ToddEMTP

says who?

I would only contend that we can have a certain degree of control over what the states ultimately determine if we refuse to accept unfairness (without breaking any laws, obviously), and opt to stand up and speak out for what we believe in a logical manner.

The reason students like me should be given fair (not special) treatment is for the same reason that nurses want fair treatment when they bridge to paramedic or increasingly enter EMS as PHRNs or flight paramedics. It is because they do have the classroom lecture and clinical instruction as well as on-the-job internship, patient care experience, and CMEs, etc. that in most cases exceed the minimum requirement for entry-level students. EMS Bureaus of most states require that you complete the requisite curriculum of EMT-Basic, work full time on an EMS ambulance for a period of time, subsequently complete the paramedic program, then go through a supervised internship period. Nurses have no problem asking for permission to skip this two or three year process and opt for "supplemental EMS training" that enables them to challenge the paramedic exams. I support that, because I think it's reasonable, and I also support pre-licensure programs for aspiring RNs.

To me, that is a strong indicator that the BON takes NCLEX results as a credible indicator of academic proficiency in nursing. As Excelsior grads consistently exceed the national average performance on the NCLEX, there should be no double standard with respect to the weight of that test. While I am not suggesting that Excelsior is better than traditional programs, I am expressing my view that both the college and their students have consistently endeavored to prove themselves decisively, only to be intercepted by those who jump to conclusions and pass summary judgment.

Yes, that's a perfect example of mindless red tape that serves no purpose. "You can't be a nurse in Georgia unless you get another state to license you first, then apply for immediate reciprocity." Georgia was one of those states that I found would ultimately accept Excelsior grads, but only after imposing senseless flaming hoops like this. Shame on them.

My research indicates that that there are exactly two states that do not accept Excelsior -- California and Maryland -- and thirteen other states who eventually accept Excelsior with additional clinical or work requirements. The vast majority of states accept Excelsior without any conditions, as they should. Would you please name the eight states that you have information on so that we can compare notes? In answer to your point about physicians and paramedics being trained differently from nurses, you are correct. Why, then, do some nurses seek to bridge to a paramedic cert without going through the full paramedic program? The answer is that it makes no sense to marginalize the clinical experience of nurses and force them to start from scratch just because they're trained differently. I have no intention of moving to any states that do not recognize Excelsior graduates, so this is not about me. However, when I see a glaring injustice like this, I am for the underdog. The argument that the almighty state nursing authorities do things their way and nothing can be done about it will only make me more vocal. When something is blindly unfair, people need to stand up and demand respect. At the end of the day, there is simply no logical reason why Excelsior nurses should not be recognized in every single state and jurisdiction. All of the arguments are founded upon vague generalizations and casual assumptions that distintegrate when they are challenged.

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!