I am a 43 year old Paramedic ready to make a serious effort at getting my RN. I applied about 2 years ago along with my ( now ex-wife who was also a paramedic ). The plan was to study together, but I could not for the life of me get her to put down her phone and stay off facebook long enough to participate.
She slept with an EMT co-worker while I was working at the same company as a supervisor. For my own mental health and to avoid felony charges I decided to find employment elsewhere. I now work on an offshore oil rig as a paramedic, and the sole medical provider for up to 150 personnel. I have an office, an examination room, and a 2 bed infirmary. My company has provided me with advanced training beyond IV's, cardiac monitoring, pain management and intubation. I learned suturing, antibiotic therapy, eye and ear examinations.
I recently went to Florida to visit with an Emergency Room RN who I have delivered many drugged up, dirty, crazy, combative patients to. I had to pull a patient off of her after he assaulted her one night ( wasnt my patient ) and we have been friends ever since. She works at 3 different hospitals and is taking 4 classes this semester and is already a BSN.
I asked myself... *** are you doing with your life?
I work 3 weeks and am off for 3 weeks. That schedule and the fact that I suck at math make a brick and mortar college kind of impossible. I love my job and usually have hours and hours of free time every day to study. I save more money than I spend each paycheck and have no bills, kids or real responsibilities outside of work. So I applied again a week ago.
I used Aleks to complete intermediate algebra, have all my electives and english covered. I am studying for the developmental psych CLEP, and have intro sociology and Humanities material lined up next. I am hoping to start Anat/phys and Micro by november. I have been able to study with little interuption and feel good about my first CLEP exam.
I havent failed an exam, or hands on scenario, or really anything in my adult life. Honestly I never really aimed for anything I didnt feel I could accomplish easily. I make RN money at my current job but being 160 miles out in the ocean for 3 weeks at a time gets old. I love providing patient care, I take patient advocacy very seriously, being a Paramedic or EMT is the first job I have truly loved. Every job from 19-38 involved carrying a gun, handcuffs or pepper spray. ( Military, corrections, armed security supervisor, private investigations ). I absolutley love the opportunity to make a positive change in someones life.
I am afaraid maybe I am hard wired for acute treatment... my careplan in the past has been "Keep them breathing until they are off of my stretcher" and I was very good at that.
Is my love of helping the sick and injured and lots of desire going to be enough to get me all the way through the CPNE? I can honestly afford to take a workshop every 6 weeks from now until eternity, and will if thats what it takes.
Any medics able to make the transition to the role of a nurse?
Id like to work in the ER, I think thats where I would feel most comfortable, possibly with psych patients ( dont ask me why... but I have always been pretty good keeping them calm )...
You're gonna do great! I've been a medic for 16 years and I LOVE the EC program! However, I would not recommend it to anyone who can't register for those nursing exams before July 2015. I studied for micro for one week and passed and I work and I'm a mother of 5. I take 2 nursing exams every 2 weeks (that's 2 exams every other Friday) and I'm taking my last two next Friday. I have earned 54 credit hours since I started with EC on Jan 6th of this year! You can do this! Anatomy should be no problem for you, but micro may not be as easy. MicroDemystified is a great book to study and it's free online in the Excelsior library. I saw several posts were PixieRN had recommended that book and I took her advice and I'm glad I did. Pixie is a great resource. SG101 is also invaluable and you might even try checking out Vangonotes on audible.com. I have not bought any of the nursing books that EC says are required texts (not recommending that, just saying I haven't), I just use SG101 and the EC practice tests (they are a must IMO). I have ordered the Saunders NCLEX review and it should be here tomorrow. Also, don't worry about the CPNE until it's time to worry about it. From what I have read and personally been told, people's nerves are what get them on that, and us medics tend to have nerves of steel and work our best under pressure (remember paramedic boards- we got through that!). I know several medics that have obtained their RN through EC. It just takes a student who is a very determined self learner who doesn't need their hand held. I would also recommend utilizing the heck out this forum. Allnurses has been the best resource I have had so far. Good luck to you!
I forgot to mention that Info Lit has to be obtained within your first 13 credits. You can't go any further than 12 credits until you have that class. It's only available as an online course and is only available every 8 weeks. The next one starting up would be on Oct 20th. It's only one credit hour and takes about 4 hours to complete, so might want to register for that soon.
Info lit you can do in a few hours - it's library/internet research stuff. You can't take A&P and Micro through straighterline because they are core and it would be more than 7 ACE. Do clep or dsst for Life span, and religions or analyzing lit for humanities both easy!
2 tests every 2 weeks with kids and a full time job... im just hoping to do one or maybe two every 6 weeks with lots of free time and no kids. I should be fine.
As far as the CPNE... I wont even show up to that knife fight without a gun. I always go over prepared to that kind of evaluation and walk away knowing i spend way too many sleepless nights, and drank way too much pepto than I really needed to. I stress myself out because as a paramedic it when I do my best work.
Thanks for the straighterline Anatomy/micro information.
I basically can register for the last few exams in early July and can drag them out until the end of next year. Not the plan, but gives me some breathing room... if I needed it.
One piece of advice, take your A&P and micro through straighterline.com they're classes include a lab which will help you should you decide to get a BSN at another college besides EC.
Hey there... and WELCOME! Sounds like you are the perfect Excelsior student! With that kind of schedule and minimal distractions, you should have LOTS of study time!
I quoted the above because you may NOT take Micro or A & P through Straighterline. Has to be either a course at a brick and mortar, or take EC's exam. I did the Micro that way and it wasn't bad at all!!
Being a 25 year Paramedic that just completed my degree through Excelsior... I'm going to tell you it is very doable! CPNE was stressful, sure, but not really difficult. You seem very structured, which is essential, and able to work well under pressure. You'll do fine!
I took Statistics through Straighterline in late 2011. EC accepted it back then. But since I did no coursework at all in 2012, I received an email from EC informing me that as X-date, Straighterline would no longer be accepted. So, that was also a major motivator for me to re-enroll or else have my statistics credits canceled. There was no way I could ever repeat statistics. I didn't know they were treating the sciences from Straighterline in the same fashion (as that didn't apply to me).
I started studying Anatomy yesterday using education-portal.com. I have one lower level math and one upper level math I did at Aleks and recieved and ace transcript for that I am praying Excelsior accepts. They have recieved all of my transcripts, just waiting for my final reveiw before enrolling.
I plan on immediatley registering for the october information literacy class and plan on completing anat/psy and micro by November. I will complete or be registered for all nursing exams by july if not sooner... even if it frikkin kills me!
I started studying Anatomy yesterday using education-portal.com. I have one lower level math and one upper level math I did at Aleks and recieved and ace transcript for that I am praying Excelsior accepts. They have recieved all of my transcripts, just waiting for my final reveiw before enrolling.
I plan on immediatley registering for the october information literacy class and plan on completing anat/psy and micro by November. I will complete or be registered for all nursing exams by july if not sooner... even if it frikkin kills me!
you should be fine with the ACE credit and ALEKS math. I used them for Math also. I did Eng101 through Straighterline, which was also accepted. They just do not allow the Sciences through Straighterline.
I started studying Anatomy yesterday using education-portal.com. I have one lower level math and one upper level math I did at Aleks and recieved and ace transcript for that I am praying Excelsior accepts. They have recieved all of my transcripts, just waiting for my final reveiw before enrolling.
I plan on immediatley registering for the october information literacy class and plan on completing anat/psy and micro by November. I will complete or be registered for all nursing exams by july if not sooner... even if it frikkin kills me!
Good Sir,
As a fellow medic and also in the program I wish you well. Two of our nurses (in the last year) and our ER director (a few years ago) went through excelsior and passed it. So it is doable.
The info class is a joke, PM me and I will give you a quick heads up on it. As for the micro and anat, check with the BON you are going for. My medic license is in Florida, so naturally so will be the RN license in the beginning since I am working at a hospital now. Here's the latest tick- as some others have pointed out, you need a lab component with Micro and A+P to go to a BSN program or higher. In Florida, the same is now true for your AA, even if it granted by Excelsior. Florida will allow you to test, but if you don't have the lab component it is more difficult and they made one of the nurses go back and retake Micro for the lab component before he could test.
So in closing, check with your state board of nursing that you plan on taking your RN for.
And I would love to know more about rig medic and all the info you could give me on that. I am highly interested in it. After my RN of course
But the good thing about that is that you can always get your BSN through EC if you take their sciences. The lab component is EXTREMELY important (based on future educational goals at other institutions, not all though;)). A self-evaluation should determine whether or not EC's sciences are enough for you.
Excelsior is doing away with the nursing theory exams? I had not heard this. I would assume the cost of the 16 week courses will be significantly higher than the current price of the tests. Is there a place that I can get more information on this topic?
Actually i just read about the change. I guess this means that even if you are ready to take an exam in two weeks it won't matter until you finish the 16 week conference?
I could ever repeat statistics. I didn't know they were treating the sciences from Straighterline in the same fashion (as that didn't apply to me).
~agape~
83 Posts
You're gonna do great! I've been a medic for 16 years and I LOVE the EC program! However, I would not recommend it to anyone who can't register for those nursing exams before July 2015. I studied for micro for one week and passed and I work and I'm a mother of 5. I take 2 nursing exams every 2 weeks (that's 2 exams every other Friday) and I'm taking my last two next Friday. I have earned 54 credit hours since I started with EC on Jan 6th of this year! You can do this! Anatomy should be no problem for you, but micro may not be as easy. MicroDemystified is a great book to study and it's free online in the Excelsior library. I saw several posts were PixieRN had recommended that book and I took her advice and I'm glad I did. Pixie is a great resource. SG101 is also invaluable and you might even try checking out Vangonotes on audible.com. I have not bought any of the nursing books that EC says are required texts (not recommending that, just saying I haven't), I just use SG101 and the EC practice tests (they are a must IMO). I have ordered the Saunders NCLEX review and it should be here tomorrow. Also, don't worry about the CPNE until it's time to worry about it. From what I have read and personally been told, people's nerves are what get them on that, and us medics tend to have nerves of steel and work our best under pressure (remember paramedic boards- we got through that!). I know several medics that have obtained their RN through EC. It just takes a student who is a very determined self learner who doesn't need their hand held. I would also recommend utilizing the heck out this forum. Allnurses has been the best resource I have had so far. Good luck to you!