# Bridge Program for Paramedic to Nurse



## Lights Sirens Action (Apr 29, 2017)

I was curious if anyone here has completed the bridge program and can give some insight into it. I have found some information on it, but it is very limited.


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## hometownmedic5 (Apr 29, 2017)

To the best of my knowledge, there is no bridge program, singular. There are several, perhaps many, bridge programs plural. Consequently, your statement is far too vague to generate a useful response.

In general: they exist. Some of them are good, some are not. Some are reasonably priced, some are extravagantly priced. Some will result in an unrestricted license to be a nurse that is portable. Some come with additional requirements depending on where you intend to be license. Some states outright dont recognize programs as valid. Some programs have a significant support system. Some take your money, hand you some books and you're on your own.

Bottom line: Its possible. It may work for you, it may not. Significant research is needed before committing, most notably will this program lead to an unrestricted nursing license.


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## Lights Sirens Action (Apr 29, 2017)

hometownmedic5 said:


> To the best of my knowledge, there is no bridge program, singular. There are several, perhaps many, bridge programs plural. Consequently, your statement is far too vague to generate a useful response.
> 
> In general: they exist. Some of them are good, some are not. Some are reasonably priced, some are extravagantly priced. Some will result in an unrestricted license to be a nurse that is portable. Some come with additional requirements depending on where you intend to be license. Some states outright dont recognize programs as valid. Some programs have a significant support system. Some take your money, hand you some books and you're on your own.
> 
> Bottom line: Its possible. It may work for you, it may not. Significant research is needed before committing, most notably will this program lead to an unrestricted nursing license.



Thank you so much for your response! I suppose I could have been more specific, I really just wanted to know if there were individuals in here that went through a bridge program (local or online) that would explain what their experience was. I would love to know if they would have rather gone the traditional route if they were able to go back in time, if they felt like they grasped the concepts as well as those who went through a two year program, what their NCLEX experience was and the hardships they faced while attending that they may have not anticipated. 

I agree, significant research is definitely necessary. Thank you for your time.


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## hometownmedic5 (Apr 29, 2017)

We have a few RN's around here that might be able to help you with specifics. I have no direct experience. Over the years, I've watched a few co workers go down this road, with varying levels of success. Naturally, some failed because they themselves were failures, not because the program was invalid in any way.

Due to boredom and curiosity, I just briefly looked into excelsiors program and I can say without hesitation it wouldn't interest me, if I had an interest in getting my RN at all....


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## Akulahawk (Apr 30, 2017)

If you're considering going from Paramedic to RN, be very careful about the program you choose to attend. Primarily if you think you _may_ want to work in California (or a very small handful of other states) at any time in the future, you should avoid distance learning programs as you will find it very difficult-to-impossible to obtain an RN license in some states. California is notoriously difficult, if not the _most_ difficult to obtain a license from if you go through a distance learning program like Excelsior. This is 100% due to the fact that California requires concurrent didactic and clinical experiences. As an example, if you're studying Peds, you have to do a Peds clinical in the same quarter/semester. 

I did my Paramedic training and RN training in the traditional way... I attended traditional brick & mortar programs. If you want to do a "bridge program" that _should_ allow you to obtain a license in every state, including California, you should look for bridge programs that are 1) Brick & Mortar, 2) explicitly offer concurrent didactic & clinical components, and 3) give you credit for past learning (your Paramedic License). Most of the time, you will find that such a bridge program only shaves about 1 semester/quarter off of your educational pathway, basically you'd get to skip the 1st Semester/Quarter and join your cohort in the 2nd Semester/Quarter. 

Please do _not_ misunderstand me... I'm _not_ saying you shouldn't attend a distance learning program. I'm just letting you know that you should look ahead to your future career as an RN and where it may take you because there are a few states that do take a dim view (at best) of distance learning programs.


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## Carlos Danger (Apr 30, 2017)

Every word of Akulahawk's post is 100% right.

I graduated from the Excelsior program in 2005 and while it worked out well for me and for many others, I really can't recommend it now, mostly because of the restrictions that many states have since placed on Excelsior grads. Nursing is a wide open field and you never know where you career might take you and you don't want to have to turn down a great opportunity because the crotchety old clipboard nurses on the BON where your dream job is have an antiquated and narrow-minded view of what an educational program should look like.

Also, as a result of Excelsior's efforts to appease some of these BON requirements, completing their program now takes more time and money than it used to. It was always a challenging route for a paramedic to take, but it was worth it because you could potentially do it really quickly and it was dirt cheap. That's not so true anymore. That combined with the restrictions you'll face as an Excelsior grad just make it not worth it, IMO.


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## Summit (Apr 30, 2017)

What the last two posts said.

Just as failing to heed the above advice will cost you more time, money, opportunity and job satisfaction than you can possibly save doing an online/bridge:

Do a BSN program over an ADN unless you plan to work in an underserved rural area while you get your BSN after your ADN... or have an employer that has basically guaranteed you a job after graduating with your ADN (and will hopefully pay for your BSN).


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## GMCmedic (Apr 30, 2017)

I can only speak to this a little. My wife is a Paramaedic and graduates with an ASN from a local community college in two weeks. 

They have a Paramedic to Nursing bridge curriculum but to my knowledge have yet to have any students. It would have only saved 1 semester. 

As far as a BSN, our area will hospitals will hire an ASN and require a BSN within 5 years that they will pay for. My employing hospital will pay for you to get a bachelors degree in janitorial services if that were a thing. As long as they employ those positions within the system they will pay.

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## Summit (Apr 30, 2017)

Connections are verything, but keep in mind 

Almost any Nursing Residency program will require a BSN. (Nursing Residency is your ticket to something besides Med/Surg although a medic will probably have a shoe-in to the ED).

In many markets (particularly popular places to live or most cities), you just need a BSN to get past the HR dept as a New Graduate even if it isn't required on paper unless you have a personal connection to the Nursing Manager. 

VA all but requires BSN.

Again, unless you are in a shortage area, have personal connections, or want to potentially be stuck in Med/Surg or subacute care for your first 2-3 years, BSN.

There is no nursing shortage for new graduate nurses anywhere. In the markets where there is a huge glut, I see BSN new grads fighting each other for $24/hr under a 2 year contract (with financial penalties) in their given unit... oh and NO BENEFITS OR SHIFT DIFFERENTIALS until they are off orientation (3-6 months). The ADNs aren't getting hospital jobs wihtout personal connections and LONG delays (like 1+ year).


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## Akulahawk (Apr 30, 2017)

One of the key things above:


Summit said:


> There is no nursing shortage for new graduate nurses anywhere.


This is regardless of degree earned. Getting your first job is hard if you have a BSN, and even harder if you only have an ADN. I'm fortunate in that I have always been an ED RN. That being said, it took me 8 _months_ and a hospital 2 _hours_ away to land my first job. When I got into nursing school, earning a BSN was not going to happen simply because at the time there were no programs that were open to 2nd Bachelors students that I could realistically attend. There was one accelerated Bachelors program but I would have been homeless by the end of the 1st Semester because their program wouldn't work well with my work schedule and my work schedule wasn't going to change on a weekly basis to allow me to attend that program.

I now have a job that's about 10 minutes from home and that took a little doing. That being said, I landed that job within 3 weeks of leaving my previous job and started about 3 weeks after that. All of my classmates landed jobs within a year, most within 4 months of graduation. Most of them work in Med/Surg, 4 of us work in the ED, and about the same number work in an ICU. The "shortage" you hear of in nursing isn't for new grads, it's for _experienced_ nurses (2+ years) and if you have 5+ years, you're pretty much golden. However you still have to find your first job and that's where things get really difficult. It's going to take a while because there are still a number of ancient nurses that are still rebuilding their retirement portfolios after the 2008 crash and some that are still working that have excellent retirement that are afraid of the possibility of a crash sometime in the future. That means there's less turnover than there used to be just 10 years ago. Eventually the pendulum will swing back but who knows how long that will take. The lucky ones will be the ones that graduate early in the hiring binge but eventually enough regular people will see the binge happening... and the pendulum will swing again. I've seen several of these cycles over the years.


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## wanderingmedic (May 1, 2017)

Akulahawk said:


> One of the key things above:
> This is regardless of degree earned. Getting your first job is hard if you have a BSN, and even harder if you only have an ADN.



I think this is probably still very geographically dependent. I'm currently in a Medic to RN program (2 semesters left!), and several of my former Medic partners have graduated from the same program. They were employed in local ED's as RN's within a very short time of passing the NCLEX and getting their state license even though they had an ADN.


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## Summit (May 1, 2017)

^I'm willing to bet they had connections and/or a somewhat-rural setting


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## VFlutter (May 1, 2017)

Agree with Summit and others. In my area there is no shortage of nurses and it is hard to get a job or new grad residency in most hospitals without a BSN or being a prior employee. BSN is also required to be a charge nurse or participate in "clinical ladders" etc. For a lot of people it made sense to get an ADN then complete a RN-BSN once working however with hospitals cutting back on financial assistance and competition for jobs increasing it may not be as viable as it used to be.


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## MackTheKnife (May 5, 2017)

Florida is a state where ADNs get hired quickly. I got EMT reciprocity off of my NREMT and challenged the Paramedic Exam. I now have RN and EMT-P.

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## Summit (May 6, 2017)

MackTheKnife said:


> Florida is a state where ADNs get hired quickly.


In what setting, locale,  and with what experience level?


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## MackTheKnife (May 6, 2017)

Summit said:


> In what setting, locale,  and with what experience level?


Northeast, FL. In Jacksonville, one hospital hires ADNs- no BSN required. I went through their New Grad program. My hospital has a HUGE retention problem! The other hospitals have new grad programs but BSN is required. Overall, jobs are easy to be had. One other hospital  hires ADNs. Mine is Memorial and the other is St. Vincent's. Memorial is an HCA outfit and admits EVERYONE who comes through the door. Perhaps part of the retention problem.


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## VFlutter (May 6, 2017)

There will always be hospitals and facilities that have huge turn over and poor employee satisfaction that will hire a RN regardless of degree however to be competitive for the jobs everyone wants you really need a BSN in most markets.


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## MackTheKnife (May 6, 2017)

Chase said:


> There will always be hospitals and facilities that have huge turn over and poor employee satisfaction that will hire a RN regardless of degree however to be competitive for the jobs everyone wants you really need a BSN in most markets.


Without a doubt.

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## GMCmedic (May 7, 2017)

My wife has an ASN (as of Friday anyway), she will have a job in the medical ICU when she passes NCLEX. She already has a job as a nurse intern till that point.

She will likely be stuck there till she has her BSN which she is required to have within 5 years. Our hospitals generally dont let you lateral transfer without a BSN. 

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## Agg04 (May 8, 2017)

Summit said:


> ^I'm willing to bet they had connections and/or a somewhat-rural setting


Believe it or not I live in south Florida, not rural at all, and there is a big job market for RN's with only an ADN down here. Most of the people I know after passing the NCLEX had a job offer only a couple weeks later. Ive looked into nursing but I don't want to stay here in Florida. I want to move to Denver and I have contacted a few nurses/students who are out there and they say it is almost impossible to find a job with just an ADN after school unless you are already enrolled into a BSN program. I don't know why it varies so much but it does. I plan on working as a medic out there and finish my pre reqs and then apply to an ADN program shortly after. Im sure I will learn more about the job market when I actually move there, so things might change. Who knows.


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## Summit (May 8, 2017)

Agg04 said:


> Believe it or not I live in south Florida, not rural at all, and there is a big job market for RN's with only an ADN down here. Most of the people I know after passing the NCLEX had a job offer only a couple weeks later. Ive looked into nursing but I don't want to stay here in Florida. I want to move to Denver and I have contacted a few nurses/students who are out there and they say it is almost impossible to find a job with just an ADN after school unless you are already enrolled into a BSN program. I don't know why it varies so much but it does. I plan on working as a medic out there and finish my pre reqs and then apply to an ADN program shortly after. Im sure I will learn more about the job market when I actually move there, so things might change. Who knows.


I'll try to help you out since I do know the Denver market. It is one of the most competitive markets in the US since:
1. Denver metro area overproduces nurses
2.  Front range students who can't get in school in CO leave the state for school and return to compete for jobs
3. Tons of people want to move to CO, like you, and move here after school to compete for jobs

Don't come to CO to work as a medic in order to apply to an ADN program to get into a BSN program while trying to get a job. Here is why:

1. In general, the CO ADN programs have less desirable clinical placements which makes you a less competitive applicant. (eg, fewer ICU or ER practicum placements, med/surg may be lower acuity/LTAC/SNF, and your pysch and peds may be outpatient clinics instead of inpatient specialty)
2. CO ADN programs are either competitive or have wait lists lasting years. Do you really want to pay out of state tuition for an associates degree?
3. An ADN new grad in a BSN program is not as competitive of an applicant as a BSN new grad. (However, an experienced ADN in a BSN program is more competitive than any new graduate, except at the VA)
4. Only BSN new grads with <6mo experience AND <1yr post licensure are eligible for most new grad residencies (that is how you typically get hired into a specialty unit like ICU or ER straight out of school instead of starting in a nursing home or med/surg floor). ADNs who earn a BSN are NOT considered BSN new grads.
5. Your nursing school will NOT work around your job (pretty true anywhere). Your job may not be willing to work around your school if you are a new employee.

So if you want to be in Denver, let me propose these plans:

A. Come to Denver once you get accepted to a Denver BSN program (CU and Regis are my recommendations) and pick up per diem medic work.

or

B. Stay in FL and get your ADN, then get one year of experience while simultaneously starting on your BSN, and then start applying to Denver jobs.


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## Agg04 (May 8, 2017)

Summit said:


> I'll try to help you out since I do know the Denver market. It is one of the most competitive markets in the US since:
> 1. Denver metro area overproduces nurses
> 2.  Front range students who can't get in school in CO leave the state for school and return to compete for jobs
> 3. Tons of people want to move to CO, like you, and move here after school to compete for jobs
> ...



This is all great information to know. Thank you for going in depth about it. There are personal reasons on why I have to move shortly after I get out of the medic program. I do appreciate the response. Its hard to get a feel of a place when you do not live there. But once I move from florida I don't plan on coming back and it wouldn't be great for me to wait three + years before I move. If Nursing somehow doesn't work out I was going to look into Fire in CO or some other licensed medical job. But I still don't know yet. Im trying to take it one step at a time and medic is next on my list. Again, thanks for the response, do you mind if I message you if i have anymore questions?


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## Summit (May 8, 2017)

Agg04 said:


> This is all great information to know. Thank you for going in depth about it. There are personal reasons on why I have to move shortly after I get out of the medic program. I do appreciate the response. Its hard to get a feel of a place when you do not live there. But once I move from florida I don't plan on coming back and it wouldn't be great for me to wait three + years before I move. If Nursing somehow doesn't work out I was going to look into Fire in CO or some other licensed medical job. But I still don't know yet. Im trying to take it one step at a time and medic is next on my list. Again, thanks for the response, do you mind if I message you if i have anymore questions?


Feel free to message me nursing questions. 

I don't want to scare you into thinking nursing cant work out for you in CO... its just easier to make the best plan when you know the challenges.

There are several CO EMS types on this forum.
There are some good threads about working EMS in CO if you search for that info.


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## Agg04 (May 8, 2017)

Summit said:


> Feel free to message me nursing questions.
> 
> I don't want to scare you into thinking nursing cant work out for you in CO... its just easier to make the best plan when you know the challenges.
> 
> ...


My profile picture accurately depicts me thinking about my future lol. Especially when I think about moving. Thank you again though and I will definitely be searching for and reading those threads!


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## Akulahawk (May 8, 2017)

Since you _must_ leave Florida soon, I would suggest you look far and wide for BSN programs and not just Colorado. Since you're going to be paying out-of-state tuition anywhere you go, you might as well find a very good BSN program in an area where you're likely to find work soon after graduation. Then when you're clearly NOT a brand-new grad and have <1 year as an RN, look to transfer. You'll still be quite new but you'll have gotten past the worst part of the steep learning curve. Just my 2 bits.


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## Qulevrius (May 9, 2017)

Regarding ADN vs BSN, in CA specifically - if a nursing candidate can choose between a community college-offered ADN and a university-offered BSN, it's better to get on with the ADN programme. The main reason is that during their clinicals, the students will have a solid chance to establish themselves with the facility/department they'll intern with. Once that happens and the rapport is good, it's quite easy to apply with the same facility/department once they pass the NCLEX. Bridging from ADN to BSN is easy as pie (provided they already have the missing prereqs done), there are several hybrid/online options, they can work while earning their degree and, in general, it's less stressful. Not to mention the competition level and the tuition fees. The only significant downside to choosing ADN over BSN is that most of the community college-based ADN programmes in CA, are using a lottery to draw from the candidates' pool. So, unless you're a black or brown male veteran, your chances of being admitted are seriously decreased.


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## Agg04 (May 9, 2017)

Qulevrius said:


> Regarding ADN vs BSN, in CA specifically - if a nursing candidate can choose between a community college-offered ADN and a university-offered BSN, it's better to get on with the ADN programme. The main reason is that during their clinicals, the students will have a solid chance to establish themselves with the facility/department they'll intern with. Once that happens and the rapport is good, it's quite easy to apply with the same facility/department once they pass the NCLEX. Bridging from ADN to BSN is easy as pie (provided they already have the missing prereqs done), there are several hybrid/online options, they can work while earning their degree and, in general, it's less stressful. Not to mention the competition level and the tuition fees. The only significant downside to choosing ADN over BSN is that most of the community college-based ADN programmes in CA, are using a lottery to draw from the candidates' pool. So, unless you're a black or brown male veteran, your chances of being admitted are seriously decreased.


Im a 25 yr old hispanic male who is a USN veteran. I might be going to california now lol


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## Qulevrius (May 9, 2017)

Agg04 said:


> Im a 25 yr old hispanic male who is a USN veteran. I might be going to california now lol



If you _ever_ decide to make that mistake, make sure you get a phleb cert and your EMT reciprocity with Kommiefornia before you move. That way you can try and land an ER tech gig with one of the hospitals, which will a) make you more than a starvation paycheck and b) help you build your professional network for post-NCLEX.


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## Agg04 (May 9, 2017)

Qulevrius said:


> If you _ever_ decide to make that mistake, make sure you get a phleb cert and your EMT reciprocity with Kommiefornia before you move. That way you can try and land an ER tech gig with one of the hospitals, which will a) make you more than a starvation paycheck and b) help you build your professional network for post-NCLEX.


Yeah, ive seen that reciprocity for everything in Cali is a pain in the ***. Ill keep this in the back of my mind for sure, I'm going to be getting my medic before i move anywhere, do i still need that phlebotomy cert for california if i have my EMT-P? Im pretty sure they don't even offer that anywhere near me.


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## MackTheKnife (May 9, 2017)

Agg04 said:


> Believe it or not I live in south Florida, not rural at all, and there is a big job market for RN's with only an ADN down here. Most of the people I know after passing the NCLEX had a job offer only a couple weeks later. Ive looked into nursing but I don't want to stay here in Florida. I want to move to Denver and I have contacted a few nurses/students who are out there and they say it is almost impossible to find a job with just an ADN after school unless you are already enrolled into a BSN program. I don't know why it varies so much but it does. I plan on working as a medic out there and finish my pre reqs and then apply to an ADN program shortly after. Im sure I will learn more about the job market when I actually move there, so things might change. Who knows.


It's called MAGNET.

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## Akulahawk (May 9, 2017)

Agg04 said:


> Yeah, ive seen that reciprocity for everything in Cali is a pain in the ***. Ill keep this in the back of my mind for sure, I'm going to be getting my medic before i move anywhere, do i still need that phlebotomy cert for California if i have my EMT-P? Im pretty sure they don't even offer that anywhere near me.


Yes, you _will_ need to get a Phlebotomy cert at the very least for California because California doesn't recognize Paramedic training as equivalent education for purposes of working as a CPT-1. I'm an RN and while technically my education in phlebotomy isn't equivalent either for being certified as a CPT-1, it's in my scope of practice so I would simply work as an RN and that would be sufficient for working in a lab. Of course I wouldn't be hired for that job because I'm much too expensive. For "my" kind of money, a lab would be far better off hiring a CLS (Clinical Lab Scientist) and a CPT-1 or CPT-2. 


Agg04 said:


> Believe it or not I live in south Florida, not rural at all, and there is a big job market for RN's with only an ADN down here. Most of the people I know after passing the NCLEX had a job offer only a couple weeks later. Ive looked into nursing but I don't want to stay here in Florida. I want to move to Denver and I have contacted a few nurses/students who are out there and they say *it is almost impossible to find a job with just an ADN after school unless you are already enrolled into a BSN program. I don't know why it varies so much but it does.* I plan on working as a medic out there and finish my pre reqs and then apply to an ADN program shortly after. Im sure I will learn more about the job market when I actually move there, so things might change. Who knows.





MackTheKnife said:


> *It's called MAGNET*.
> 
> Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


In order for a hospital to attain MAGNET status, they need to have 85% of RN staff be BSN educated or complete a BSN Program within 5 years. While I do hold a Bachelors Degree, it's not a _nursing_ Bachelors so it wouldn't count for MAGNET purposes. When a facility is going for MAGNET status or needing to maintain that status, I would be counted as a non-BSN RN, even though I can use "BS, ADN, RN, EMTP" in my postnomials...


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## Agg04 (May 9, 2017)

Akulahawk said:


> Yes, you _will_ need to get a Phlebotomy cert at the very least for California because California doesn't recognize Paramedic training as equivalent education for purposes of working as a CPT-1. I'm an RN and while technically my education in phlebotomy isn't equivalent either for being certified as a CPT-1, it's in my scope of practice so I would simply work as an RN and that would be sufficient for working in a lab. Of course I wouldn't be hired for that job because I'm much too expensive. For "my" kind of money, a lab would be far better off hiring a CLS (Clinical Lab Scientist) and a CPT-1 or CPT-2.
> 
> 
> In order for a hospital to attain MAGNET status, they need to have 85% of RN staff be BSN educated or complete a BSN Program within 5 years. While I do hold a Bachelors Degree, it's not a _nursing_ Bachelors so it wouldn't count for MAGNET purposes. When a facility is going for MAGNET status or needing to maintain that status, I would be counted as a non-BSN RN, even though I can use "BS, ADN, RN, EMTP" in my postnomials...



Interesting. Im learning a lot, which is why I joined the site. Im just trying to figure it out now so in the future I'm making enough money to be happy and doing a job I like. Im just seeking comfort, just like everyone else. This is all good information to keep in mind.


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## Akulahawk (May 9, 2017)

Agg04 said:


> Interesting. Im learning a lot, which is why I joined the site. Im just trying to figure it out now so in the future I'm making enough money to be happy and doing a job I like. Im just seeking comfort, just like everyone else. This is all good information to keep in mind.


I actually looked in to ways to get a CPT-1 certificate because I'm also a Paramedic. Short answer is that Paramedic doesn't qualify for lab purposes.


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## MackTheKnife (May 9, 2017)

Makes you wonder why anyone bothers to move to, or live in, Kommiefornia.

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## Qulevrius (May 10, 2017)

MackTheKnife said:


> Makes you wonder why anyone bothers to move to, or live in, Kommiefornia.
> 
> Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk



Because snow, tornadoes and floods plain suck... 


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## PAMOMTWINS (Jun 11, 2017)

Akulahawk said:


> One of the key things above:
> 
> This is regardless of degree earned. Getting your first job is hard if you have a BSN, and even harder if you only have an ADN. I'm fortunate in that I have always been an ED RN. That being said, it took me 8 _months_ and a hospital 2 _hours_ away to land my first job. When I got into nursing school, earning a BSN was not going to happen simply because at the time there were no programs that were open to 2nd Bachelors students that I could realistically attend. There was one accelerated Bachelors program but I would have been homeless by the end of the 1st Semester because their program wouldn't work well with my work schedule and my work schedule wasn't going to change on a weekly basis to allow me to attend that program.
> 
> I now have a job that's about 10 minutes from home and that took a little doing. That being said, I landed that job within 3 weeks of leaving my previous job and started about 3 weeks after that. All of my classmates landed jobs within a year, most within 4 months of graduation. Most of them work in Med/Surg, 4 of us work in the ED, and about the same number work in an ICU. The "shortage" you hear of in nursing isn't for new grads, it's for _experienced_ nurses (2+ years) and if you have 5+ years, you're pretty much golden. However you still have to find your first job and that's where things get really difficult. It's going to take a while because there are still a number of ancient nurses that are still rebuilding their retirement portfolios after the 2008 crash and some that are still working that have excellent retirement that are afraid of the possibility of a crash sometime in the future. That means there's less turnover than there used to be just 10 years ago. Eventually the pendulum will swing back but who knows how long that will take. The lucky ones will be the ones that graduate early in the hiring binge but eventually enough regular people will see the binge happening... and the pendulum will swing again. I've seen several of these cycles over the years.


I have BSN and suspended RN license due to DUI. Broke my back twice, got addicted to drugs. Clean for 7 years now, no alcohol either for 4 years. Have no desire to use drugs anymore - was prescribed percoset for kidney stone and could not tolerate it - threw up twice. The strongest pill I can take is Tylenol 3. Ibuprofen was much more effective, but I had stop it couple days before surgery. Flushed unused pills, tore up a script for Percocet.
The bottom line is that I still do not want to be dispensing drugs to the patients. Also, I had 2 back injuries and do not want to work on the floor unless it is ED or Maternity. 
I looked into options and realized that to be a camp nurse or work at Urgent Care Center I need to have an experience working in ED or EMT certification. 
My license is still suspended, I am waiting for hearing. Wanted to start EMT classes, but nkt sure I am eligible.


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## Akulahawk (Jun 11, 2017)

PAMOMTWINS said:


> I have BSN and suspended RN license due to DUI. Broke my back twice, got addicted to drugs. Clean for 7 years now, no alcohol either for 4 years. Have no desire to use drugs anymore - was prescribed percoset for kidney stone and could not tolerate it - threw up twice. The strongest pill I can take is Tylenol 3. Ibuprofen was much more effective, but I had stop it couple days before surgery. Flushed unused pills, tore up a script for Percocet.
> *The bottom line is that I still do not want to be dispensing drugs to the patients.* Also, I had 2 back injuries and do not want to work on the floor unless it is ED or Maternity.
> *I looked into options and realized that to be a camp nurse or work at Urgent Care Center I need to have an experience working in ED or EMT certification. *
> My license is still suspended, I am waiting for hearing. Wanted to start EMT classes, but nkt sure I am eligible.


Good to read more of your story on this. I suspect that while your RN license is suspended, any EMT certifying entity would likely be reluctant to certify you for EMT until your RN license suspension is lifted. Only they will be able to tell you if they can or not. Being an RN and working in the ED is going to generally require that you be able to dispense prescribed drugs to patients, hopefully from a Pyxis or Omnicel or similar device. As a camp nurse, you'll also have to dispense medications to your campers... so that's another issue, though hopefully the campers won't be bringing narcotics along. 

I work in an ED and I do a fair amount of physical lifting and moving of patients and you'll encounter some of that if you work Maternity, especially if the "moms" are on spinal blocks. As an EMT, you'll do even more physical moving of patients... so get strong, be careful about your body mechanics, and check out all your options before you jump back into healthcare.


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## PAMOMTWINS (Jun 11, 2017)

Akulahawk said:


> Good to read more of your story on this. I suspect that while your RN license is suspended, any EMT certifying entity would likely be reluctant to certify you for EMT until your RN license suspension is lifted. Only they will be able to tell you if they can or not. Being an RN and working in the ED is going to generally require that you be able to dispense prescribed drugs to patients, hopefully from a Pyxis or Omnicel or similar device. As a camp nurse, you'll also have to dispense medications to your campers... so that's another issue, though hopefully the campers won't be bringing narcotics along.
> 
> I work in an ED and I do a fair amount of physical lifting and moving of patients and you'll encounter some of that if you work Maternity, especially if the "moms" are on spinal blocks. As an EMT, you'll do even more physical moving of patients... so get strong, be careful about your body mechanics, and check out all your options before you jump back into healthcare.


Well...I always wanted to work either in ED or an Urgent Care. I am pretty familiar with the lifting required, but ED usually has couple strong men to help with lifting. As far as I remember, it is fast-paced, there is very little chance of having a patient on dilaudid at regular intervals. First 6 months after reinstatement I won't be allowed to dispense any narcs. My ultimate goal is to become a NP and work in an Urgent Care. I am not planning to work as a Paramedic, but I need that experience to be safe as a camp nurse or an adventure nurse. I love to travel, and these adventure groups often need a nurse. But they won't accept anyone without at least EMT certification.
In my college days I had traveled as a cook. It is too hard to do now and they have all kind of regulations - it is complicated. Besides, nurse has more freedom at camp.
I wanted to start EMT course thus summer or in the Fall. G-d knows when they will finally schedule a hearing. Meanwhile, I have to keep calling for my random drug tests (they are not cheap at all!) and attend NA/AA meetings.
So, the question is not if I can get certified NOW, but would they let me to begin studying? I am a fast learner, had graduated with BSN cum laude despite having toddler twins at home. Passed my NCLEX with flying colors in 40 min. 
I must say that you are absolutely right about being in school and work as an EMT at the same time. When I started to work as an RN, I tried to take classes toward my NP degree. Felt absolutely stupid.
Thanks for answering.
And no, I did not divert any drugs from patients.


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## VFlutter (Jun 11, 2017)

Depending on your state and job market you may be at a big disadvantage being a NP and potentially not being able to obtain a DEA number.


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## PAMOMTWINS (Jun 11, 2017)

What is DEA number?


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## NomadicMedic (Jun 11, 2017)

PAMOMTWINS said:


> What is DEA number?



The license that allows practitioners to purchase and script controlled substances.


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## MackTheKnife (Jun 11, 2017)

A number assigned to you when you sign scripts for Schedule drugs, i.e, narcotics.


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## Akulahawk (Jun 13, 2017)

PAMOMTWINS said:


> I always wanted to work either in ED or an Urgent Care. I am pretty familiar with the lifting required, but ED usually has couple strong men to help with lifting. As far as I remember, it is fast-paced, there is very little chance of having a patient on dilaudid at regular intervals. *First 6 months after reinstatement I won't be allowed to dispense any narcs.*


This is going to potentially cause issues with working in the ED. If you're hired into the ED, they'll have to know that you cannot dispense any narcs for 6 months and hopefully they'll accommodate this stipulation. Because of the fast pace, you'll have to very much depend upon your coworkers for retrieving, administering, and wasting narcotics for your patients and they may not have much time to do so. You will have to be very careful to NOT allow your name to be anywhere near the administration record of any patient receiving narcotics when those are administered. Don't even _touch_ that stuff because you do _not_ want any kind of accusation that you _ever_ handled narcotics in any way, shape, or form while you're on your 6 month stip. 

My simple advice is this: find a job that you can do that doesn't require you to administer any narcotics and that you can do for 6 months or so after reinstatement. That'll get you through the 6 months without problems. Then go looking for the job you really want because you'll have a clear-ish license without stips. 


PAMOMTWINS said:


> So, the question is not if I can get certified NOW, but would they let me to begin studying?


The EMT coursework only takes between 3 weeks and 3 months. Whether or not the _school_ will allow you to begin study for EMT is up to the school and they may want/require a background check to be done before you start. After that, the certification body will require a background check to be done and based on what is found on your professional RN license and any other criminal matters that may be pending (I have no idea so I'm putting this out there), they may or may not certify you until your RN license is reinstated/clear. That is also up to the certifying body. Because EMT is such a low-level provider of care, they may be OK with you becoming EMT certified, but that stuff is out of your hands. I would put in some serious time contacting the various entities to see if what you want is even possible right now. I'm sure EMT certification will be allowable in time, but who knows what's possible right now. 

As to your other plans to become an NP, your history _will_ be seen by the DEA and they may or may not provide you with a DEA number that will allow you to prescribe narcotics... ever. So that could hamper your future plans and that stuff is also up to the DEA.


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## DrParasite (Jun 13, 2017)

PAMOMTWINS said:


> I have BSN and suspended RN license due to DUI. Broke my back twice, got addicted to drugs. Clean for 7 years now, no alcohol either for 4 years.


Please explain this to me: if you have been clean for 4 years, how is your license still suspended due to a DUI?  I didn't even know DUIs were grounds for RN license suspension (because most don't drive as part of their job).  

If you have been drug free for 7 years, how is your license suspended?  In NC, licensees are valid for 2 years, so assuming your in another state where it's double that, and your license was suspended because you were using, doesn't that mean you had to renew your license while it was suspended?

Being addicted to drugs or alcohol sucks, and great work on being clean for several years.  expect a huge uphill battle to get hired, especially because you were criminally convicted of a crime as a result of your former addiction.


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## NysEms2117 (Jun 13, 2017)

Idk if this will help anybody or if this will be a useless post. I had a parolee about a year ago that was convicted of: criminal poss controlled substance 3rd degree (C felony). Criminally possessing a hypodermic instrument. (A misdeam). which are two straight forward charges. I usually don't say this about my parolees but he was genuinely a good guy, and he always wanted to be a paramedic, but couldn't afford any schooling. I got him state funded money to go to school secured, but I could not get anybody to approve him to go to paramedic school. No matter who i called, how many times i vouched for him nobody and i mean nobody would go near his case with a 10 foot pole. Not to be cynical, idk what exactly your charges were, but i do know that the DEA is not very big on taking risks/chances. I would expect an uphill battle, a very very large uphill battle. You will need to find somebody that works in law enforcement, specifically federal law enforcement to give you a character reference or something along those lines In my honest opinion.


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## VFlutter (Jun 13, 2017)

DrParasite said:


> I didn't even know DUIs were grounds for RN license suspension (because most don't drive as part of their job).



DUIs absolutely can result in license suspension and is probably one of the most common reasons aside from drug issues. Pretty much any criminal conviction that shows lack of ethics or judgment can be seen as "unprofessional conduct" and result in issues getting or renewing your license. Nursing is probably one of the most stringent professional licensures.


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