I will try to make this short and to the point. I am a graduate from Texas A&M with a B.S. in Biology in 2003. I am currently working as a med tech and injectionist. This is my plan
1) I begin an EMT basic night course in September which ends in December
2) As soon as I receive my EMT certification I enter a paramedic night course
3) I receive my paramedic certification and apply to nursing school
4) Hopefully enter an accelerated nursing program (possibly Austin Community College in Austin)
5) Take the NCLEX and begin working as an R.N.
6) Enter an R.N. to B.S.N. bridge program (Texas Tech has a program for graduates from Austin Community College)
7) Continue working as an R.N. and transition to the I.C.U.
8) Enter a C.R.N.A. program
Here are a few questions that hopefully someone out there can answer for me
Is this the best route to take? My GPA was a 2.90 which is not very competitive.
How long must I work as an R.N. before entering a C.R.N.A. program?
Is this a logical plan?
Any advice based on the timeline I presented?
Thank you very much and the best of luck to all of you.
Specializes in Case Mgmt, Anesthesia, ICU, ER, Dialysis.
I am so glad to see y'all say the same thing I've been itching to say, but sometimes get in trouble for saying. Love the "shake-and-bake" reference.
Some of my anesthesia classmates worry me that they only have a year of ICU, and that's their ONLY experience as a nurse.
They're perfectly lovely people, and they absolutely mean well...but they scare me. And they don't realize yet what they DON'T know. They're all extremely bright, but there is NO substitute for the experience - both life and clinical.
Hell, I have 15 years of critical care, and I'm sucking wind HARD with the sheer VOLUME of what it is we're expected to know...and sucking wind even HARDER at the responsibility and different permutations of clinical situations I know are out there. I won't be the one to freeze up in clinicals, but that doesn't mean I won't be scared witless.
In other words, don't be in too much of a hurry to get there. Make sure your clinical experience is solid - you will be a much better practitioner for it.
I am so glad to see y'all say the same thing I've been itching to say, but sometimes get in trouble for saying. Love the "shake-and-bake" reference.
Some of my anesthesia classmates worry me that they only have a year of ICU, and that's their ONLY experience as a nurse.
They're perfectly lovely people, and they absolutely mean well...but they scare me. And they don't realize yet what they DON'T know. They're all extremely bright, but there is NO substitute for the experience - both life and clinical.
Hell, I have 15 years of critical care, and I'm sucking wind HARD with the sheer VOLUME of what it is we're expected to know...and sucking wind even HARDER at the responsibility and different permutations of clinical situations I know are out there. I won't be the one to freeze up in clinicals, but that doesn't mean I won't be scared witless.
In other words, don't be in too much of a hurry to get there. Make sure your clinical experience is solid - you will be a much better practitioner for it.
NurseKitten - I won't tell you how many times I've gotten in trouble for this sort of thing! LOL
I agree about your clinical experience. It makes all the difference in the world. My EMT clinicals were a joke, but paramedic clinicals more than made up for it. Working a year between the two programs really helped too. As CrufflerJJ said, your plan is do able, but not advisable. Medic school is tough. I haven't been to nursing school yet, but so far medic school was the toughest year of school I've ever been through. I have many friends who have been through both and they say that paramedic was definitely harder. Maybe because that came first though. My program was one year long, but we went to school 3 days a week, all day long. Sometimes 4 days a week. Plus hospital clinicals and EMS clinicals. We spent 2 weeks in the OR each (one-on-one), which seems to be rare in medic programs. I can't imagine trying to learn everything in five months, especially in a night program. My school used to do a night program, but it was nearly double the normal length and it was 3 or 4 nights a week, from 5 pm to 11 pm. They didn't cut out any of the classroom or clinicals hours and those people became good medics just like the people in the regular class. But night school wasn't a short cut for them.
Anyway, in the end you will do what you want. All we can do is offer advice and hope for the best. And we really do hope for the best, for you and for your patients. You have no idea how it feels to be on scene with a patient for the first time and to be expected to function properly when your mind is spinning in fifty different directions. It's not something you pick up over night. I'll never forget my first code when I was an EMT. I've never felt so helpless in my life. But it taught me that I didn't know everything and that EMS required constant learning. Since then, I haven't stopped studying and trying to learn something new, often to great amusement of my co-workers. (yes, I'm a nerd and proud of it! lol)
How many credits did you graduate with? Have you taken all of the BSN prerequisites? Assuming you have the standard 120, then 30 credits of 4.0 will shoot you up to a 3.1 - not great, but better. Many programs require a 3.0 to consider you. Look into what courses they look at as well - some schools look only at your prerequisite courses, others at all of your undergrad courses, and still others look at you 60 or so most recent credits. If you have poor prereq grades, you may be able to retake some of those classes and replace the grades. I'm not an EMT or EMT-P, but I don't really know that it's a good idea to go into any profession just as a stepping stone to another one - not when people's lives are at stake.
Do you have any LPN programs near you? I know several people with poor first attempts at college (much worse than a 2.9) who went the LPN to RN route, since bridge programs abound in my part of the country. You would be studying to become a nurse, not a completely separate type of health care provider. You could then bridge to RN and later BSN while working as a nurse, gaining valuable skills, and would probably have an easier time getting straight into ICU as a new RN with LPN experience.
How closely have you investigated the 2nd degree programs near you? I went to one, and the GPA for admission was actually LOWER than for the regular BSN students. It's tougher to maintain a 3.8+ while completing an entire degree. People got into my class with GPAs in the low 3s. Ask what all factors into their admission decision as well - if you haven't already, attend an information session and ask if you can meet with an advisor.
CRNA programs vary to an extent on what they require. Most require a BSN, some will accept an RN with a BS, and a few may take a BA. One that I know of has a direct entry program for ADN nurses. You must have 1 year of critical care experience, and while some programs accept PICU/NICU/ER, your best bet is to work in an adult ICU - this gives you the most options. It must be as an RN - time spent as an LPN, tech, RT, paramedic, or anything else doesn't count. Many programs require 2 years, others recommend it to be competitive. You need to take the GRE and do well (usual minimum:1000). You'll need BLS, ACLS, and PALS, and most schools recommend or require the CCRN.
I'm hoping to start a CRNA program in 2011, with 3 years of experience in a high acuity ICU at a level I trauma center under my belt. I'm hoping that's enough, and that I get in on my first attempt. Your proposed route sounds unnecessarily circuitous to me, but it may be the best choice for you - as long as you spend the amount of time that YOU need at each level to become a safe practitioner. That amount of time will vary from person to person. Since you're soliciting opinions though, that was mine. Anyways, good luck however you choose to go!
Five months to be a paramedic? That is scary. Please don't do that ... it sounds like one of those medic mills. My paramedic program came with a two-year degree and a good science foundation ... that served me well in nursing school, too.
I agree wholeheartedly with all of the above posters! And the length of time you quote for your paramedic program is downright scary. The Daniel Freeman paramedic program at UCLA in SoCal is 7-8 months long and that is the most intense program I know of. A friend of mine went there and lived, ate, and breathed school. He learned a lot but admits that it went by very quickly. I was also an EMT prior to nursing school and the only way it helped me was in that I received a few extra points on my application which enabled me to score high enough for acceptance.
I would be very wary of any CRNA that advanced through their education (prior to CRNA school) as quickly as you have mentioned. As someone with several years of ICU experience in a Level II Trauma center, I think spending as much time as possible in a fast-paced high acuity ICU is extremely important. It really hones your assessment skills and teaches you to think quickly, but rationally (i.e. safely). Take your time and really learn how to deal with critical situations with more than just "book education". I know of some really intelligent folks who have an impressive array of degrees but when in the real world of nursing, they can't compare to the diploma educated nurse who has years of experience under his/her own belt.
First of all thank you to those of you who offered sound constructive advice. To the rest of you, you guys have some issues and obviously did not read my entire post. How dare you question my commitment, intelligence, or career track. This program is through the Texas Engineering Extension Service and Texas A&M. I have worked in a medical practice for almost 15 years now. I have been a med tech, lab tech, and injectionist. I am more than familiar with lab work, taking vitals, assessing patients, etc.
One can not make it through an EMT or paramedic course is they are "half-assing" it as you all have suggested I will be doing. I do not know how much I will enjoy working as a paramedic and EMT yet. I will find this out as I complete both courses. While I do not plan on working as a paramedic as a career, that is no reason to slam my future plans. It would seem to me thosee of you against my career plan have some personal issues that should be dealt with. I am new to this site and do not appreciate inflammatory posts.
If it is necessary to retake classes I will do so. I never once said I would spend very little time as an R.N. As a matter of fact (those of you who can't read) the b.s.n. bridge program will only add to my education as I work as an r.n. Again, what makes you think I would even be able to enter a c.r.n.a. prgram without the proper credentials, confidence, and experience?
I can see that this site is rampant with those who would rather tell you something is wrong rather than understand the question and then answer it.
Good luck to you all. I'll update you all as I complete this challenging track I have planned.
You seem to have forgotten that your title reads " Looking for Honest Advice Paramedic to CRNA". These posters are just giving honest advice based on years of experience. Confidence is one thing but cockiness will come back to bite you in the butt.
no offense, but a "lab tech/med tech/phlebotomist" does not 'asses', from what i understand.
only nurses or other licensed professionals may actually asses.
not even "medical assistants" with a 2 year degree can asses....
you might be familiar, or more than familair, but nurses eat, breathe, sleep, dream, pee, and crap this stuff.
i have worked in health care for 9 years, cna, phlebotomist(blood draws, etc...)... that is nothing compared to what actual nursing school will teach you. while i respect paramedics, nursing is completely different.
OK! I have to comment again! I absolutely loved being an EMT then paramedic. It wasn't a job--it was an adventure. The training and experiences I had made me a better nurse as I gained a different perspective of pt treatment. The paramedic program was by far more intense and challenging than nursing school ever was, with better clinicals. Being a paramedic made me a better person in general as I learned coping skills and decision making and pushed myself to the limit several times. The end result--a greatly improved self confidence and the feeling that I could deal with almost anything that the medical field threw at me. But unfortunately, I could hardly make a living at it so I went to nursing school. As an RN, I had less responsibility, yet much better pay!
So get your EMT/paramedic and work as one. It may take longer to reach your final goal, but you will be a better RN for it. But you might just be 50 yo before you reach your final goal!
Good ol' TEEX. I'd like to add a few things. TEEX is not in any way affiliated with Texas A&M University. A university doesn't teach people how to put water of fires, nor does a University take what should be (and usually is a two year assosciates degree) and turn it into an 8 month "education." I've seen many a student from this deplorable and wasteful agency call themselves paramedics, but rest assured by and large they're nothing of the sort. That being said, I have known a *few* people whove completed this program and turned out to be good paramedics. Those few however, like yourself, had a B.S. degree from Texas A&M and had the firm science background needed in such a clinical environment. This paramedic programs exists to make not so great firemen into not so great paramedics, that is if by chance they pass the national registry exam.
This program is known for giving its students unlimited opportunities to pass the course final exam (after they give the students the final exam to study as they've done for several years worth of my college friends who have attended), allowing students to cheat on clinical rotation requirements (both in time in the setting and in patient contacts,) and so on and so forth. Long story short, this program is a joke and is, in your own words, "half-a$$ing" it.
As other posters have stated, you asked for honest feedback. If you want to be a good paramedic who earns the respect of the paramedics, nurses, and physicians you work alongside, I would suggest you be prepared to fully educate yourself in the TEXX program or find another more reputable program that will prepare you for success.
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NurseKitten, MSN, RN
364 Posts
I am so glad to see y'all say the same thing I've been itching to say, but sometimes get in trouble for saying. Love the "shake-and-bake" reference.
Some of my anesthesia classmates worry me that they only have a year of ICU, and that's their ONLY experience as a nurse.
They're perfectly lovely people, and they absolutely mean well...but they scare me. And they don't realize yet what they DON'T know. They're all extremely bright, but there is NO substitute for the experience - both life and clinical.
Hell, I have 15 years of critical care, and I'm sucking wind HARD with the sheer VOLUME of what it is we're expected to know...and sucking wind even HARDER at the responsibility and different permutations of clinical situations I know are out there. I won't be the one to freeze up in clinicals, but that doesn't mean I won't be scared witless.
In other words, don't be in too much of a hurry to get there. Make sure your clinical experience is solid - you will be a much better practitioner for it.