If you want to get the best travel nursing ICU jobs in 2025, then certifications are the only way to take your career to the next level. The recruiters are nowadays looking for more trained and experienced nurses, especially in the field of ICU; therefore, ICU certification is a ticket towards your career growth. Certifications will not only help boost your resume but will also land you higher-paying travel nurse assignments. In this blog, we will discuss the best certifications for travel ICU nurses in 2025.
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ICU certifications for travel nurses
Certifications will help you boost your pay, will land you on the best travel nursing contracts and therefore every ICU nurse should consider the following certifications in 2025:
BLS (Basic Life Support)
Offered by: American Heart Association (AHA) and Red Cross
- It is usually valid for 2 years.
- Commonly used in hospitals, nursing homes, schools, etc.
- It is used for victims facing life-threatening conditions.
- This certification is required by nurses, doctors, first responders, etc.
ACLS (Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support)
Offered by: American Heart Association (AHA)
- This certification focuses on life-threatening cardiovascular emergencies.
- It is also valid for 2 years.
- It is important for nurses working in ICU, ER, Cath labs and telemetry.
- This certification improves patient survival in cardiac emergencies such as heart attack, stroke, etc.
PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support)
Offered by: American Heart Association (AHA)
- This certification allows nurses to respond to critically ill infants or children.
- It is important for nurses who care for children in acute settings such as NICU, PICU, children’s hospitals, pediatric emergency rooms.
- PALS certification is valid for 2 years.
- This certification also enhance the confidence of nurses during pediatric emergencies.
CCRN (Critical Care Registered Nurse)
One of the other most important ICU certifications that nurses or travel nurses can go for is CCRN certification.
Offered by: American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN)
- This certification allows burses to provide care for critically ill adults, children or neonatal patients.
- Nurses in ICU, CICU, SCIU, and MICU should get this certification to gain more knowledge.
- This certification is preferred and sometimes required by many hospitals and healthcare agencies.
- It is valid for 3 years.
TNCC (Trauma Nursing Core Course)
Another important nursing certification that ICU nurses should go for is TNCC certification.
Offered by: Developed and administered by the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA)
- This TNCC certification teaches nurses how to manage trauma patients in emergency situations.
- Nurses working in ICU, emergency rooms, and travel nurses working in trauma centers should consider this certification.
- TNCC certification is valid for 4 years.
- Common work settings for this certification are trauma centers, transport nursing, disaster response, and emergency departments.
CEN (Certified Emergency Nurse)
Another common ICU certification is CEN.
Offered by: Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN)
- CEN certification allows nurses to handle a wide range of urgent and life-threatening conditions.
- Nurses must be licensed ER to get this certification.
- CEN certification is valid for 4 years.
- This certification helps nurses boost their confidence in handling complex and high-stress situations.
CFRN (Certified Flight Registered Nurse)
ICU travel nurses should consider CFRN certification to boost credibility in both civilian and military flight roles.
Offered by: Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN)
- The nurse should be licensed in ER to apply for this certification.
- CRRN certification is valid for 4 years.
- Common settings for CFRN-certified nurses are HEMS teams, military medical evacuation teams, and fixed-wing air ambulance services.
- Flight nurses, Critical care transport nurses, and trauma nurses transitioning to air medical roles should get this certification to boost their career.
How will certifications help ICU travel nurses boost their job opportunities?
Certification is the key to success and here are some of the reasons why certification helps ICU travel nurses boost their job opportunities:
- Increase their job marketability by boosting their resume.
- Nurses can get top-tier assignments due to their certifications.
- Higher pay rate assignments.
- Certifications will help broaden your skills.
- Your certifications will demonstrate clinical excellence.
- ICU certifications also help nurses boost their confidence.
- Certifications will also help you stay ahead of the competition.
How to get started with your ICU certifications?
You want to get your ICU nursing certifications to take your nursing career to the next level then here is the guide on how to get started:
- Choose the right certification that is highly preferred by ICU or ICU travel nursing jobs.
- Check eligibility, as for some certifications you must have an active RN or APRN license.
- Prepare for the exams by taking practice tests, online courses, study guides, etc.
- Schedule and take your exam.
- Maintain your certification, as many certifications are valid for 2 to 4 years, and you have to renew them.
Which certifications are best for ICU travel nurses?
- CCRN (Critical Care Registered Nurse – Adult)
- ACLS (Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support)
- TNCC (Trauma Nursing Core Course)
- ATCN (Advanced Trauma Care for Nurses)
- PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support)
What is the difference between BLS, ACLS and PALS certification?
- BLS stands for basic life support certification and is required by all healthcare providers. Skills taught in this certification include recognizing life-threatening emergencies, high-quality CPR, rescue breaths, and using an AED.
- ACLS stands for Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support, and this certification is for nurses who work in critical care, ICU, ER, etc. This certification focuses on how to manage adult cardiac emergencies.
- PALS stands for Pediatric Advanced Life Support and this certification is required for the nurses working in pediatric ICU, ER or Pediatric units. This certification focuses on managing cardiac and respiratory emergencies in infants and children.
Do ICU nurse certifications increase salary?
Yes, ICU nursing certifications help nurses to boost their resumes, which often leads to higher salaries and better job opportunities.
Conclusion
As a travel nurse, if you are aiming to advance your career and secure the best travel nursing assignments in 2025, then ICU certification is the best way to do so. These ICU certifications, such as BLS, ACLS, PALS, TNCC, etc, will not only help you sharpen your skills but will also boost your resume and significantly improve your earning potential by landing you on the best travel nursing jobs. So don’t wait! Start your certification journey today and take your career to the next level. If you are a travel ICU nurse, then join SkillGigs now and become part of our travel nursing world.
