Paramedic to RN vs Traditional Programs

[bobo_200_5]

Im a paramedic, and was looking at the Paramedic to RN bridge programs like the Excelisor and the College Network and From the research i've done I can't discern the differences.

What are the benifits of doing a bridge program through this route as appose to applying and going through the motions....it doesn't seem like there's a major difference. What benifits does my paramedic ticket have? Is it designed to save time? Does my clinicals serve as some sort of credit(s)?

I'll keep looking but any advice on the subject would be great

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

The college network is not a school they are a publishing company that sells very expensive study guides. They cannot grant admission or a degree. They cannot offer credits or financial aid. They can only do private loans that you are obligated to pay until paid in full.

Excelsior has a clinical competency examination whereas brick and mortar/traditional programs have ongoing clinical rotations with assessments at the end of the semester. Excelsior is a challenge based program where you use your previous education and experience to demonstrate clinical knowledge and competency n

[akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P]

Stay away from The College Network. The benefit you might get out of a program like Excelsior is that it's fast and they expect you to already have much of the clinical stuff from your Paramedic job. They don't do clinicals the same way that traditional programs do. This leads to the one issue that really exists with Excelsior. Several states (about a dozen, California most notably) have a requirement that licensees have theory and clinical components be done concurrently. If you're doing a Peds component in theory, you must do a clinical in Peds in that same term and the same goes for OB, med/surg, and so on. Because of this, if you're just starting as an Excelsior student, California will not license you as an RN until you have redone all of your theory and clinical time so that all has been done concurrently. Other states likely won't be as strict.

A more traditional program will have concurrent theory and clinical components (usually) and upon graduation, your educational background should make you able to be licensed in all 50 States. Your experience as a Paramedic will help with clinical, most notably where those skills do overlap and with already being comfortable making patient contact. Paramedic education is very different from Nursing Education and the thought patterns are very different regardless of which path you take. In a traditional program, sometimes you'll find instructors that don't like Paramedics and may ride you horribly because of their own issues. If you go to a traditional program you should put your Paramedic brain on a shelf and don't take it down unless you absolutely need to.

Personally, for license flexibility reasons, I would say to do a traditional program. If you have little to no desire to move to California and never will, and you're good at independent study, Excelsior is an option.

[bobo_200_5]

Thank you so much. That clears up some things....and I've done some more homework here.

So JustBeachyNurse....there really isn't any benifit to being a paramedic going into the Excelsior program. And are there true Paramedic-RN bridge online bridge programs anymore?