PALS Certification

CheesePotato, BSN, RN · Jan 5, 2012

Greetings.

It never hurts to have certifications...and yes, in fact, it does make you not necessarily more marketable...per se, but definitely more note-worthy. Someone who is certified shows a strong, committed attitude and a desire to further themselves for the safety of their patients.

I was ACLS/PALS certified in my second semester of Nursing School. I was an ACLS/PALS instructor within one month of hire at the facility in which I began my career. Lemme tell ya, came in handy during my first code one month and three days post hire. Not to mention it gives that little edge of confidence.

Make no mistake, a real code, especially that of a child, is nothing like the class room setting.

As far as the online course goes, I cannot bring myself to see the merit of such a thing.

There are just some skills that need to be practiced and drilled in real life, when an instructor can coach, modify teaching/drill strategy and challenge you. Besides, the classes are a great networking opportunity. You will be surprised who you may meet at these courses.

And anyway, it's always fun to shake the hell out of a dummy and there is always one person who looks more like they are engaging the dummy in a world class make out session (yes, I people watch). Not quite sure that's what they had in mind when they nicknamed CPR "the kiss of life".

So I have just one question for you:

Annie! Annie! Are you okay?

my3suns · Jan 5, 2012

Ha! I remember hollering at Annie in my BLS. Thanks for input! I want to take the class it just costs alot but I think preparedness is most important.

~PedsRN~, BSN, RN · Jan 9, 2012

I'm planning on taking my PALS and ACLS certs here in the next month or so. :)

pedsnursingstudent · Jan 17, 2012

I just stumbled across this forum and just wanted to say thank you for everyone's responses. I was hesitant about getting my PALS at first since i'm still in my second last semester of nursing. I was also told to wait before taking it because of all the prep work involved. But after reading everyone's posts, I think i'll go ahead and take it too. I'm rather slow so I'll try to read the manual and do a lot of prep work before I take it.

tots24 · Jan 18, 2012

I was just about to ask a similar question, so maybe someone can help me out too! I'm a new grad RN recently hired to do peds private duty nursing. The pay isn't great, but obviously with opportunities being so slim I took it regardless. They do offer education reimbursement for classes/certifications they deem appropriate to my position. So my question is: what types of certification should I try to get?

I know I want PALS. What other things should I look into? I know most of the kiddos I'll work with have trachs, g tubes, or central/picc lines. Is there any certification involving those things that could make me more marketable to be later hired in a NICU or PICU? I'm also already a member of the Society of Pediatric Nurses; do you think they would pay my dues?

I want to be able to advance my knowledge and skills as best as I can and if they're offering to pay, even better! Any advice is much appreciated!

NurseGreta · Jan 28, 2012

The only thing to check about the online course is who you are certified through. I can print you a certification from my printer but any employer could care less. So make sure it is AHA (American Heart) most hospitals in the US take AHA PALS and ACLS certification and the AHA won't let you take those strictly online you must go into a training center and at least skills check.

Double-Helix, BSN, RN · Feb 10, 2012

I honestly wouldn't recommend it.

1. My hospital only requires PALS for nurses working in PICU and Peds ER. When you are hired by one of those places, they will most often pay for you to get the certification. Courses can be several hundred dollars if you pay out of pocket.

2. Hospitals are going to be more concerned with experience rather than what certifications you have. Honestly a PALS certification doesn't mean much if you've never taken care of a kid before.

3. It's so much better to get your PALS certification after you've been practicing nursing for several months, because it will make so much more sense. I've been working in PICU for 7 months and I'm taking PALS next month. I've witnessed and participated in a few code situations, and if I had taken PALS without that experience the class would basically be meaningless. If you don't have any experience to apply the knowledge to, it's hard to really get the benefit of the class. In fact, one of the new hires that started in PICU with me (both new graduates) took PALS before she was hired. She's said several times that she didn't understand anything in PALS before she started working. In fact, she's taking it again with me because she doesn't feel like she benefitted from it the first time.

PediMommy · Feb 22, 2012

I'd get PALS certified. It's not as scary as it sounds. I have both my PALS & ACLS and it helps when getting a job & making more $. I'd do it in person, it's more expensive but you get hands on with mega codes etc. Check with local fire dept or EMS agency they should have some classes that are resonable.