers nationwide
8

9. +
RESOURCES

10. +
CNOR EXAM CONTENT
(information is subject to change)
Subject Area % of
Questions
1. Preoperative Patient Assessment
and Diagnosis
12%
2. Develop Individualized Plan of Care 10%
3. Intraoperative Activities 27%
4. Communications 10%
5. Transfer of Care 6%
6. Cleaning, Disinfecting, Packaging
and Sterilization
9%
7. Emergency Situations 11%
8. Management of Personnel Services
and Materials
6%
9. Professional Accountability 9%
Total 100%

11. +
EXAM PREPARATION TEXT
BOOKS
 Current edition ofAORN’s Guidelines for
Perioperative Practice
 Perioperative reference books
 Rothrock, J.C. (Ed.). (2015). Alexander’s care of
the patient in surgery (15th ed.). St. Louis, MO:
Elsevier.
or
 Phillips, N. (Ed.). (2017). Berry and Kohn’s
operating room technique (13th ed.). St. Louis,
MO: Elsevier.
11

12. +
OPTIONAL REFERENCES
 Pathophysiology textbook
 Medical dictionary
 Lab/ diagnostic test reference manual
 Drug reference-check hospital formulary or Epocrates at
www.epocrates.com
 AORN Journal
 AAMI standards
 Websites
 The Joint Commission at www.jointcomission.org
 CDC at www.cdc.gov
12

13. +
CCI’s FREE CNOR RESOURCES
http://www.cc-institute.org/cnor/prepare
 CNOR Candidate Handbook
 CNOR Study Plan
 Readiness to test survey
 Sample CNOR exam questions
 CCI Staff
 Webinars

14. +
CCI EXAM PREP MATERIALS
• The Official CNOR Exam
Prep
• CNOR Flashcards
• CNOR Practice Exam
• CNOR Ultimate Study
Kit
• CNOR Instructor’s Kit
https://store.cc-institute.org
There is no requirement to purchase CCI test preparation products to take the CNOR certification examination.
The purchase of CCI products cannot guarantee a better result on the CNOR certification examination.

15. +
TEST-TAKING
STRATEGIES

16. +
TIME-SAVING TIPS
Do a self-assessment; build on what you already
know, rather than starting from the beginning.
Use the subject areas to organize your study
plan.
Start with the subject areas with the
highest % of questions or
areas that are least familiar.
16

17. +
STUDY TIPS
 Recommended study time prior to exam: 3 months.
 Turn off text messages,TV, and e-mail while you study.
 Break content and time into bite-size chunks.
 Review, review, review.
 Be able to apply broad concepts versus memorizing facts
and figures.
 Practice by taking multiple choice-style exams.
Adapted from: Shellenbarger, Sue. Toughest Exam Question: What is the Best Way to Study? Wall Street Journal, 26 OCT 2011, pp. D1, D2.
17

18. +
ANALYZING
MULTIPLE-
CHOICE
QUESTIONS

19. +
COMPONENTS OF A MULTIPLE
CHOICE QUESTION
 Stem
 Will provide all the information needed to answer
the question.
 Question may be either:
 open-ended (fill in the blank)
or
 close-ended (ends with a question mark)
19

20. +
ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES
Four options with only ONE correct answer.
Other three options are distractors, which are
possible but not correct.
No true/false, multiple-multiple choice,
calculations requiring a calculator.
Pay attention to words such as “first”, “best”, or
“most”

21. +
COMMON TEST-TAKING
ERRORS
“Reading into” the stem.
“Overthinking”-using experience beyond 2 years
Taking too much time/question.
Missing the quantifier.
Changing answers to multiple questions.
Expecting the same questions on the exam that
were on the practice tests/flash cards.
21

22. +
COMMON ERRORS CONT.
Answering questions based on past experience
or facility’s present practice that is not evidence-
based.
Using “tricks” (e.g., choose B, longest option,
shortest option, etc.)
22

23. +
SAMPLE QUESTION 1
The patient population which accounts for the
greatest number of eye muscle procedures is:
A. Pediatric
B. Adolescent
C. Adult
D. Geriatric
23

24. +
ANALYSIS OF TEST QUESTION
What did you need to know to answer this
question?
If you were unfamiliar with the content of this
question, where could you go to find out more
information ?
Why were the other options incorrect?
Type your answers in the chat window!
24

25. +
ANSWER QUESTION 1
Correct answer is: A. Pediatric
Rationale: Strabismus correction requires early
recognition and is the third most common
performed pediatric procedure between the ages
of 6 months and 6 years.
Reference: Phillips, Nancy. (2017). Berry and
Kohn’s Operating room technique, p. 142. St. Louis:
Elsevier.
25

26. +
SAMPLE QUESTION 2
The most effective way to evaluate a patient’s
comprehension of her upcoming surgery is to:
A. have the patient describe the procedure in
her own words.
B. witness her signing her consent form.
C. ask yes/no questions.
D. document that the patient has received a
patient education brochure.
26

27. +
ANALYSIS OF TEST QUESTION
How did you choose which answer you thought
was correct?
Why were other options incorrect?
Type response in chat window.
27

28. +
ANSWER QUESTION 2
Correct answer is: A. have the patient describe her
procedure in her own words.
Rationale:To evaluate understanding, have the
patient repeat in her own words what has been
explained.
Reference: Phillips, N. (2017). Berry and Kohn’s
operating room technique, p. 371. St. Louis: Mosby.
28

29. +
SAMPLE QUESTION 3
The perioperative nurse discovers that a sponge is
missing during the closing count for a left lung
lobectomy.The nurse’s first action would be to:
A. repeat the count.
B. notify the surgeon.
C. document the count as incorrect.
D. notify the supervisor.
29

30. +
ANALYSIS OF THE TEST
QUESTION
Prioritization: All of the options could have been
correct-how did you choose your answer?
Why were the other options incorrect?
 Type response in chat window.
30

31. +
ANSWER QUESTION 3
Correct answer is: B. notify the surgeon.
Rationale:The RN circulator should inform and
receive verbal acknowledgement from the
surgeon and surgical team as soon as a
discrepancy in a surgical count is identified.
Reference: AORN. (2016). Prevention of retained
surgical items. In Guidelines for perioperative
practice, p. 396. Denver, CO: Author.
31

32. +
APPLICATION
PROCESS

33. +
http://www.cc-institute.org/cnor/how-
to-apply-cnor

34. + INFORMATIONYOU WILL NEED
 Personal contact information: address,
email, home and work phone numbers
 Birth year
 Last four digits of your Social Security
number
 RN license information: issue date,
state(s) licensed to practice
 Highest degree earned  Supervisor contact information: name,
address, email, phone number
 Perioperative work history: last two years,
date began working in the OR, current
position, and current practice area
 AORN membership information (if
applicable): member ID, username, and
password
 Employer contact information: facility
name, address, and phone number
 Payment

35. +
2017 CNOR APPLICATION
FEES
$395 Regular
$335 AORN member
Please check our website for additional
information. Fees are subject to change without
notice.
35

36. +
DEADLINES FOR TESTING
Apply and pay one month prior to the three
month testing window (e.g., if you apply in
January then you can test in February, March, or
April).
Once your paid application is approved, you can
schedule a date, time, and location that are
convenient for you.
36

37. +
TAKE TWO
 The fee for an individual to purchase two opportunities
to take the CNOR exam in a 12-month period is $445.
 Facilities may register multiple nurses at a reduced rate.
The fee for facilities who register a minimum of five (5)
CNOR-eligible nurses is $395 per participant.
 Check with your facility to see which option is best for
you.
 Learn more at www.cc-institute.org/CNOR/Take2

38. +
IMPORTANT RECERTIFICATION
INFORMATION
At the end of your 5-year cycle, you must apply
for recertification by one of the following
methods:
Contact hours (125)
Points (300)
Exam

39. +
ACCRUAL PERIOD FOR
CONTACT HOURS/POINTS
CNOR
Credential
Valid
Accrual Period
for
Recertification
Activities
Discounted
Application Fee
Final Date to
Recertify
2017 – 2022 1/1/17 – 12/31/21 7/1/22 12/31/2022
2018-2023 1/118-12/31/22 7/1/23 12/31/2023

40. +
RECORDINGS
Recorded sessions will be available via our
YouTube Channel at
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8qq9R2Gc
Qls7-KAytxqtJA (link at the top right hand side of
our website) and on our website at
http://bit.ly/CCIWebinars
40

41. +
UPCOMING CCI WEBINARS:
2017
All webinars are held live at 1700 MountainTime.
Register on our website at http://www.cc-
institute.org/more/webinar
 Jan. 19: CNOR Recertification: MaintainingYour
Credential
 Feb. 2: CSSM Certification:The Next Step for
Surgical Services Managers
 Feb. 8: CNOR Certification: Pathway to Excellence
41

42. +
Please know that CCI staff is here to
help you achieve your goal of
CNOR certification.
Jim Stobinski
jstobinski@cc-institute.org
Julie Mower
jmower@cc-institute.org
Dawn Whiteside
dwhiteside@cc-institute.org
42