Additional Certifications

[AKrn24]

I am a new graduate and my plan is to work on a medical surgical floor for the first couple years out of school before I specialize. I would like to know if there are any recommendations for additional certifications that will make me more of an asset to hire and beneficial to my work on Med/Surg.

Thank you any advice appreciated!

[Extra Pickles]

Not really. You'll be required to have BLS and probably ACLS, which is about all a new grad is eligible to get. And PALS, if you think you might work in pediatrics.

Certifications that matter are the ones that you cannot take the exams for until you have sufficient time in the specialty you want to certify in. Generally it's one, two, three years, broken down in to paid hours within the specialty, so it depends on how much you work as to whether you qualify for the exam earlier or later.

For what it's worth, many people consider Med-Surg a specialty in and of itself; as a MS person myself I concur! After you spend a couple of years on med-surg you might qualify to take the specialty certification exam for MS. Good luck!