Certifications

How long should I work as a staff RN nurse before completing national certifications like TNCC, CEN, PALS, or CCRN

You're talking apples and oranges, first of all. TNCC, PALS, BLS and ACLS are specific courses one would take as part of the mandatory education for any RN position, depending on the area in which one was employed. They are required by many employers to meet the job description.

CEN, CCRN and the like are national certifications for EXPERIENCED RNs to demonstrate mastery of a specific set of skills and knowledge related to a patient population. I am a CCRN in Pediatrics, as well as board-certified in the same (RN-BC). Both of these comprehensive examinations required thousands of hours of direct patient care experience first before sitting for the exam.

Distinctions Between Assessment-Based Certificates and Professional or Personnel Certification Programs

Professional or personnel certification is a voluntary process by which a non-governmental body grants time-limited recognition and use of a credential to individuals who have demonstrated that they have met predetermined and standardized criteria for required knowledge, skills, or competencies. To retain the credential, certificants must meet requirements for renewal. The credential awarded by the certifier denotes that the participant possesses particular knowledge, skills, or competencies.

Whereas the primary focus of an assessment-based certificate program is on the provision of education/training, with assessment(s) being used to confirm that participants have achieved the intended learning outcomes,

the primary focus of professional or personnel certification is on assessment. Moreover, the assessment conducted by a certification program is independent of a specific class, course, or other education/training program and also independent of any provider of classes, courses, or programs [emphasis added].

The assessments are NOT designed to evaluate accomplishment of the intended learning outcomes of a specific class, course, or other education/training program or event, and the certifier is NOT the sole provider of any education or training that may be required for certification. (pp. 1-2)

Source: National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA). (2009). ANSI/NOCA 1100 – Standard for assessment-based certificate programs: An American national standard. Downloaded July 6, 2009, from http://www.noca.org/PublicationsandResources/Publications.

Additional information is available without charge from the same web site in The NOCA Guide to Understanding Credentialing Concepts (2005).

You do not have to be licensed to do the Am. Heart courses, but TNCC and ENPC are designed for RN's. We prefer that new grads have at least 6 months under their belt on the floor before attempting these courses so they will have a better understanding of what is being taught.