How specialty certification opens a ton of doors...

I've been looking to move back home this summer. I have applied several places, but I'm right at my one year of experience mark and most of them haven't wanted me. I have a job offer up there at a last-choice facility currently, and another I had really wanted has turned me down.

I sat for my CCRN certification this past Saturday and passed. Since then, I applied three new places, all giant well-respected teaching hospitals with fantastic reputations, and I applied exclusively for CVICUs, which I have never worked in before, because I want to expand my knowledge. I only have one year of experience in a medical ICU. I have already heard back from TWO of them scheduling interviews, and it hasn't even been two days since I applied and only four days since I passed the CCRN! I'm still sitting here with my jaw on the floor at my good fortune.

If you aren't certified in your specialty yet and you meet the minimum eligibility requirements, do it right now. You have nothing to lose but a couple hundred bucks, and a million new open doors to gain. One of these places that called me in for an interview was somewhere that I have applied for three jobs this summer alone, and I hadn't heard a single thing. I got certified, and now they are calling me back less than 48 hours after I applied. Obviously, when you show that you are dedicated enough to your specialty to get a specialty certification, it really makes a difference to hiring managers.

Just another point: I applied to another of the places early on Monday morning, around 0400. I received an email at 0750 Monday morning from HR that they were forwarding my application to the nurse manager, got an email at 1400 to set up an interview time, and before 1500 I had a finalized interview date and time set. You want to talk about moving fast? There you go! I went from applied, to application forwarded, to interview in less than 12 hours. That is the power of specialty certification. (And that's got to be some kind of speed record!)

The CCRN exam was clearly the best $225 I have ever spent. I hope you spend your money soon, too.