Should You Get ACLS Before Your First Nursing Job?
Graduating from Nursing School? Here's What You Should Know Before Signing Up for ACLS
Graduating from nursing school is an incredible accomplishment—but it also comes with a long to-do list.
Pass the NCLEX.
Build your resume.
Apply for jobs.
Prepare for interviews.
And somewhere along the way, almost every new nurse asks the same question: Should I get ACLS before I'm hired, or wait until my employer requires it?
If you've asked classmates, instructors, or nurses already working in the field, you've probably received different answers. That's because there isn't a one-size-fits-all approach.
For some new graduates, earning Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) certification before landing their first job can provide a competitive edge. For others, waiting until they're hired makes more financial and practical sense.
The key is understanding your career goals and choosing the path that best supports them.
Start with BLS—No Matter Where You're Headed
Before thinking about ACLS or Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), make sure your Basic Life Support (BLS) certification is current.
BLS is the foundation of emergency patient care and is required for virtually every nursing student entering clinical rotations and nearly every healthcare professional beginning practice. It teaches the lifesaving skills you'll rely on throughout your career, including:
High-quality CPR for adults, children, and infants
Proper AED use
Relief of choking emergencies
Effective team-based resuscitation
Early recognition of life-threatening emergencies
Many new graduates choose to renew their BLS shortly before graduation or immediately afterward so they'll begin their first position with a full two-year certification period.
No matter what specialty you're pursuing, BLS should always be your first priority.
Before You Register for ACLS… Ask Yourself These Five Questions
✔ What specialty do I hope to work in?
✔ Does my preferred employer provide ACLS training after I'm hired?
✔ Will having ACLS strengthen my application for the positions I'm pursuing?
✔ Would earning the certification now reduce stress during my first few months on the job?
✔ Am I ready to learn advanced resuscitation concepts before gaining bedside experience?
There isn't one correct answer. The best timing depends on your career goals—not someone else's.
Why Many New Nursing Graduates Wait
One of the biggest surprises for new nurses is learning that many hospitals don't require ACLS on your first day.
Instead, hospitals commonly hire graduate nurses first and require ACLS certification within the first three to six months of employment. In many cases, the hospital pays for the course and incorporates it into its nurse residency or orientation program.
There's another advantage to waiting.
ACLS builds upon the assessment skills, critical thinking, and patient care experience you'll begin developing during your first months at the bedside. Once you've cared for patients, recognized cardiac rhythms, participated in emergency situations, and worked alongside experienced nurses, the advanced algorithms often become much easier to understand and apply.
Waiting doesn't mean you're behind.
For many nurses, it's simply the expected progression of professional development.
When Getting ACLS Before You're Hired Makes Sense
While waiting is perfectly appropriate for many graduates, there are situations where earning ACLS before your first job can be a smart investment.
If your goal is to work in:
Emergency Department (ED)
Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
Progressive Care or Step-Down Units
Cardiac Care
Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU)
Critical Care Residency Programs
...you're applying for some of the most competitive nursing positions available.
Hiring managers know that every new graduate has limited clinical experience. What they're often looking for are signs of initiative, commitment, and genuine interest in the specialty. Completing ACLS before applying demonstrates that you're willing to invest in your own professional growth before anyone asks you to.
While no certification guarantees a job offer, it can help distinguish your application from others with similar educational backgrounds.
If you do decide to earn ACLS before gaining significant bedside experience, a little additional preparation, along with choosing the right course format, can help set you up for success.
If You're a New Graduate, Set Yourself Up for Success
If you decide earning ACLS before your first nursing job is the right choice, how you prepare for the course can make a big difference.
For new graduates, ACLS Academy recommends completing the American Heart Association's ACLS Prep: ECG & Pharmacology course before beginning ACLS training. The course provides additional preparation in two areas that can be challenging for providers who have not yet gained significant bedside experience: understanding ECG rhythms and the medications used during cardiovascular emergencies.
Building that foundation first can help you arrive at ACLS training better prepared to understand the algorithms, participate in scenarios, and connect the course material to the underlying clinical concepts.
ACLS Academy also recommends that new graduates choose its two-day, in-person ACLS course rather than the blended learning option. Blended learning can be an excellent choice for experienced clinicians who already have a strong clinical foundation, but new graduates often benefit from more time in the classroom, direct interaction with experienced instructors, hands-on practice, and opportunities to ask questions as they work through unfamiliar concepts.
The goal isn't simply to earn your ACLS card before you're hired. It's to leave the course understanding what you've learned and feeling more confident in your ability to build upon those skills as you begin your nursing career.
What About PALS?
The same decision-making process applies to Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS).
If you're hoping to build your career in:
Pediatric Emergency Departments
Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICU)
Children's hospitals
Pediatric inpatient units
Pediatric transport teams
Certain urgent care settings
...earning PALS before interviewing may strengthen your application and demonstrate your commitment to pediatric care.
However, if you're planning to work exclusively with adult patients, your employer may not require PALS at all—or may provide the certification later if your role changes. Rather than collecting certifications simply because they're available, focus on those that align with the career you hope to build.
Certifications Tell Employers More Than You Think
Many graduates assume hiring managers only care whether a certification appears on a resume. In reality, certifications often communicate something much bigger. They suggest that you're motivated. That you're proactive. That you're invested in becoming the best clinician you can be.
When employers compare candidates with similar GPAs, clinical experiences, and references, those qualities can leave a lasting impression.
Your certifications become part of the story your resume tells about the kind of healthcare professional you're striving to become.
Why Your Training Provider Matters
When it comes to lifesaving skills, where you train is just as important as what you learn.
The American Heart Association is recognized worldwide as the gold standard in resuscitation education, developing evidence-based guidelines that shape how healthcare providers respond to cardiac arrest, stroke, respiratory emergencies, and other life-threatening events. Those guidelines are continually updated as new research emerges, helping ensure providers are learning the most current, effective approaches to patient care.
Choosing an American Heart Association Certified Training Center means you're learning from an organization committed to delivering education that meets the AHA's rigorous standards for quality, consistency, and instructor excellence.
It's also worth noting that many hospitals, universities, and healthcare organizations require certifications issued through American Heart Association programs, making your choice of training provider an important part of your professional credentials.
That's why ACLS Academy is proud to be an American Heart Association Certified Training Center, preparing healthcare professionals with the knowledge, hands-on experience, and confidence they need when every second counts.
The Right Timeline Is the One That Supports Your Goals
There isn't a universal answer to when every new nurse should earn ACLS.
If your future employer provides certification during orientation, waiting may be the most practical and cost-effective option.
If you're pursuing highly competitive emergency or critical care positions, earning ACLS—and possibly PALS—before applying may help demonstrate your commitment and readiness.
Neither approach is right nor wrong. The important thing is making an informed decision based on your career aspirations rather than feeling pressured to follow someone else's timeline.
Your nursing career is just beginning. Choose the certifications that support where you want to go.
Whether you're preparing for your first nursing position or advancing into a specialty role, ACLS Academy offers American Heart Association and specialty certification courses taught by practicing healthcare professionals. Training includes BLS, ACLS, PALS, PEARS, ACLS EP, NRP, TNCC, ENPC, Intermediate Fetal Heart Monitoring, Instructor Courses, and Heartsaver CPR/AED & First Aid. With convenient training locations in Quincy, Bridgewater, and Newton Centre, Massachusetts, plus onsite group training throughout New England, ACLS Academy helps healthcare providers gain the knowledge and confidence to respond when every second counts.