Excelsior Grads How do you explain clinicals?

Nursing Students Excelsior

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I am currently in the Excelsior program with 3 classes to go before I begin the Focused Clinical Competencies Assessment portion. I am a Paramedic with 8 years experience in the field. I recently got a job in the Emergency Department as a tech. My supervisor knows I am in Nursing School and was inquiring about when I will finish and where I will be doing my clinicals. I felt so foolish saying, "Well, um, I do my clinicals on line and over the course of a weekend and BAM! I am an R.N! How do I intelligently explain that this will prepare me to work as a competent nurse without sounding like I am getting my degree from a diploma mill? I frequently get strange looks from people (especially old school nurses) when I try to explain this and I don't blame them! Any advice on what to say? And, AM I going to be prepared to work with patients with such little time?

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

You do your clinicals online? How exactly does that work?

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Specializes in psychiatric.

I had no idea this kind of RN school existed.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Hello, there! We have moved your post to the Excelsior College Online Degree forum to elicit responses from current and former Excelsior students. Good luck to you!

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

I explain the requirement for students to have existing licensure/certification and healthcare experience, and I explain that the school is a competency-based model. Then I explain the basic structure of the clinical exam, and how EC uses it to ensure students can function safely upon graduation. I also explain that EC has both regional and national accreditation and is also an ACEN Center of Excellence.

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Thank you for your reply. I will definitely use your explanation. I see you were a paramedic now working in ED/Trauma. I hope to do the same. Did you feel prepared? How do you like it compared to working as a paramedic?

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When I was interviewing I explained that my 16 years real world experience as a Paramedic was what Excelsior looked at for my clinical experience. The CPNE at the end was a final "Clinical exam" to verify my competency with nursing skills.

One interviewer asked me if I felt that was enough.

I asked her how many patients she took care of by herself with no supervision during her clinicals. She said none. I asked how many times during her clinicals she was allowed to decide what or how much medicine someone should get for a new onset issue. She said none. I then asked how many patients total she cared for during her clinicals, she did not know and exact number, but well over 100. I then asked how confident she felt as a nurse due to her clinical experience the first day of her first nursing job, and she said she felt like she knew nothing.

I then told her I have taken care of and assessed thousands of patients by myself and had made many decisions for these patients. I could walk up to any patient and assess and talk to them with no problem. I have no issue talking to doctors or working with other members of the healthcare team. I told her that as a new nurse, I had a lot to learn, but not having gone through traditional clinical rotations would not be an issue at all.

Did me being a paramedic teach me to be a nurse, no way.

Excelsiors classes taught me a lot about nursing and how it is different that EMS.

Being a paramedic did teach me how to do a quick assessment, get a quick feel for patients and their condition, learn how to think on my feet and make decisions. It also gave me many skills that most new nurses do not have (easily talking to patients, IV and EKG experience).

Almost every new grad I have talked to said that clinicals did not prepare them for the "real world" of nursing. You will learn more about being a nurse in your first few months of nursing than all of nursing school (Excelsior or traditional school).

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I have 5 years experience as a LVN and my clinical rotation here in CA as a student exceeded the clinical rotation of a RN. I plan on getting my license through Arizona because they do have a 120 clinical rotation that I can do before I take the NCLEX. I plan on working for a federal hospital/clinic here in CA. I'm mentally prepared that I wont be able to get my CA license but I live in an area where there are a lot of federal hospitals/clinics so I do have options. I will attempt to get licensed in CA but am mentally prepared it will be denied. Once I get my ADN I plan on getting my BSN-MSN through Excelsior. So as for clinical rotations, that's how I'm going to explain my story. Good Luck to you!

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To Nalon1 -Thank you - You made my day. Well said. Coming from a sister paramedic -you rock.

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To Nalon1 -Thank you - You made my day. Well said. Coming from a sister paramedic -you rock.

Umm, I am a he, not a she ;)

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Specializes in hospice.

Nalon 1, I was going to post something on this topic but there is nothing I can add. You said it all. That is the most convincing explanation I can imagine.

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LOL. Awkward. Well I am a she so I can still be your sister I suppose and you still rock ;)

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