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Pediatric advanced life support (PALS) training allows an individual to provide life-saving care to children and infants in cardiac emergency situations. There are many career paths in which it is highly beneficial to have PALS certification. One medical profession in which employers often require PALS training is emergency nursing. Emergency room nurses provide treatment to patients of all ages, including children, and working in emergency care means that cardiac-related emergencies will often arise. Both of these factors make PALS certification a must for emergency nurses.

Basic job requirements for emergency room nurses

The typical job requirements for a nurse often include a combination of licenses, certifications, and, in cases where an individual wants to work in a sub-specialty such as emergency care, credentials.

In order to become a registered nurse, you must complete a higher education program and take an exam to receive a nursing license. You can do so via a bachelor’s degree program, an associate’s degree program, or an approved nursing program. Following the completion of a nursing program, you must pass the National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN) exam in the state in which you would like to be licensed to work.

In order to work in a specialty area, such as emergency care, some employers may require nurses to earn credentials in their desired specialty area. Credentialing for RNs is available via organizations such as the National League for Nursing and the American Nursing Credentialing Center.

Additional certifications

Additional certifications may be required or recommended. This includes advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) and PALS certification. In addition to initially getting certified, healthcare professionals must earn their ACLS and PALS recert every two years through a recertification course.

These certifications provide a healthcare professional with standard protocols for assessing a patient’s condition, dealing with cardiac emergencies and respiratory management, administering certain medications needed in emergency situations and performing other life-saving procedures.

Ideal personality traits

Working as an emergency nurse can be very a very stressful and emotional experience. Treating individuals suffering from serious injuries and life-threatening illnesses, especially in cases where the patient is a child, requires an individual with certain key personality traits. Nurses working in emergency care must be emotionally stable, but extremely compassionate when dealing with patients in these difficult situations.

Additionally, emergency nurses should be detail-oriented and responsible. They must also work well under pressure, as the emergency room is a fast-paced, high-stress environment. RNs specializing in emergency care must be able to think on their feet and make quick decisions, as a few seconds may be the difference between life and death for a patient. These, of course, are traits that cannot simply be taught through any sort of medical training. It is important for you to make sure you are a good fit for emergency nursing before you decide to pursue training.

Are you interested in working in emergency care?

Health Ed Solutions offers online certification courses for healthcare professionals, including PALS certification and recertification courses.