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In the field of nursing, professional development courses may be vital for establishing a valuable and successful career. Depending on your role, level of responsibility and the setting in which you work, you may be required to earn additional nursing certifications. The specialty of emergency nursing is no exception. If you are looking to work as a nurse in emergency care, you may want to consider the following nursing professional development courses and certifications.

ACLS and PALS certifications

Nurses are generally required to become certified in advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) and pediatric advanced life support (PALS). These certifications are especially important for emergency nurses, as ACLS and PALS protocols are used very frequently in the emergency care setting. In order to become initially certified in ACLS or PALS, you must take an educational course, followed by both a written and a hands-on exam with a course instructor. Both ACLS and PALS certifications must be renewed every two years, and recertification can be completed entirely online. Luckily for busy nurses, recertification can be obtained conveniently through Health Ed Solutions’ PALS and ACLS online classes. For nurses whose employers require American Heart Association certification, Health Ed Solutions offers the HeartCode ACLS Part 1 course.

CEN: Certified Emergency Nurse

A registered nurse (RN) who chooses to specialize in a particular area of care often requires a specialty certification in addition to a nursing license. In order to work in emergency care, an RN can become a certified emergency nurse (CEN). To earn this certification, nurses must pass an exam given by the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN). Nurses must renew their certification every four years by either taking a renewal exam or earning 100 hours of continuing education (CE) credits.

CPEN: Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse

RNs working in emergency care may also benefit from becoming a certified pediatric emergency nurse (CPEN), especially if they frequently provide treatment for children. This certification can be earned through the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB). As with the CEN certification, nurses must renew this certification every four years by taking an exam or earning 100 CE credits. In addition to having the satisfaction of being more prepared to handle more emergency situations, nurses with this certification may stand out to employers during the hiring process.

Emergency Nurse Practitioner (ENP)

Advanced practice nurses who aim to work in emergency care can become certified as an emergency nurse practitioner (ENP). ENPs are able to assess, diagnose and treat a wide variety of conditions without referring to higher medical staff. To become an ENP, an individual must enroll in an accredited graduate nursing program. Because ENPs have a higher level of authority and can work independently from doctors and other medical staff, they typically earn higher salaries and benefit from better job security.

Nursing Professional Development Certification at Health Ed Solutions

Health Ed Solutions offers nursing professional development certification resources, including online ACLS and PALS certification and recertification courses, as well as basic life support (BLS), cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automatic electronic defibrillator (AED) training courses. Learn more about online ACLS certification.