California Paramedic to RN

Medic85907 · Aug 22, 2014

If you mean Excelsior then the answer is zero unless you get licensed in another state and go to work at a V.A. hospital in California.

If you're in CA I would recommend a traditional brick and mortar R.N. program.

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Aug 22, 2014

CABRN will not permit you to be licensed as an RN after graduating from Excelsior unless you completed your degree before 2006. There is no negotiation.

Nalon1 RN/EMT-P, BSN, RN · Aug 22, 2014

As said, only way to become an RN in California now is through a traditional brick and mortar school with concurrent clinical studies.

I have no plans to ever go to California, much less work there so it was not an issue for me.

If that is where you want to work, then no Excelsior for your ASN, except as said, you can get your license in another state and be allowed to work in federal facilities in California ie the VA (I have read possibly Federal Prisions?).

Editorial Team / Moderator · Aug 23, 2014

CABRN will not permit you to be licensed as an RN after graduating from Excelsior unless you completed your degree before 2006. There is no negotiation.

Actually, a student had to maintain continuous enrollment from a date in December 2003 to qualify for licensure in California. I graduated in 2008 with a couple of people who hold RN licenses in California because they maintained continuous enrollment since the required date.

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Aug 23, 2014

If you're a new student to Excelsior, your chances are zero and effectively you'd have to go through RN school all over again at a traditional program to earn an RN license for California, even if you're licensed in another State as an RN. This is because California will look at your education you took for initial licensure and they have identical requirements for nurses endorsing into California vs getting initially licensed in California. This is not to say that Excelsior is a bad school or that you'd be a bad RN after you graduate. It's just that California has some very specific regulations about what is an acceptable program. For all they care, the content could be delivered online... but there must be concurrent clinical experiences in certain specific content areas. Excelsior doesn't structure their program that way. Incidentally this identical problem has been an issue for Foreign (to the US) educated grads, principally from the Philippines.

My advice is that you need to find a traditional program or find one that offers a Paramedic to RN program that actually meets California's requirements. The former is going to be easier.

Just so you know, I'm a Paramedic and I'm a new grad RN. I did a traditional program I found it to be very good. Much of what you know won't apply, but you've had many patients before and you've done assessments before, so that's something that will definitely help you focus on applying the material to the clinical situation. Any advantage you'll have will be gone by about 3rd semester anyway, so use the time in the first semesters to really get to know the material.

Excelsior just isn't your answer to what you seek: California RN license.

Cmmc911 · Aug 24, 2014

Thanks for the input, all comments were very, very helpful

Cmmc911 · Aug 24, 2014

Thanks this was helpful

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Aug 24, 2014

I, for one, am glad to help even though it's not exactly favorable to what you'd like. I'm actually all for having Paramedics bridge to RN in the same ways that an LVN can bridge to RN. The transition course would be (of course) different from an LVN transition course, but the end goal would be the same: have a student that's ready to enter an RN program as an advanced placement student.

Had this been an option a few years ago, I'd have taken advantage of it because I'd have been able to get my RN much quicker. Because of California's requirements, I just decided that it would be a whole lot easier on me if I went the traditional route. I honestly enjoyed every minute of it.

I wish you the best and I hope that you're able to find a way to reach your goals quickly.

I've heard of ONE Paramedic to RN bridge program, but the only thing that your Paramedic does is get you into 2nd Semester...