Would you keep lower level certification or licenses current?

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.

I have been an RN for almost three years now. I was a certified medical assistant before becoming a nurse. To keep your certification as a CMA you have to do X amount of CEUs every 5 years and pay $120. I kept my certification up in nursing school for employment; but now that I am a nurse I am wondering what's the point? Have any RNs that either were Certified Medical Assistants or LVN/LPN kept their lower level experience certification and/or licenses up? If so, what was your rational?

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I have been an RN for almost three years now. I was a certified medical assistant before becoming a nurse. To keep your certification as a CMA you have to do X amount of CEUs every 5 years and pay $120. I kept my certification up in nursing school for employment; but now that I am a nurse I am wondering what's the point? Have any RNs that either were Certified Medical Assistants or LVN/LPN kept their lower level experience certification and/or licenses up? If so, what was your rational?

I am. I have a license in a different part of the healthcare field (not nursing); but am keeping it just in case I can't find a nursing job. However, like you, with a nursing degree, I become afraid they will see the higher degree and won't hire me if I needed to work in other field.

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I keep my phlebotomy license active even though I have my LVN license now. You never know what will happen in the future, and it is not too hard to keep current. Besides I worked to get it in the first place, I would feel bad just letting it expire.

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so, lovetosleep, you can keep other licenses current and work in them? After reading heartswideopen's post, I was afraid that I would have to just let my other license expire because no one would hire me with an RN license. The other one is pharmacy tech.

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

no. You are going to be held to the highest level so what good are they?

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Hi wish_me_luck,

When I got my LVN license,I called the people who license phlebotomists and the LVN board to ask if I can keep both licenses, and they both told me it was OK. You should call to check.

If you ever are looking for a pharmacy tech job, maybe you can just tell people that being a RN is not your thing and you loved being a pharmacy tech so much you want to stick with it. That way the pharmacy wont be worried about you leaving to work as a nurse.

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Specializes in PICU, Sedation/Radiology, PACU.

I had a CNA certification and I never kept it up after becoming an RN. I can always reapply and get it active again if I need to- for less cost than CEU's and fees every year.

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You have your license forever, unless it's revoked for something bad. I let my "registration" expire when I was a "stay-at-home-mom", for 7 years. I still had my nursing license, you have to register it q 3 yrs. or whatever it is. When I was ready to return to work, I requested the registration renewal application, took the online courses (infection control etc.), paid the fee, and back to work.

And as someone said, if you are an RN, working as an LPN, I believe you would still be held to the RN standards, so what good is the other license?

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Specializes in LTC and School Health.

I have my LPN license but I don't plan on renewing it. We are held to our highest license anyway, so there is no point.

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