Paramedic to RN bridge?

I have a coworker who went through the excelsior program and did just fine. they grabbed an ER job right away in an er.
 
Im going to (hopefully) start my BSN program in January..

Exelsior isnt accepted in CA, but if you have experience they might transfer your licence to CA but the BON is very strict about this and will give u hell (so ive heard)

and if you want to get your MSN usually programs require 1 year nursing experience to get in (and minimum 3.0 GPA).. Even DNP programs require this as well

i dont know how it is in NY.. but from what ive heard in it is extremely challenging for New grads to get jobs throughout the country.. people with BSN's have the leg up and is starting to become the standard..

there are though plenty of ADN to BSN programs online from plenty of schools (i have a few friends that are doing this right now)

to the OP do you have your Nursing Pre-reqs done already?

since you have medic experience this is a huge plus in getting a nursing job.
 
also nursing school can be very intensive at points.. I dont know the format of exelsior, but usually you cant take breaks in between nursing school
 
MusicMedic said:
also nursing school can be very intensive at points.. I dont know the format of exelsior, but usually you cant take breaks in between nursing school
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You can take as long as you want up to 7 years to complete your degree with excelsior.
 
So i am all enrolled now and going to start with A&P and biology.

They accepted 21 credits from my transcript so I only have to take the sciences and nursing classes and I have my ADN. I can probably pass the AnP test right now but I don't wanna risk it.
 
NYMedic828 said:
So i am all enrolled now and going to start with A&P and biology.

They accepted 21 credits from my transcript so I only have to take the sciences and nursing classes and I have my ADN. I can probably pass the AnP test right now but I don't wanna risk it.
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Good luck! I look forward to hearing about your progress.
 
NYMedic828 said:
I have 60 credits in fire science at the local community college. Essentially worthless so I have to start from the bottom.

I was curious if I could do whatever paramedic to RN, and then attend a real school for ADN to BSN. My medic is strictly vocational but is from an accredited agency for up to 39 college credits (I would have to go to a school and pay for the accreditation). I figured applying for jobs as an online nurse is not desirable but I have no desire to work as at an ADN level. I just wan't to figure out the fastest route for me to BSN.

With the hopes of being in a 5 month fire academy in January, I was unable to start any classes at a physical school and won't be able to for another year or more. I don't want to let that year slide by when I could be getting a move on things.


So far the only thing I have found is this

http://www.excelsior.edu/nursing-programs-designed-for-professionals

Which I think is saying you get credit towards clinical hours for having completed paramedic. I have no problem completing every class necessary to get a BSN but if I can save time and money it is obviously better for me...
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There are "real schools" that offer paramedic to RN programs. Many colleges offer a significant portion of the core curriculum in an online format. I'm currently enrolled in a paramedic to RN bridge program that requires only one day a week of class and clinical. It lasts 3.5 semesters and is through a "real school." My particular school also offers nearly every core class online or in a hybrid format, meaning you have to go to campus several times per semester but the majority of the work is done online. Also, attending a college or university (even as an online student) makes you eligible for financial aid, student loans, grants, etc.

I understand that you're not ready or able to commit to going to class, but please explore all of your options before you commit to an expensive online self-study program like Excelsior. I live in GA and Excelsior grads are no longer allowed to be licensed in my state. I know several people who did that program and were either grandfathered in and allowed to get their GA license or jumped through a bunch of hoops to complete the program and get licensed. My mother is also a medic and started on the Excelsior program when I was in high school. She never finished, primarily because of the cost and the lack of teaching. Some people just aren't the type that can learn on their own.

Anyway, it's late and I'm nearly brain dead from listening to psych nursing lectures all evening. Good luck to you, whatever you decide.
 
All of those on this road may want to go check out the discussion on finding a job post-grad on flight web.
 
paccookie said:
There are "real schools" that offer paramedic to RN programs. Many colleges offer a significant portion of the core curriculum in an online format. I'm currently enrolled in a paramedic to RN bridge program that requires only one day a week of class and clinical. It lasts 3.5 semesters and is through a "real school." My particular school also offers nearly every core class online or in a hybrid format, meaning you have to go to campus several times per semester but the majority of the work is done online. Also, attending a college or university (even as an online student) makes you eligible for financial aid, student loans, grants, etc.

I understand that you're not ready or able to commit to going to class, but please explore all of your options before you commit to an expensive online self-study program like Excelsior. I live in GA and Excelsior grads are no longer allowed to be licensed in my state. I know several people who did that program and were either grandfathered in and allowed to get their GA license or jumped through a bunch of hoops to complete the program and get licensed. My mother is also a medic and started on the Excelsior program when I was in high school. She never finished, primarily because of the cost and the lack of teaching. Some people just aren't the type that can learn on their own.

Anyway, it's late and I'm nearly brain dead from listening to psych nursing lectures all evening. Good luck to you, whatever you decide.
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I am curious as to the program you attend, if you wouldnt mind PM'ing me I would appreciate it, I have some questions about which school, cost, quality of clinicals, and some other things. If you want to talk about your personal experience and your school in this thread than just reply here but if you would rather PM just shoot me one if you will.

Thanks :)
 
usalsfyre said:
All of those on this road may want to go check out the discussion on finding a job post-grad on flight web.
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It sounds like many people over on flightweb were expecting to be handed jobs when they graduate based off their EMS experience alone. I would feel the same way if I spent 10+ years in EMS and flight taking care of very critical patients but that is not the way hospitals look at things. Regardless of your experience you will still have to be trained and oriented just as much as the 21 year old new grad. You may catch on to things faster but you still will have a huge learning curve.

It's great that you can intubate, cardiovert, etc working with one patient and a licensed partner to help you but what happens when you get pulled to a general med/surg floor when you are directly responsible for the entire care of 6-8 patients with only the help of an unlicensed tech.
 
ChaseZ33 said:
It sounds like many people over on flightweb were expecting to be handed jobs when they graduate based off their EMS experience alone. I would feel the same way if I spent 10+ years in EMS and flight taking care of very critical patients but that is not the way hospitals look at things. Regardless of your experience you will still have to be trained and oriented just as much as the 21 year old new grad. You may catch on to things faster but you still will have a huge learning curve.

It's great that you can intubate, cardiovert, etc working with one patient and a licensed partner to help you but what happens when you get pulled to a general med/surg floor when you are directly responsible for the entire care of 6-8 patients with only the help of an unlicensed tech.
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Hmmm, perhaps nursing should keep this in mind when they seek to bridge.....
 
usalsfyre said:
Hmmm, perhaps nursing should keep this in mind when they seek to bridge.....
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I also read and sometimes post at allnurses and it seems like every thread about RN to medic turns into a bashing session. I honestly don't understand why either side thinks they can just jump over and do the job of the other without a serious learning curve. Most of those who express the desire to become a medic after being an RN think that they can simply challenge registry and be as good a medic as someone who's been doing this for years. Yet when a medic becomes an RN they are no better than the next new grad in that same nurse's eyes. I'm not trying to start something here, just expressing my own frustration at this double standard. Either transition requires schooling and training.
 
usalsfyre said:
Hmmm, perhaps nursing should keep this in mind when they seek to bridge.....
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:rolleyes: We will just have to agreed to disagree on the matter. We both have our own personal and professional interests at heart and will always be on opposite sides of the fence.
 
ChaseZ33 said:
:rolleyes: We will just have to agreed to disagree on the matter. We both have our own personal and professional interests at heart and will always be on opposite sides of the fence.
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Chase, from a professional standpoint even, when nursing tries to stop micurating in every other area's sandbox they will be better off (and probably be much more effective). I know you're just finishing up school and excited to be an RN, but it will be a few years before you get a good view of the issues within a profession.

For instance, at one point I thought paramedic education was perfectly adequate....
 
As someone who has been a medic for quite some time, have work in an ER as a part-time gig, and a student in a brick and mortar bridge program,I am still wondering why I need all of this additional education. As an er RN, I will not be diagnosing pt's and basing my treatment plan on that dx. As a nurse, just like a medic, I am taught skills and meds, and treat based on standing orders initially followed up by any doc's orders.
 
epipusher said:
As someone who has been a medic for quite some time, have work in an ER as a part-time gig, and a student in a brick and mortar bridge program,I am still wondering why I need all of this additional education. As an er RN, I will not be diagnosing pt's and basing my treatment plan on that dx. As a nurse, just like a medic, I am taught skills and meds, and treat based on standing orders initially followed up by any doc's orders.
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Honestly any one that can learn a skill and can read could do a RN or Paramedic job. The difference is that by forcing greater amount of education they have created a perceived shortage ( which has began to actually disappear ) which drives up wages, but could easily disappear by just requiring what is needed for the job. EMS has chosen to this point just learn the skills and not much else thus we have more certified people than there are openings thus low pay.

During a time when I did hospital based EMS where we handled the ER in between calls I tutored many LVN's that were about to go for RN NCLEX and had no clue what much of what the professors had told them. Put things in simple cartoon like explanations like many Paramedic texts are written and they grasped the point and passed first time.
 
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