will ACLS/PALS boost resume of new grad

[djmsailor]

I will be graduating from an accelerated program in December. I am very interested in getting an ED position after graduation and I know that several hospitals in my region have ED fellowships for new grads. Can anyone advice as to whether taking ACLS/PALS on my own will 'boost' by resume to the top of the pile, or am I just wasting money? Any advice is appreciated.

[ImThatGuy, BSN, RN]

That post comes up a lot. All I can say is when I hire people I want to have to put the minimal amount of training and investment in them possible. That means the more creds you've got and the more you know the better off you are.

[nghtfltguy, BSN, RN]

i agree with everyone that says it will help you...

the more certs you have the better off you are and the better it looks on your resume~~

if you are willing to do the course work and get the certs.. that shows people that you are dedicated to learning and have put forth an effort to learn...

[djmsailor]

Thanks to everyone for the posts. I am going to take a prep course in Jan/Feb then recertify for EMT and take these at the same time. Fortunately, my wife works and we have money saved so I can afford to take the classes if we feel they will help get a job offer more quickly.

[mmutk, BSN, RN, EMT-I]

To an extent, CEN would be better :)

[Bhurd08]

I work with a company that provides ACLS, PALS and BLS classes through the AHA, all over northern California. Last year we started a program for new nurses and students that we called, "Pass Now-Pay Later." The upshot is that you take the classes, get certified without paying anything out of pocket up front (other than for the books). We issue a temporary certificate at the end of each class that states that you have successfully completed the course and that your card is pending.

New nurses then take these temporary certs to their interviews, and when they get the job, and the actual card is required, they pay the regular registration fee and we send the cards. Students or new grads that pay up front get a discounted fee reserved for students that pay at the time of the class. If you don't get a job you don't pay. (We hope you'll get a job sometime in the next two years) In Sacramento and in Merced we have conducted several classes of all students, and had a blast. A few paid at the time of the class but most didn't. Most have now been hired and have since paid for their cards, a few haven't but we're all in it together.

Maybe other companies would consider doing something similar to make things easier as you are just starting out and don't have a steady income yet. It has worked out really well for us.

[Jaguar Boy]

I'm in my final year of school and am hoping to begin my career in Emerg. I am registered to take ACLS next month. The biggest reason I decided to take is that I'm bored with school and needed something to inspire me and keep my interest. I generally find the school courses to be straight forward and easy. Also, I wanted to get a head start on ACLS training, because I've found that the earlier study of anything means my knowledge and skills are higher quality.

I hear what other posters are saying about needing real world experience first. I would also suggest that it can work the other way. That, with the ACLS course under my belt, I can understand and think critically about the real world at a more sophisticated level.

Anyways, good luck making your decision and I wish you the best!

[usalsfyre]

I'm in my final year of school and am hoping to begin my career in Emerg. I am registered to take ACLS next month. The biggest reason I decided to take is that I'm bored with school and needed something to inspire me and keep my interest. I generally find the school courses to be straight forward and easy. Also, I wanted to get a head start on ACLS training, because I've found that the earlier study of anything means my knowledge and skills are higher quality.

I hear what other posters are saying about needing real world experience first. I would also suggest that it can work the other way. That, with the ACLS course under my belt, I can understand and think critically about the real world at a more sophisticated level.

Anyways, good luck making your decision and I wish you the best!

Please don't take offense, but if you think ACLS teaches any real critical thinking skills your sadly mistaken.

[lostinthecountry]

Please don't take offense, but if you think ACLS teaches any real critical thinking skills your sadly mistaken.

The thread question posted states "will ACLS/PALS boost resume of new grad?".

Say recruiter has two resumes; the basic I'm a new grad template; say they're identical, except one has certs, and the other doesn't, who will the recruiter choose???? This isn't complicated...one grad spent the time and money to gain the cert, gained the experience of the training, whether you personally feel critical skills have been learned or not......

Lets say the answer to the question is YES, it does provide an advantage over a cert-less resume, how can anyone argue that? In this volatile job climate, ANYTHING to put you above others makes sense.