Are too many certifications a bad thing?

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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?

I agree with the nurses who say you can have too many, especially if you insist on putting every single one of them after your name. Not only does it look ridiculous, it makes you look foolish. Just use the ones that are most important at the time or that apply to whatever job you're looking for. Being perceived as an overachiever can leave a prospective employer wondering about whether you're going to stay or not.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

Currently, I screen hundreds of applicants and hire for my own unit as well as the facility in general. We look for experience first, then certification, as many here have mentioned.

While it's admirable that you want to achieve this takes time and patience. You will get there. Certification enhances the knowledge that you acquire on the job, over a period of time. Certification without the experience means very little to most hiring managers.

I am certified in my specialty, which was acquired after 3 years on the job and employer references. Many certifications will not allow the candidate to sit the exam without at least 2 years in a particular area.

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Eye roll...

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

My ED (Level I trauma, comprehensive stroke center, 24 hr. cath lab, in-house Level III NICU) hires 3 new grad nurses per year. Prehospital experience is a strong plus, but 2 of the 3 this year had no health care experience prior to nursing school. It's about the person. And I would be actively turned off by a new grad resume full of letters without the experience to back it up.

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Pretty rude....how could you possibly be able to assess what is "sub-par" in nursing? And no one will be interested in your prior "highly specalized" sonogram career because you aren't in that field any more.

"Rumor has it"...you need to get over yourself.

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Specializes in ICU, Military.

I'm an RN in the Navy. I've been an ICU nurse for 12 years and am CCRN certified. I worked with a fellow nurse (also active duty Navy) who had barely been in the ICU for a few months, applied to take her CCRN (and placed our nurse manager's endorsement on the application without her consent). She passed. I believe the CCRN application asks you to not only verify that you have a year of critical care experience but also asks for your manager's name and contact info should they randomly audit. When she notified the manager she passed, it raised a flag, since our manager knew she hadn't been in the ICU long enough to sit for the exam and questioned how she completed the application.

Long story short the girl I worked with got caught and ended up in our Legal department for using our manager's name and contact info when she shouldn't have. Granted this is the military and as an active duty member we are held to a very high standard of integrity. In this case she flat-out lied on the application that she had the number of critical care hours needed to sit for the exam. I'm not sure how Legal handled the situation. Do you plan on forging your application to sit for the exam? I would advise against that.

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
Not to be critical but let's be sensible. I managed 18 years without a single one of those certifications and you're a three month RN? You remind me of one of those North Korean generals who's never fought in a war yet has every medal known to man pinned to his uniform.

BWAHAHA! I am definitely saving this for future use. Priceless!

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Do my posts really stink of arrogance?

Yes. And I'm just a casual observer of the people who post here.

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Yep, just taken out of context due to the net. I chose my words poorly. No worries, happens a lot.

I don't think anyone is taking your words out of context "due to the net"

When you call others "subpar" and put yourself on a pedestal it's arrogance.

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Specializes in as above.

you could be looking at being overqualified. Be careful what you wish for.

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OP, you had 93 replies, some of them related to the question you asked, lol. So, what's the verdict? Can there be too many certs?

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Yes and No, depending on who's reading your resume.

Some may think its a sign of desperation..or trying to hard. Others, may think its a sign of initiative and dedication to the field.

The best practice is to play it by ear. If the position requires certifications and you have them..by all means list them

However, if the position is for a new grad or a entry position, I wouldn't list too many certifications (that are not customary to new grads). Maybe 1 or 2...but not a slew of certifications.

Employers want to see that they can train and coach you...that you are willing to learn. For some reason, listing lots of certifications seems to disrupt your "new-grad status"...I've heard of people referred to as an over-qualified new grad???? W/E that means, lol!

In summary, do your homework on the employer...Get a sense for what they are looking for and go from there.

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