Assorted Certifications

I'm a new grad, but it seems to me like some things to just make you stand out as a potential candidate. Or possibly as a review.

As an exception, note that things like CCRN are comparable to a more specific NCLEX - you still have to test for it, it requires experience and self-study (though some places offer CC classes), and it adds a couple of initials to your title.

I think a lot of these "certification" classes people take are garbage.

Some facilities pay you more money for certifications. It is a nice resume builder, and some facilites want their nurses to have certifcations, it helps them obtain Magnet accreditation.

Yeah, but I'm not talking about the so called professional certifications like CEN, CCRN, CFRN, etc.

I'm talking about junk people talk about on here like having an EKG cert. Is the ability to interpret an EKG not already part of the curriculum? IVs? etc.

Many facilities provide classes for their own certifications - like IV, critical care course, EKG/telemetry cert., conscious sedation, etc. It is a way to show to agencies like JCAHO that nurses attend con. ed. courses and are proficient in skills relevant to their unit. It also would help if a law suit was ever brought up against the hospital and a nurse was involved. For example: Lawyer: "We see that Nurse Nightengale administered conscious sedation to patient Joe Schmoe who died during his shoulder reduction procedure - can you provide documention that Nurse Nightengale knew what types of patient monitoring needed to be performed throughout the procedure?" Hosptial: "Why sure! Here is our education manual that shows Nurse Nightengale attended our conscious sedation course and here is her competency form which details what she learned during the course. Here is the test which she took and her score which deemed her safe and proficient in conscious sedation." See where this goes? The course may seem like BS, but they do provide some level of protection for both facilities and staff.