Are too many certifications a bad thing?

[Ruger8mm]

As a new RN grad I've been working hard at attaining all kinds of certifications and course completions. ACLS, PALS, ATLS, Rapid STEMI identification, Stroke assessment, with NRP, TNCC, and CCRN coming up soon. Thankfully as an echocardiographer I've convinced the hospital I work at to send me to all these classes on thier dime. But I'm not a staff RN here yet.

Does a med/surg hiring manager look at that and think "he'll jump ship and go to speciality critical care as soon as he can." Does that reduce my chances for a job?

[OCNRN63, RN]

Up here they all require 1 year of Med/Surg/Peds prior to ED or ICU. I've talked with the ED and ICU hiring managers and they are sticking firm to this. However they did say they were excited to see my going above and beyond.

You are right. I belong in high stress crisis situations. I live for that stuff. Med/surg can be a bit slow for my taste.

Trust me, M/S isn't slow. Patients there crash too.

I think the certs will help you in that when you start applying to transfer, you'll already have them in hand.

The only consideration I see is having certs like NRP, CCRN, and TNCC when you are in M/S, where those skills are not useful. I would wait until I was closer to that year that you need to transfer; that way, the material will be fresher. Remember that when you have that certificate, you're telling prospective managers that you have the skills that come with those certifications.

[OCNRN63, RN]

Don't some certs require two years of experience? I am pretty sure CCRN does.

I wouldn't get so many certs as a new grad because they mean nothing without experience to back the up. Only exceptions are BLS, ACLS, PALS, NRP...

This.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

I'll admit to not seeing any value in becoming certified when it is not relevant to one's position and/or experience. Certification should demonstrate that one has mastered a specialty. If one is a new grad, how can one be a master of any specialty? If one doesn't work in a specialty, how can one be a master of it?

[scottaprn]

I see nothing wrong with collecting whatever certifications you can have the hospital pay for.

That said when you turn in your resume to a hiring manager focus in on the certifications that matter to that floor. I am old school and believe every resume you submit should be geared toward the job.

I know with the newer online applications it is harder to do so but that is why you network so you can hand that piece of paper into the decision maker's hands.

[TheNGTKingRN]

Up here they all require 1 year of Med/Surg/Peds prior to ED or ICU. I've talked with the ED and ICU hiring managers and they are sticking firm to this. However they did say they were excited to see my going above and beyond.

You are right. I belong in high stress crisis situations. I live for that stuff. Med/surg can be a bit slow for my taste.

I work in postoperative recovery. I can assure you it is not slow. I have spent a few months in each specialty, as the residency I was in rotated residents to provide perspective on each floor. I chose postoperative care because I want to understand the basic care of stable postoperative patients. The surgical ICU was more than anything a stabilization after surgery for those with bleed or respiratory issues. Which one day I'd enjoy, especially once I hone those assessment skills without the fancy machines.

The MICU in my opinion was way too much work with little results, often with frequent flyers. Kind of like medicine.

Conclusion... surgery rocks. ICU/Step Down postop... all rock. Haha.

Anyway. I experienced MANY slow moments in the ICU. If you think ICU is ALL fast paced then you need to spend more time in an ICU.

I also spent time in the ER. Not everyone comes in with a STEMI or MVA or CVA. It gets busy in bursts.

Idk why your worried about this. It's a little strange.

I would list them on paper but please.. do refrain from verbally making a list during an interview. You'll come off as one the knowitall new grads that are threats to patients

[emmy27]

I would recommend against taking TNCC now if you intend on applying for ER jobs next year. An ER manager may or may not be impressed by the fact that you went out of your way to get certified, but you definitely won't get much use out of the information during the year you spend in m/s not working traumas, and it's a four-year certification, so you'll still be three years out from revising the material if you take an actual ER job one year later- and if you have TNCC, they'll expect you to be competent in the nursing management of traumas. Your EMS experience will give you a leg up in terms of having already seen traumas, but in-hospital nursing care of those patients is a very different scope. You'll probably lack a lot of context for the material in TNCC if you take it before having any ER experience, and what you do take from it will decay significantly in a year or more of disuse. But if you have it on your resume and it's a deciding factor in getting a job, they'll expect you to know it.

Certifications are great, but they're most meaningful when you get them while working in a context where they're applicable.

[Ruger8mm]

Anyway. I experienced MANY slow moments in the ICU. If you think ICU is ALL fast paced then you need to spend more time in an ICU.

I hear you on the ICU. That's not a desire of mine either. Again, to slow. However it would be good experience for the ED.

[Ruger8mm]

Idk why your worried about this. It's a little strange.

I'm worried about this because I've been beat out by a couple of sub-par nurses (who graduated with me) for some rural hospital floor positions. Rumor has it those nurses beat me out because the hiring managers knew these nurses would probably stay forever where someone like me would continuously want to advance.

In my prior profession (Advanced Clinical Sonography) I was too highly specialized and educated for many positions. I got into nursing for one of many reasons (which include more job options). I don't want to put myself into the same position.

[TheNGTKingRN]

I'm worried about this because I've been beat out by a couple of sub-par nurses (who graduated with me) for some rural hospital floor positions. Rumor has it those nurses beat me out because the hiring managers knew these nurses would probably stay forever where someone like me would continuously want to advance.

In my prior profession (Advanced Clinical Sonography) I was too highly specialized and educated for many positions. I got into nursing for one of many reasons (which include more job options). I don't want to put myself into the same position.

You're insinuating they're subpar. Have you assessed their comptenecy in role of professional RN?

Rumor has it that...

Rumor has it that...

Don't let yourself become the guy that is upset at others accomplishments. It looks SO bad. It's like the guy that thought everyone was not hiring him because he was male.

Have you perhaps considered an internal reason as to why you didn't receive the floor position?

Maybe you NOT getting jobs has nothing to do with your "over qualification" and more to do with your SELF glorification.

[Ruger8mm]

Alright, maybe not sub-par. They did pass the NCLEX. I know I (and others) were better candidates. Their grades throughout the program indicated it. Also their coworkers who I know as well (as they were part of the "group") tell me they are not impressed with their progress. Hence, sub-exceptional.

No glorification on my part. I make it a point to be humble. I've made that mistake before.

[Oceanpacific]

To the OP, I can appreciate that you have previous health care experience and you have a lot of skills and specialized knowledge. What will really make or break you is how you apply those things to your current work experience. Right now, the best thing you could do is to really commit to your med/surg unit.

Be the type of nurse you would like to take care of you or a loved one. Develop your sense of the subtle changes in a patient's condition and how quickly things can go downhill. Be less technical and more holistic. Be a valued member of the team. Give help when you can. It is your med/surg experience that will open doors for you.

You are a new nurse and there's lots of patient crises ahead. Just when you think you have it figured out, someone will crump. Be fully present in whatever unit you are on. That is what managers care about and the lessons learned from those everyday experiences is what will make you shine in an interview. Enough with the certifications right now. Just be.

[Ruger8mm]

Awesome post OceanPacific. Thanks.