CPHON Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the CPHON exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.
📋 CPHON Exam Format at a Glance
📚 CPHON Topics to Study (43)
✍️ Sample CPHON Questions & Answers
1. What is the correct syringe size to use when flushing a pediatric central line, and why?
Smaller syringes generate much higher pressures per unit force applied because the plunger area is smaller. Using syringes smaller than 10 mL (especially 1 mL or 3 mL) can exceed catheter pressure tolerances and cause rupture or catheter fracture.
2. What is the primary advantage of a tunneled central venous catheter (e.g., Broviac or Hickman) over a non-tunneled central line in pediatric oncology?
Tunneling the catheter under the skin creates a mechanical barrier to bacterial migration from the skin exit site to the bloodstream, reduces CLABSI rates, and makes the catheter suitable for long-term use (months to years) compared to non-tunneled devices.
3. A mother of a child receiving cancer treatment tells the nurse she feels guilty that she 'gave' her child cancer. Which response is most therapeutic?
Parental guilt is extremely common following a child's cancer diagnosis. Therapeutic response involves first acknowledging the emotional experience, then offering evidence-based reassurance that most childhood cancers have no known parental cause, and connecting the family with psychosocial support.
4. A child undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplant develops a new rash, diarrhea, and elevated bilirubin on day +30. The nurse suspects:
Classic acute GVHD presents with the triad of skin rash, diarrhea, and liver dysfunction (elevated bilirubin) after allogeneic transplant.
5. A child with cancer has not urinated in 8 hours and is receiving IV hydration. The nurse should:
No urine output for 8 hours despite IV hydration is abnormal and may indicate urinary retention or renal dysfunction requiring immediate evaluation.
6. A child's tumor pathology report shows translocation t(8;14). This finding is characteristic of:
Translocation t(8;14) involves the MYC oncogene and the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus, and is the hallmark translocation of Burkitt lymphoma.