Nursing student in outpatient surgery unit

New2ER · Mar 15, 2008

You can take PALS and ACLS but you can't have an active certification unless you are a paramedic, RN or MD/DO due to the fact that these certifications involve pushing medication.

If the facility allows you to sit in on a class, I could jump at the opportunity even though you can't get certified yet.

ShariDCST · Mar 15, 2008

hi guys! i'm a second semester junior bsn student and have recently been offered a job as a nursing student on an outpatient surgery. the nurse manager said that as a nursing student i'm going to learn how to do everything from helping out with intakes/prepping patients and scrubbing in for surgeries to working on my focused assessment skills in the pacu and helping patients get ready to be discharged, giving discharge instructions and making follow up calls the day after surgeries. i'm excited and i'm going to have to have a nurse sign off on everything i do, but i'm coming to you or nurses to see if you have any advice or words of wisdom for me or even things you think i should know/read ahead of time before starting. they do offer acls and pals training but i have a question about that. do you have to be an rn/md for acls or pals or could it behoove me to take it now and have it under my belt? i think i want to go into ed when i graduate but i want to have experience seeing all sorts of things and working in potentially critical situations before i try that.
thanks in advance!

yes! i highly recommend you read the "sticky" on this website/section entitled "so, you're observing in the operating room." it's a wealth of information, and even if none of it make sense to you right now, it won't take long for you to see where it'll be an invaluable reference for you! i've got 16 years under my belt as a cst, and i found it to be excellent reading for anyone going into the ors for the first time.

congratulations on your upcoming experiences, and best wishes!

shari

core0 · Mar 15, 2008

You can take PALS and ACLS but you can't have an active certification unless you are a paramedic, RN or MD/DO due to the fact that these certifications involve pushing medication.
If the facility allows you to sit in on a class, I could jump at the opportunity even though you can't get certified yet.

I can't speak to PALS but anyone can take ACLS. The ACLS "certification" is not what allows you to push drugs. The job and the license/state certification are. We were required to take ACLS in PA school when nobody was licensed. As a student nurse the same should apply. I would guess that having ACLS already done would be helpful in the job search for those areas that required it.

David Carpenter, PA-C

pinkiepie_RN · Mar 15, 2008

Regarding PALS --- if I took the class now, is there an exam related to it that I would be able to challenge upon getting my RN or would it just be good experience so I understand better when I take it again?

core0 · Mar 15, 2008

Regarding PALS --- if I took the class now, is there an exam related to it that I would be able to challenge upon getting my RN or would it just be good experience so I understand better when I take it again?

I think that PALS is the same as ACLS. There is no challenge. If you can take it you can be "certified". Looks at the AHA website there doesn't seem to be a reason that you couldn't take it as a nursing student.

David Carpenter, PA-C

pinkiepie_RN · Mar 16, 2008

I think that PALS is the same as ACLS. There is no challenge. If you can take it you can be "certified". Looks at the AHA website there doesn't seem to be a reason that you couldn't take it as a nursing student.
David Carpenter, PA-C

How exciting! Thanks for the info!

AmyBRN · Mar 17, 2008

Regarding PALS, as a PICU nurse. I went to take it after a year of PICU experience (maybe a little longer than I should have waited but...). I think that the PALS class is very interesting, but also very hard. You need to have hands on experience for a little while before taking it. There is test at the end where you run a 'code', as well as a written test. There are a lot of things that you need to know, meds (and specific wt. based dosages!!), EKG's, etc., before you take the PALS course. Personally I would wait on PALS, a lot of nurses on my unit waited about 5- 10 months before taking it. I can't speak for ACLS though.

Amy

P.S. I am not PALS certified, because I got very sick during the second day and was not able to do the code portion, but my friend said it was hard and without her experience she probably would not have her cert.

pinkiepie_RN · Mar 18, 2008

Regarding PALS, as a PICU nurse. I went to take it after a year of PICU experience (maybe a little longer than I should have waited but...). I think that the PALS class is very interesting, but also very hard. You need to have hands on experience for a little while before taking it. There is test at the end where you run a 'code', as well as a written test. There are a lot of things that you need to know, meds (and specific wt. based dosages!!), EKG's, etc., before you take the PALS course. Personally I would wait on PALS, a lot of nurses on my unit waited about 5- 10 months before taking it. I can't speak for ACLS though.
Amy
P.S. I am not PALS certified, because I got very sick during the second day and was not able to do the code portion, but my friend said it was hard and without her experience she probably would not have her cert.

Thanks for that information. I think I'll get through getting my feet wet with the unit and see what the nurses recommend for me. I'm used to certifications being like CPR, which takes like half a day, so it's good for me to know that PALS and ACLS are more intense & critical skills based classes.