I am a proud New York City EMS Paramedic preparing to enter the Excelsior nursing program.
As a professional in an urban EMS system, I've worked side by side with registered nurses under austere conditions for many years. I consider nurses to be my peers, and I have enjoyed a good rapport and a sense of mutual respect in the context of our professional relationship. The vast majority of nurses I have worked with recognize that health professionals -- paramedics and others -- can and do maintain valuable clinical experience and skills.
However, there is always a small minority of divisive individuals in healthcare and academia who are blind elitists. These are the ones who summarily conclude that if you were not a codified student of a particular discipline, you know nothing. Frankly, I think there needs to be a more nuanced and respectful analysis on the part of those few who think that the clinical experience of other health care providers outside of their own scope of practice amounts to nothing.
Excelsior College attempts to address this problem by recognizing that paramedics like myself, as well as LPNs, PAs, MDs and others, tend to acquire clinical skills that are reasonably compatible with nursing. Excelsior provides a bridge for those providers to fill in any gaps and cross over into nursing in the same way that nurses have demanded a bridge to cross into the paramedic's domain (as PHRN) without having to go through the extensive paramedic training programs and EMS internship.
The two states that summarily reject Excelsior grads do so because they believe the program provides insufficient clinical training compared to traditional programs. This ignores the fact that all students are required to be licensed healthcare providers with clinical experience from the outset. The typical paramedic working in the field has patient care experience that, frankly, meets or exceeds that of most nursing students, and it is probably fair to say the same is true of many other experienced clinicians.
I would argue that the minority powers-that-be who do not see this logic have probably failed miserably in their responsibility to be discerning in their judgment. The fact that there are Excelsior nurses practicing in all fifty states in supervisory positions is proof that the paradigm works. The bureaucrats from the two states who have placed restrictions on latter-day graduates and marked them with an unfair stigma will hopefully retire soon and make way for leaders who can think outside of the box.
Paramedics, LPNs, PAs, and MDs who wish to bridge into nursing require respect. Excelsior grads are experienced clinicians that have consistently excelled in national-level clinical and didactic nursing examinations, and they deserve to be universally and unequivocally recognized as registered nurses!
Ugh, I hate to say it, but I'm SO nervous about the CPNE. How long do you guys think one should put aside, per day, to study for it? Is this something you can learn in a month..or longer?
Study for the CPNE when you get to that point .... have you even taken a nursing exam yet? You have a fair bit of work ahead of you before you need to worry about the CPNE.
No worries. I think everyone goes through that at first, because the CPNE is the great unknown. But by the time you get there, you'll have it all down pat. :)
Dear StrawberryBanana it's one exam at a time to worry about. And when you get to the CPNE that will be your total focus. Good Luck with your studies
Thank You. That's the right way to think of it. I am trying to attack it from all angles, like a monster in my upcoming future....I'm working myself up for it because I do not know what to expect.
why is that? (just wondering, since i'm almost finished with ASN...and will be wanting to go for BSN or MSN soon. )
Having been through the CPNE I don't wish to have to complete a couple more such anxiety provoking exams. I know one is a video tape of doing a complete head to toe exam and another is a video of teaching or doing an inservice.
When I went through EC (then Regents) everything was exams, studying on your own schedule and then the CPNE. Now it seems they have mandatory online classes. I've been doing alot of research and it seems the best programs out there (taking cost into consideration) are Chamberlain College of Nursing and Western Governor's University. I want to then go into a graduate program for NP. I am contacting several graduate school to enquire as to whether or not they will accept an online BSN into their brick and mortar schoool.
Keep us updated Twilight. Thanks for the info, as I was considering EC for my BSN.
I wonder if EC (ADN) can transfer to a brick/mortar state college or something of the likes...? Everyone seems to be going for Chamberlain. I'm looking into NJ & NY colleges to complete my BSN, as I may be moving back up there with family soon.
StrawberryBanana
99 Posts
Ugh, I hate to say it, but I'm SO nervous about the CPNE. How long do you guys think one should put aside, per day, to study for it? Is this something you can learn in a month..or longer?