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?

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

Agreed. As a new grad you have a lot to master already: time management, prioritization, medications, labs, pathophysiology. Focus on the basics for at least one year and then consider which certifications would enhance your knowledge.

[AcuteHD]

I was, at one time, ACLS certified and never used it. By the time it was about to expire I had forgotten everything I had learned about it. I was on pins and needles until it expired because, if the situation came up, I would not have used the ACLS meds that I was technically certified to use. Maybe someone could comment on the potential liability of too many certs if they're not used enough to keep in practice.

[TheNGTKingRN]

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.

You missed the point of my post. Make it less about them and what they need to work and more about your personal growth. Being a new grad RN is slap in the face. It is a reality shock. I've known other people (Radiographer, pharmacy techs, PTs) who've become RNs and admit it is a HUGE slap. Why? Because nursing is so visceral. Apart from the patient and family, the primary RN is near the center of care. Everyone comes to you. From lab to MDs to PTs to family to dietary. Anything goes wrong? You're the first they come to and you better have some answer even if it's a momentary distraction while you do get answers.

You seem very bright and curious about science and such things and you remind of myself as a new grad. I was very concerned with all the technical and scientific aspects. Fascinated by it all. Nursing however has been a very humbling experience. I now understand that while all those certifications are important and that test scores can make life easier if you rock them with A's. I've learned that my new found confidence has it's roots not in my GPA or my knowledge of pharmacology that is SUPER technical but rather in my mistakes. The roots of my confidence come from my falls. My mistakes. My oops. My low moments.

[blah_blah_blah]

Like others have said, when applying for jobs, only list the certifications that are relevant on the resume. there's no point listing that you are PALS and NRP certified if you're applying for a med surg position that is not on a peds unit. It may look suspicious. I'm a new grad with PALS certification (I paid for it out of my own pocket) and I just applied for a psych ED position and I left my PALS certification off the resume I sent to them. I didn't want them to see that I was interested in peds and have it hurt my chances at getting an interview.

[Ruger8mm]

Thanks for the advice King. The world is a competition and one can get too wrapped up in it.

[klone, MSN, RN]

I would always hire the super smart rock star that I know will move on in two years over the mediocre nurse who will stay for 10+.

[BrnEyedGirl, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN]

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?

Thank you! To be honest, new grads with certs don't get an interview in the Level I ED where I work. ACLS, PALS, BLS are great if you don't have to pay for them. The others require on the job experience and should be relevant to the patients you care for.

[ERGirl83]

Maybe I'm the minority in this post, but I don't think you can ever have too much education, and I don't think you should have to apologize for your drive and ambition. If you've got the time, and you're investing it in learning something you are passionate about, more power to you. Passionate, proactive people are (or should be) a manager's dream. I do agree that each resume you submit should be specifically tailored to that position and should include only certifications relevant to that position. But that is easy to do and shouldn't stop you from pursuing your interests either.

I think you and I are kindred spirits. I audited TNCC while still in nursing school, and attended a CEN review course during my final year of nursing school too. I paid for them out of my own pocket because I was interested, excited and had a drive to do more. I can't tell you how exciting it felt to walk out of my regular nursing school courses, which were so boring and barely grazed the surface and to walk into a class and spend hours learning sometime I was passionate about. I was so energized after each experience. I knew I found my niche and I was hungry for any learning I could get my hands on pertaining to it. It didn't make me less of a student because of it. If anything, it made me a better student because I found my passion, what was worth working towards for me.

Because I was EMS prior to nursing school, I had ACLS, and PALS on graduation. I also included my TNCC audit and CEN course on my ED resumes as well. I landed an ED job as my first job out of school and I am positive (because my manager told me so) that my proactive investments in ED specific education despite my lack of RN experience landed me the job, over nurses with some years of med surg experience. I work in a suburban ED with very little trauma. I likely won't leave this department for a very long time. I still plan to take ATLS and CATN when time permits. For the simple fact that it fascinates me and I love it.

I say find what you love and go after it. If it's something you have time for, and you can afford, you'll never regret the extra knowledge. And at some point that drive and ambition will help differentiate you and land you your dream job.

Sometimes it seems as though ambition is a dirty word in nursing. This should not be the case. Sure, do a great job in your current role, but keep doing what you need to to get where you want to be. No shame in that.

[blackribbon]

CCRN actually requires only one year of acute care experience, not specifically critical care. So technically someone with only one year of med-surg would qualify.

Yes but every certification I looked into required that you have your license for 2 years...I have the hours for my med/surg but I still have to wait one more year to take the test. Personally, I don't think studying now is worth as much as absorbing as much as I can from actual patients.

I think you are just in nursing school frame of mind. Certifications are suppose to imply some level of expertise and not just "book" knowledge. Pick a direction and focus on becoming a great nurse. I was hired because of my personal philosophy toward patient care and not based on lots of experience or certifications. I am sure I was hired over a lot of people who looked better on paper.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Thanks for the advice King. The world is a competition and one can get too wrapped up in it.

Need to get wrapped up in patient care and advocacy.. not your career. Then it will fall into place.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Sometimes it seems as though ambition is a dirty word in nursing. This should not be the case. Sure, do a great job in your current role, but keep doing what you need to to get where you want to be. No shame in that.

I get what you're saying, but I don't fully agree. Many would call me ambitious. I have two certifications that are relevant to my area of nursing, one of which I got while in the thick of finishing my MSN program. But I would never dream of getting a CCRN or oncology cert - not for lack of ambition, but because it's totally irrelevant to the area of nursing that I will ever work in. Me getting a CCRN certification is, I consider, analogous to the OP getting his NRP certification. At some point it's just picking up certifications for the sake of certifications. Unless the OP plans to work in L&D, I don't understand what the purpose would be.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Certifications are suppose to imply some level of expertise and not just "book" knowledge. Pick a direction and focus on becoming a great nurse.

Exactly.