When do you become CPR certified?

[gentlerain]

Do you undergo training during nursing school or after you graduate and before you start working in a hospital? If it's the latter, are you expected to cover the class yourself or will the hospital provide for you?

Thanks!

[TakeTwoAspirin, MSN, RN, APRN]

If I recall correctly, I had to be CPR certified before starting my clinical rotations in nursing school and had to pay for it myself. I don't think they are going to let you near patients without it - not even as a student.

[Peppermint_RN]

We were required to have our CPR certification before our first day of class 1st semester of nursing school. I think it is a requirement for clinical rotations. I had to pay out of pocket for mine, but if you look around online, you can usually find a decent deal.

[VANurse2010]

You will be required to have CPR/Basic Life Support before you begin your clinical rounds in nursing school. You will be required to obtain this on your own - but some colleges have classes and your instructors may be certified instructors or know people who are that can assist in the process.

[wish_me_luck, BSN, RN]

You do it before nursing school. It depends. If you have a job that requires you to already be BLS certified, they pay for it, if you do not have a healthcare job, you have to pay for it.

[LoriRNCM, ADN, ASN, RN]

Ours has to be before classes even begin. It's part of the checklist of requirements that have to be met, like vaccinations, drug test, background check, etc.

[kaydensmom01]

We had to do it before classes began and we had to pay for it but it was only $35.

[Fiona59]

Depends on the school. Mine did a course half way through first semester that was required before we started our LTC rotation.

My employer requires us to recertify annually and it is a provided course as part of our yearly paid education day.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

Before clinicals and, depending on the organization that you obtain certification through, annually or every other year thereafter. When I worked in the hospital, classes were done on the premises and the cost was covered. It used to be that it was part of an annual education day where you were given an 8 hour day to complete CPR and all annual education online courses. That was slowly taken away and it became an expectation that you complete CPR "on your own time". I, unlike most of my colleagues, refused to come in to the hospital on my day off so I did the online course and then went to do the skills during a shift. Currently, my job will accept online CPR re-certification so that's what I did. I had to pay for it myself but will write it off on my taxes as a work-related expense.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

My school required it before we even began the program--I had to pay for it. I also had to pay for renewing it while in school and after graduation but before finding that first job, since it was due to expire in the summer and the local employers wouldn't even consider an applicant without it.

Now my employers pay for my annual renewals.

[Blondenurse83]

I actually had to have mine completed with my nursing school application. And at my own expense. Most schools will require it before you start, not as a part of the curriculum.

[blackvans1234]

The day you do CPR on a real person is when you're ''bonafide certified''