Nursing certifications

This is a good idea, however I know of very few (actually I can't think of any) nursing specialties that allow you to sit for the certification exam without many hours (usually 1,000+) of RN experience in that area. A new nurse who wants to work in ICU, for example, cannot just go and pay to take the CCRN certification. The nurse must first obtain a job in the ICU and gain experience.

There are certifications that one can obtain without experience- such as EKG certification, IV certification, ACLS, etc. These are the courses that would be beneficial and attainable for new graduates.

the best career advise i was ever given was to get nationally certifiedin a specialty area and to return to school for my msn. i can hear karen’s voice now, “it will openup a lot of doors for you.” my best adviceis to wait a few years after nursing school.

find out what you really like. you may find, as i did, that what you thought you wanted to do in nursingisn’t what you enjoy at all. find yourniche, your passion, your drive. thereis no recipe for how to find it.

one dayyou take a job that you think you’ll hate but the pay or the hours aregood. a month later you wake up andta-da you’ve found your dream job. onceyou have your own ta-da moment, research your area and then become certified init.

[color=#ee82ee]m. gale, rn, msn, rac-ct

Agreed with both previous responders. There are tons of extra certifications that require experience in the specific area, but the basic ones like EKG would definitely look great on a new grad resume.