CCHT Examination

The Certified Clinical Hemodialysis Technician examination, commonly known as the CCHT exam, is one of the top assessments for nephrology nurses. The exam consists of 150 multiple-choice questions and lasts three hours. In order to pass the test, you must score a minimum of 70 to 75%. There is a slight variation in the minimum score required to pass the CCHT exam because of differences in test version.

The content of the test can be divided into four basic content areas: clinical (50% of the test), technical (23%), environment (15%), and role (12%). Some of the knowledge areas included in the exam are basic renal anatomy and physiology; scientific principles used in hemodialysis (for example, osmosis, diffusion, ultrafiltration, and fluid dynamics); bloodborne pathogens; hazardous materials precautions; and water treatment. Other questions on the CCHT exam deal with the composition of dialysate solution, the components of a dialysis machine (for example, blood pump, air detector, or alarms), and dialyzer characteristics. The test also requires knowledge of areas of patient care, like basic renal diet and fluid restrictions, types of vascular access, and treatment modalities for ESRD. You must know how to respond to environmental emergencies and hemodialysis procedure complications (for example, bloodline disconnection, clotting, and needle dislodgement). Moreover, you must demonstrate that you are adept at glucose and hematocrit/hemoglobin monitoring.

The CCHT exam includes questions about the role and responsibilities of the dialysis technician, the complications of dialysis (for example, hypotension, allergic reactions, etc.), and the management of access complications. There are questions about complications of ESRD (for example, anemia, renal osteodystrophy, etc.); the effectiveness of hemodialysis treatment; and the major causes of renal failure (for example, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, etc.). More generally, the exam includes questions about the metric system, basic medical terminology (in hemodialysis), basic fluids and electrolytes, and the patient's rights and responsibilities. The CCHT exam was developed by the Nephrology Nursing Certification Commission.

CCHT Examination Practice Questions