CEN as a New Grad

pro-student · Feb 15, 2014

I'm going to buck the trend and say if emergency nursing is what you want to do then go for it. There is no conceivable way CEN is going to hurt you as an applicant and it will at least give you an edge on other new grads. I doubt it will compensate for lack of clinical experience but shy of getting a job, nothing will. I took and passed the CEN after having only interned in an ER as a student. I would say to prioritize ACLS, PALS, TNCC, and ENPC first. Material from these will show up on the exam and they are often required for new hires within a certain period. Taking the initiative in getting these on your own will show you're committed to emergency nursing.

I totally disagree with the idea that CEN or specialty certs are based on experience or clinical skills. If they were, don't you think there would be some, ah, skills performed for the certification. They're validation of knowledge and application to scenarios but in the end you're certified by answering questions on a computer not patient care. Being certified will show you know enough to be an strong emergency nurse but not necessarily that you have the clinical skills. But an employer is more likely to hire a new grad who demonstrates the knowledge and needs an opportunity to hone skills than one who has demonstrated neither knowledge nor skills in emergency nursing.

If you decide to go for it, I'd highly recommend the CEN review course from MedEd (there used to be a guarantee that you'd pass or they'd refund your fee, idk if that's still around). Also, I liked Pass CEN by Dennison, Johnson, and Blair. It covers more content than necessary but I love the outline format. For practice questions, I'd recommend Lippincott's Q & A Certification Review, the questions and rationales are pretty good but I'm not a huge fan of the page layout (question and answer on the same page in two columns). It also includes two full practice exams in addition to specific topical sections.

Best of luck! Don't give up.

Superman_RN · Feb 15, 2014

Hey Matt,

I am a new grad who started off in ER and let me start by saying that the whole "you need to do 6 months on medsurge floor before going into a specialty" crap is just that, crap. My friend from school and I both got ER jobs at different hospitals with NO experience, not even tech experience. Moreso, my other friend got an ICU job at a different hospital. Also no experience. If you want something bad enough, go for it and don't let anyone else tell you what's not possible.

That being said, I would prioritize a EKG course, ACLS, and PALS certifications way before your CEN. That's what I think helped my friend and I land a job in the ED. I wouldn't recommend CEN till at least one year in. But that's just me. I've been working for 4 months and everyday is still a learning process. It's awesome in the ED but definitely a HUGE learning curve as a new grad, so just be prepared for that. Apply apply apply and venture out into different locations too. I ended up getting another ER offer out of state also just before I landed this job.

And the last thing I will say is follow up is key in the applying process. If you think you're being annoying, you're still not even close to being so. My friend called a certain hospital every day for 2 weeks and left the same message until they finally caved in and asked him to come in for an interview and he got the job. So that's a little overboard but you get the picture :yes:

Goodluck!

BrnEyedGirl, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN · Feb 19, 2014

The CEN,.or any other professional certification, is supposed to demonstrate your expertise in your field of specialty. A new grad with a certification is in no way an expert in any specialty,...yeah you can study and pass the test, but how meaningful is a CEN if you have never worked in the ED?

kmcfarlane · Feb 19, 2014

Is it possible. Yes. Will it mean anything. No not really. Anyone can pass the test. I took the test with about 9 months under my belt but years working in the ED and as a EMS instructor. Now as a supervisor I would say that it would hurt your chance of getting a job in my ED. I would never hire someone who has no experience but just passed a test. I would have concerns that you would think you have it all figured out when with or without your CEN you are in for a significant learning curve. I think you will hurt your chances of getting in a position if you try to use the CEN as a selling point.

zmansc, ASN, RN · Feb 19, 2014

I don't know that it would hurt your chances, that would more depend on how you interviewed. I would expect questions about it, and if you came off the least bit cocky, then yea, that would be a red flag that would hurt your chances. I do think the other certificates, ACLS, TNCC, etc. would be more expected and accepted.

I still think that if the goal is to find a job, the better use of your time would be to use it toward identifying a new strategy to find that job and implementing that strategy. New grads are caught in a catch-22, no experience and no way of getting experience. It's that way with any field, and more so the more professional the field. Sometimes, depending on the location, and that micro job market, it takes more unusual strategies to get into the ranks of the employed. Some choose to relocate because of this, others choose to take a job in a different setting than they wanted (LTC, or med surg, or whatever), others find unique ways to gain exposure and experience with an organization (volunteer, tech, ?) until the job they want comes open. I would suggest pursuing one of those options as an alternative to spending time (and possibly $) towards a CEN at this point in your career.

Oh, and I agree, I'm not one of the ones who believes a year or whatever in job x will prepare you for a job in the ED, that's not what I'm suggesting. However, a year in whatever will make you an 'experienced' RN applying for a job. Actually most places will want 2 years, but at many facilities you can cross train after 6mo or 1yr, and then you can gain some ER experience if not move full time to the ER.