ACLS required by all RN's????

[POPRN]

Hello all Tennessee nurses. The hospital that I work at are now requiring all RN's to be ACLS certified. Has anyone else experienced this going on at your hospital? I work in the OR. I don't feel the need to be ACLS certified. If a patient codes, we have anesthesia right there and a surgeon. We have crash carts there. All the nurse has to do is record the event. I took the class last week and passed. Yea! But it was hard. I am not exposed to some of the front line drugs that were called for in the class. I am not unhappy that I took the class or passed. I am just wondering if any other RN's are being required to take the class without working in the ER or the Units.

[ptnurse]

I keep my ACLS up to date voluntarily where I work, but I have applied to hospitals where I was told that it was required w/i six months of employment if you did not have it. This was for med surg and step down ICU positions.

[Havin' A Party!, ASN, RN]

Pt / Pop -- Do your hospitals foot the bill on the ACLS training, and when (off shift?) and where (at your facility?) is it held?

Thanks.

[POPRN]

Well Larry, that remains to be seen if the hospital will pay for me or not. I don't work full time. But yes the class was offsite. At the Corporate office. It wasn't off shift for me. But it was for some of the other nurses. I will find out when I get my next check if I was paid for the time. I was just wondering if this certification was being required for anyother nurses in the state.

[ptnurse]

When I took the class while employed with the hospital, I got paid for taking the class. The last time I recertified, I was working per diem and did not get paid. But I was able to get my materials for the class at the employee price.

[debo_lpnER]

I work in the ER so all nurses have certs in ACLS and PALS. The hosp I work for foots the bill for the class plus pays for our time, but we have to sign a 6 month commitment form. We are a small hosp and see around 2000 pt a month.

Deb