TCRN Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the TCRN 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.
📋 TCRN Exam Format at a Glance
📚 TCRN Topics to Study (62)
✍️ Sample TCRN Questions & Answers
1. Which imaging modality is the gold standard for evaluating suspected vascular injury in penetrating Zone I neck trauma?
CT angiography is the gold standard for evaluating vascular injury in neck trauma, providing rapid, non-invasive assessment of the carotid and vertebral arteries.
2. A patient presents with paradoxical chest wall movement and severe respiratory distress after a motor vehicle crash. Which injury is MOST likely?
Paradoxical movement (segment moves inward on inspiration) is the hallmark of flail chest, caused by fractures of three or more consecutive ribs in two places.
3. Grief following traumatic death of a patient is a normal response for trauma nurses. Which statement about nurse grief is true?
Debriefing, peer support, and rituals of acknowledgment allow nurses to process grief healthily, supporting long-term resilience.
4. Which splint position is correct for a suspected scaphoid fracture in the ED?
Scaphoid fractures require a thumb spica splint to immobilize the thumb ray and wrist, protecting the avascular scaphoid from displacement.
5. Under which circumstance may a trauma nurse legally restrain a patient without a physician's order?
Emergency restraint is permissible when there is immediate danger, but a physician order must be obtained as soon as possible after application.
6. Which clinical finding best distinguishes neurogenic shock from hemorrhagic shock in a trauma patient with spinal cord injury?
Neurogenic shock results from loss of sympathetic tone, producing hypotension paired with paradoxical bradycardia and peripheral vasodilation, contrasting with the tachycardia of hemorrhagic shock.