ANCC RN-BC / Committed to Med/Surg?

[imanedrn]

I'll start with my background, then go in to my question...

I'm a NG (just over 4 months now), and I started in med/surg for the experience (though I'm on a purely med/tele/isolation unit). Like many nurses, I wanted a broad base of knowledge from which to explore other options. Also, I'm the type that gets bored easily and likes to constantly be learning. All that being said, I decided med/surg would be an ideal place to start.

Now that I'm starting to get a little more comfortable in my shoes, though, med/tele is actually growing on me. I love the diversity of conditions, and all I can do / am resposible for doing to care for my patients fully. That being said, I'm starting to consider med/surg as a place to stay (or at least move about within) for the future of my career. Obviously, at 4 months I'm still VERY green and could change my mind in a heart-beat, but I'm at least considering this possibility for now.

With that being said, I also am interested in advancing within my field as much as possible. While I like the idea of being a staff nurse for a long time, I'd like to do more with that, and I've been looking into the med/surg certification with ANCC (the RN-BC). Assuming I do stick with med/surg, this is a certification I would definitely like to pursue. However, I know very little about it, other than what is presented on the website.

So... for those of you who have pursued this certification or those that have NOT, can you tell me your reasons for doing so (or not) and how it has helped, hindered, or been neutral to your profession in med/surg?

TIA!

[SCgirl22]

I want to get my certification as well once I have the experience required. At my hospital it gets you a pay raise (from what I hear anyway) and allows you to advance to higher ranking positions

Also I would assume it is highly regarded to be board certified should you ever want to switch jobs. I'm sure employers love to see as many credentials as you can give them!