What certifications do you have?

Nurses General Nursing

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Hey All-

I was wondering what are some of the certifications you all hold as established nurses? Please if you put an acronym can you expand on it and tell me which area you work in?

Thanks so much!

Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

BLS, ACLS and soon to be ENPC, TNCC, PALS, CERN and a few others.

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Specializes in ED, Cardiology.

confusedstudent_88 , ACLS or PALS are likely worth getting as a student as it shows your future employer that you took imitative, but do not worry about too many cert’s at this time, I rather would like to recommend you that you get experiences volunteering like at your local vol. fire department, medical reserve corps and so on to build your resume.

My cert’s include CEN, CPEN, RN-BC, NR Paramedic, State EMS Instructor, CCT

cert classes include BLS (I), ACLS (I), PALS (I), TNCC (I), AHLS (I), ABLS,... Hazmat ops, FF, ICS incl. 300, 400 levels, CBRNE, balloon pump class and so on

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

ACLS and APLS (advanced pediatric life support)

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CPN (pediatric nurse)Going to take my Gastroenterology Certification in May....very nervous

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

I work in Pediatric Inpatient Psych. and Adult Med/Surg. Currently I have BLS and ACLS and I plan to do PALS in the spring.

!Chris :specs:

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Specializes in Emergency.

Going to have to disagree with bvfd on getting acls/pals while a student. Firstly, you are not going to use anything you learn in those classes until you're working as an RN. Secondly, the foundation and most critical aspect of advanced life support is solid basic life support. And that is covered in your BLS course.

If you need those certs once you get hired, the hospital will pay for them. Don't waste your money.

ACLS

PALS

BLS instructor

ENPC

CEN

EMT-B

I also have a number of National Ski Patrol certifications but they're not germane to this conversation.

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Specializes in CVICU.

Y

No, NURSING certifications require one to be a nurse working in that specialty area for a period of (usually) 18-24 months. You cannot take nursing certifications as a student because they are certifications for nurses. You CAN take BLS (obviously, probably required for your program) and I'm not sure about ACLS and PALS... those are not nursing specific certifications but I've never heard of students being allowed to take those tests. My only certifications are PEARS (Pediatric Emergency Assessment, Recognition and Stabilization) and BLS. I could take the CPN or the CPON exams but don't really see the point.
Thank you for clearing that up for me.
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Specializes in ICU + Infection Prevention.

ABCDEFG and QWERTY

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.
I'm not sure about ACLS and PALS... those are not nursing specific certifications but I've never heard of students being allowed to take those tests. .

ACLS and PALS are open to anyone: you need not even be in a field remotely related to healthcare to enroll.

Though why you'd want to take ACLS/PALS if you're not in healthcare, I have no idea, nor would it be the easiest thing for you to do...but you could if you wanted to.

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Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.

I also have my CPI (crisis prevention intervention), and my NIHSS (NIH stroke scale) cert as well.

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I have BLS, ACLS, PALS, TNCC, and CEN.

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MN (master's in nursing)(I know them's fighting words but it was a real brick-and-mortar school after a real college bachelor's in nursing, with a real research thesis requirement)

RN-BC (ANCC certification in case management)

CRRN (rehab nursing)

CCM (case management)

CNLCP (nurse life care planning)

LNCP-C (lifetime nurse care planning)

LNCC (legal nurse consulting)

Long years ago I was certified in critical care (CCRN) and Nursing ed/staff development (RN,C), and had all the ACLS/ Instructor trainer stuff, but that all went by in the years after I left ICU. Totally agree that you should wait on the ACLS to have your employer pay for it. Besides, you can't do any of that exciting TV ER-type stuff until you are an RN anyway, and you won't retain any of it if you aren't in a position to see it in action. Students taking ACLS is silly.

Bear in mind that nursing certifications (not "certificates-- that's another animal entirely, and it's just a piece of paper that says you attended a course or class) are to say that the nurse has achieved expertise in a specialty. As such it's not something you can obtain as a student or in your first year or two of practice. Certifications can be-- and are-- issued by lots of organizations, but nursing certifications should be approved by the American Board of Nursing Specialties (or have their certification pending approval) to demonstrate that their certification boards have demonstrated a valid specialty with a distinct body of knowledge, a statistically valid and psychometrically sound examination pool, and a few other things. Check before you write the check for the course and exam.

Suggest you and anyone else who wants to know more about nursing certifications, certificates, and such check the ANCC and the ABNS websites. Heck you can even google "nursing certifications" or search Wikipedia for it and get a ton of information-- Wikipedia has a list of around 60 nursing certifications with links for many of them. Most nursing certifications require at least several years in active practice in the specialty and a comprehensive examination, and great hunks of continuing education in the field to renew the certification every 2-5 years. And none of this is free :)

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