Phlebotomy & EKG

Coffee Nurse, BSN, RN · Apr 14, 2015

Hi. I'm applying to nursing school (accelerated BSN) in Boston at a few competitive schools in May 16. Right now I'm finishing up two prerequisites. If was encouraged by one advisor to enroll in a CNA or Phlebotomy and EKG certificate program before I apply so that I have some experience. What does everyone think? Is the CNA experience a must? I want to be a good candidate. Any advice would be appreciated.

I think CNA would definitely be useful but not a must. Phlebotomy is marginal, it'll teach you some technical skills but I don't think it would be a game-changer on a rÃ©sumÃ©. I'd hold off on the EKG certificate until you get at least A&P under your belt, if not med/surg and pathophysiology, as you really need to know how the heart works before you can learn to interpret what it does when it's not working.

marina4303 · Apr 26, 2015

Hi Amy,

If you have NO experience in patient care I don't see it as a waste of time, you work part-time as a CNA in the Hospital you are hoping to someday work Full-Time in as a RN ! You will already have your "in"...

As far as the EKG part , absolutely will be needed, there is no doubt and you will have an edge on your fellow classmates as long as you keep it up front and center. Check out the article Nursing exams keep pace with healthcare tech advances, about the updates coming to NCLEX exams featured in Marketplace for Tech for Tuesday, April 2, 2015 by Kate Casey

EKG strips will now be part of NCLEX, to me this is new news but perhaps the student nurses already know this information. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing will be introducing new updated tests this month which they do every 3 years.

"We've just seen technological revolution in medicine and nursing," says Susan Sanders, Vice President of Kaplan Nursing, who has been a nurse for 34 years. According to Casey (2013), nurses must now read the latest digital record system and interpret data from state-of-the-art devices.

They will be shown a 6 second strip of a heart rhythm and be asked if your patient was showing this on the monitor, what would you do?

I just finished my BSN and am searching for somewhere to get Certified in EKG rhythms because the marketplace is requiring nurses who can read EKG's as part of the requirements. They want nurse's who are ACLS certified and in order to pass that test one must be able to read 4-6 different heart rhythms. It should be part of the curriculum now!

Casey, K., (2013). Nursing exams keep pace with health care tech advances. Retrieved from Marketplace from American Public Media | Marketplace.org health care, tech, nurses