What kind of certification can I work towards? New nurse.

[CVfloorNurse]

I have been a nurse for one year, I work FT on a CV floor with telemetry. I want to work towards some kind of certification. I like to have something to push me to the next step and I learn a lot with reading and studying, then being able to apply it at work.

I thought about, but unsure if my floor qualifies for that, how do I know? Thinking some kind of cardiac certification, but don't know what exactly.

Any ideas?

[FancypantsRN]

PCCN comes to mind. That's a certification for progressive care/step-down nursing. It is definitely a challenging certification to obtain. There will be lots of studying for you :)

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

this is sort of like the high-school question of, "when i get to college, what should i major in?" if you don't know yet, that's ok; you need more experience to see what grabs your fancy. remember too that many, many nurses have no extra certifications; they are not required for many jobs. of course, certification documents a certain level of increased learning and experience (because you have to keep it up once you obtain it, too). if you are a new nurse, you're probably a little premature on this, but it's always good to get information and look ahead. do you have specific career goals yet, or are you still testing the waters to see what grabs you? ummm, bad combination of metaphors, but you get the idea....

certifications are available for many, many nursing specialties. wikipedia lists bazillions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/nursing_credentials_and_certifications

certification is not the same as "certificate in..."

nurses should aspire to earn ancc-approved certifications, because organizations granting these have had to demonstrate rigorous standards, a solid practice base for their specialties, a valid certification examination, and other criteria. therefore they are considered to be more important than those which are not. (my professional organization is in the process of obtaining ancc certification for our certification exam, and it's a huge process.)

ancc certifications and information are given at

http://www.nursecredentialing.org/certification.aspx

you might start by asking around your unit as to what certifications your workmates have or would like to have. many, if not most, require a minimum of two years in full-time practice, so don't be in a huge hurry.

[llg, PhD, RN]

If you are not sure about a specific career path ... but suspect that you will be working with an adult population for a while ... maybe you should think about something really general, such as "adult med/surg." I'm not a specialist in that field, but I know there is a general med/surg certification. It would probably be very relevant to many jobs that you might seek in the future.

Of course, you would have to look up the requriements for that certification to be sure that the experience you are getting at your current job would count towards the certification requirements.

[turnforthenurse, MSN, NP]

I suggest either the PCCN or you can obtain an RN-BC (registered nurse - board certified) certification in cardiology through the ANCC.

[CVfloorNurse]

Thanks for the replies. I know I am sounding a little "high-Schoolish" when I asked, because I don't know that well.

I have to admit, a lot of the nurses on my floor doesn't have a lot of certifications. They are good, and done their jobs for many years, just not kept up on the certification part.

I asked about the PCCN, because I didn't know if a CV floor with telemetry would qualify under their hours requirement.

Right now I am very content doing CV type work. I could see myself going to going to a completely different area, but that us years down the road. I want to deepen my knowledge and get better in the field I am currently working. So CV it would be.

I will look into the ANCC and what they have to offer.