dsmithkazk

I used to love being in medicine. But, with the latest entitlement attitude and the lack of people taking responsibility for themselves it has become a nightmare. Unfortunately for me I have too much time and money invested into the career. I have doctors tell me everyday they would chose another career after the involvement of Government, politicians and special interest groups. Almost all the nurses I work with are in counseling or taking antidepressants and Xanax.

They were hiring at Bay Medical Center in Panama City, fl. They hired me as a new grad in the ER last April. I did have experience as a Paramedic, Navy Corpsman and such. But, they hire new hire for many of the other floors. You could come here, get some experience and make yourself competitive in Georgia. I spend 14 months in the ER and now Work in PACU. Just a thought

While I was attending Excelsior they came to the school where I worked and were speaking to the Paramedic instructor trying to get her to sign up. I listened to the pitch and asked some questions like I was interested. The guy actually told me they were affiliated with Excelsior. Then I told him that I was attending Excelsior and was almost finished with the program. He got up and left. They are just a publishing company selling study guides. You will have to pay them and still pay excelsior for admission to the college and the exams. This company has misrepresented themselves for years. Stay away is my advice.

I took mine in fall 2010 at Grady. The best thing I did to prepare was to take a workshop. I took one in North Carolina and if most likely prevented me from falling. The stress is incredible, as you can imagine. I was fortunate to pass on the first try. Was done on Saturday by lunch and by 9am on sunday. In the workshop we were shown what had to be documented and when. Utilize a highlighter on your grid and in your PCS booklet. Before I entered the patient room I checked my grid. I rechecked it after introducing myself to the patient. I rechecked it before touching the patient and doing any areas of care. The CE understands you are under a lot of pressure. They will not help you, but will answer any question you ask that they are allowed to answer. My CE helped me move the patient if needed or get equipment. There was a thirty year LPN there that failed her first patient and just left. I am telling you that it is doable, but you have to be prepared. attend a workshop if you can and haven't. I was scared to have Grady as a Site, but after taking the CPNE there, I would recommend it to anyone doing this. Good luck.

I am waiting for an CPNE date right now. This past year I have gone back and forth about what to do about finishing and trying to license in Georgia. My previous history is that I was a Hospital Corpsman for 4 active years and spent another ten in the reserves. I am also a Paramedic and Registered Medical Assistant and have spent about 20 years working with patients both inpatient and outpatient. I have been told I will have to do 700 precepted hours in Georgia before getting an unencumbered license. This would require me to quit my current job in order to meet those requirments in six months. I am aware I could get a six month extension, but it is not a sure thing you will get the extension. So, what are my options. Quit my state job with benefits or move out of the state. I am looking at the option of moving to either South Carolina, Mississippi or Tennessee. So, I leave my family and all my support system behind and move to a state I have never lived in with no support system in place. All my ties are here in Georgia. So, that is how these rules affect me personally. I know everyone has their own issues with this. But, I think for the most part it has brought hardship on all that have attempted it.

Maybe this explains the miserable pass rate, and other issues, at Manatee Community College School of Nursing. If this is their theory of statistics then can you imagine how they teach drug calc.

I was under the impression that if we graduated by next june, then we could get endorsed in by December of next year. But, if this new bill gets signed into law by the Governor it appears that we will fall under it and have to complete the preceptorship. It appears that the boards intention under the clause they posted in December was to allow them to reject paramedics, military corpsman and RT's by their authority all along. By using the case by case basis with the waiver they can choose only LPN's to license by endorsement.

From what I understand you are on your own to set up a preceptorship. Thanks for the encouragment. I got to find some peace of mind to complete this.

I am starting to rethink my reasons for getting my RN. It is something I always wanted to do. But, I did not realize how polictical and cut throat it is. I have worked in medicine for 20 plus years and for the first time I guess I see just how brutal we are in this profession. I think compassion and understanding are just words we throw around now to make us as indivduals feel better about how we treat each other. I have NC 7 let and the CPNE and I am ready to just say to hell with it and walk away from it. It is not worth all the worry and stress we have put ourselves under to complete this program and then have to deal with the GABON and the politics of this state. Just my rant for the day, sorry.

If the new law has not gone into effect then shouldn't paramedics and RT's fall under the grandfather clause waiver that was published due to the Governors actions?

Good Luck getting Preceptorships. Our ADN program where I work and most of other ADN programs are having problems securing clinical sites. So, I am not sure what we are going to do for those of us falling under the preceptor requirement. Guess, I will just plan on moving to another state. At least that option is open to me, unlike many others stuck in Georgia.

Go back in and read the bill. They substituted a new bill for this. This bill now deals with Pharmacist if I am correct. They pulled a fast one in the house it appears.

I chose Excelsior College after doing alot of research and finding a college that considered my years of experience in the Military and in the civilian field as a care giver. It worked for me, I checked with the state board of nursing and it was listed as an approved school for endorsement. So, If you did not do your research then it is your fault, not mine. Don't come knocking the route I chose if you haven't walked in my shoes. I chose the route that worked for me. I have to work my way through college and put my daughter through college at the same time. I still have one exam left and the CPNE to finish. But, the interesting fact is that I have already got offers from hospitals that know of me through physicians and other nurses I have worked with and yes I live in Georgia. We have no control over the GABON and I have to roll with the punches. I will make the deadline or I don't deserve to be licensed in Georgia. I know many do not have the option to move, but I do and I will if needed. So, don't come on here and start cutting down my College. If it does not work for you, then cut your losses and move on. There are many satisfied graduates, employers and patients who are happy Excelsior College is available to those qualified individuals who accept the challenge of the Excelsior Educational system.

I have used Studygroup 101 and Lisa Arends. They are both worth the money. I like Studygroup because I Can print out all the pages to take with me for studying. Lisa Arends has great material as well, but I could not print out certain parts of it. Like the final review sessions which I desperately needed to print out and take to work on the ambulance with me. That way I could review and study while on shift. By the time I got to NC 5 I was exclusively using Mystudygroup101, EC practice exams and the content guides. I have NC7 left and hope to knock it out friday.

I just emailed them last week and the lady at the SPAC said they were still in business and the wait was 7 - 9 months. They also said if you were a Georgia student they would be working with you to get you tested before they GBON nursing deadlines.

No, they have not brought it up for vote that I have noticed. I have been listening since around lunch today. I have to leave shortly to go to another campus to lecture. Not sure how long they will stay in session. It seems they do not go in numerical order. They may be leaving till the end, because there might be some arguments dealing with the bill. We will see.

I have found a live feed to the House legislature. It is live and you can watch what they are considering and voting on. They will be in recess till 2pm. Here is the link. http://www.georgia.gov/00/channel/0,2141,4802_6107101,00.html

Reply for Rep. Buckner via blackberry. "We are working on this. Hope to correct this situation. Thanks for contacting me." Debbie So, far the only one to reply.

Folks here is my attempt at writing to the legislators. My background was as a Military Corpsman and that is where I received my training and most of my hospital expereince. I doubt I will hear back from many of them. But, I emailed every representative on the list. " Dear Sir or Madam, Over the past six months there has been a lot of discussion over the status and quality of graduates from nursing programs such as Excelsior College. It seems that over this period of time I have heard individuals like myself being portrayed as dangerous, undereducated, and many other defamatory and derogatory remarks all coming from our elected officials, such Mrs. Sharon Cooper and others. As a military veteran, and there are many from this state, I have never felt more like a second class citizen in any of my travels until now, and in my own state none the less. The elected officials should consider the limited options available to military men and women when it comes to obtaining education and licensing as a Registered Nurse. Excelsior College has provided this route for thousands of military member over the course of thirty plus years. For thirty years these military members could attend Excelsior while on active duty or shortly after returning to Georgia and if they graduate from the program they could obtain licensing by endorsement. Once again those citizens of the State of Georgia have to sacrifice their dreams because of a few individuals with power. As a former military member and one of those individuals affected, I am appalled at the actions of the elected officials that want to defame my colleagues and I. I started in medicine in 1982 as a newly licensed EMT in my home state. From there I joined the United States Navy to become a Navy Hospital Corpsman. I attended training at the Balboa Naval Institute of health in San Diego and graduated in the top five of my class. This was an intensive training cycle filled with hundreds of hours of classroom and clinical rotations within the various specialties of the Naval Hospital. From there I was transferred to the Naval Hospital at Jacksonville, Florida. During that duty rotation I performed the duties of a Registered Nurse both in the hospital environment and the outpatient clinical environment. In the military, the hospital corpsman is the nursing staff with the charge nurses being registered bachelor s level nurses. We were responsible for all the well being of our patients and were responsible for all the nursing skills and procedures required by our patient. From my hospital rotation I attended Aviation Medicine training at the Aviation Medical Institute in Pensacola, Florida. This training allowed us to perform preliminary physical exams on pilots, officers and members of the crew. Our role was to serve in conjunction with the flight surgeon at the Naval Air installation or the Naval Aircraft Carrier at sea. I was looking forward to my first deployment aboard the USS Midway, which was forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan. However, when I reported onboard, the aviation medical section was full and I was assigned to be in charge of the 24 bed hospital ward aboard the ship. Most people do not know that aboard the aircraft carriers we are basically a self contained hospital. In addition to the 24 bed ward we had a one bed ICU. For 12 hours a day I was the only medical personnel in the ward area. My first cruise we had every bed occupied with sick or injured sailors. I was personally responsible for all nursing decisions, skills and procedures for these men. In addition, I was responsible for all pre-op and post-op care of our crew members preparing for surgery or recovering for surgery. There was no over sight by a Registered Nurse. My shipmate relieved me after my 12 hour shift and then he was responsible for all the nursing care provided to the patients. We performed this rotation over the period of two years. The only relief we had was when the ship was in port and we could close the ward down and refer patient admissions to the local civilian or Naval Hospital. When I came off active duty and decided to remain in the reserves up until 2005. I started looking into Excelsior College to obtain my RN degree. Excelsior College allowed me the opportunity to work the three jobs I need to support my family. I have a daughter in college and I pay the bills. There are many military members and civilians in this state dealing with the same situation. So, I decided to attend Excelsior College and I am one exam and practical exam away from completing my dream and lifelong goal. I would like to point out some additional reasons I chose Excelsior College. - Accepted in Georgia for over 30 years for license by endorsement. - NCLEX exam grades on par and higher than a majority of traditional nursing schools in Georgia. - In order to attend Excelsior College I had to prove that I had extensive hands on nursing experience. I showed almost twenty years of patient care experience both in the military and civilian job market. I am also a licensed Paramedic, Registered Medical Assistant and Level II EMS instructor in the State of Georgia. This requirement applies to anyone who wants to attend Excelsior College. Most of the students attending Excelsior have five to ten years of on the floor hospital experience. Anyone that tells you different has not checked their information. - When we take an exam it must be taken at Sylvan or Pearson Vue locations in Georgia. This is the same location where the NCLEX exam is given. Pearson Vue and Sylvan are testing centers offering testing for many different programs. When I enter the test site I must provide picture ID, empty my pockets and store my entire personal belongs in a locker, have my picture taken and then have my fingerprint scanned. I know it has been reported that we take this exam open book and at home. That is not true and I challenge anyone to prove different. - Excelsior College has been awarded the Center of Excellence award by the National League of Nursing. The same National League of Nursing that provides accreditation of the traditional nursing programs in Georgia. Representative Cooper and others have pushed these laws through the legislature and committees by providing false information to their colleagues. I urge all the legislators of Georgia to do their own research. They contend that Excelsior graduates are dangerous to their patients. Yet, they will not provide specific examples of incidents. Nor, will they provide information on the number of incidents involving graduates from traditional schools of nursing in Georgia. I work as the lab coordinator for a local college with a traditional nursing program. On a daily basis I can observe what is being taught and I also have the luxury of asking the students what they do on their clinical rotations. They all have a sign off sheet, but they are only required to demonstrate one of each procedure. In corpsman school we had to demonstrate the procedure on a patient numerous times. I encourage you to talk to hospital staff and reach your own conclusion about how qualified they are to practice nursing unsupervised on patients. Also, contact hospital staff that work with Excelsior graduates and see how they feel about their competence levels. There are thousands of Excelsior graduates providing safe care to patients in most of the major hospitals in the Atlanta area. Currently, Mrs. Cooper's health and human services committee is sitting on SB49, which passed in the senate by a vote of 51 to 2. However, she continues to write bills that contradicts the Senate bill and the action of the Governor. I ask that you vote against HB 475 and push for consideration of SB 49 in the House of Representatives. Help prove to the military members and others of this state that you understand their special circumstances and want to see our citizens succeed in their dreams. "

haven't heard a word.

Here is what really gets at me is that I see the labs they do and I see how the lab instructor has the students put checks in the checkoff box and then watch them do the skill as a group. Once they do that then the lab instructor signs their lab check off form. The other thing is that I have talked with these students about their so call superior clinical experiences. One group states that they just sit around and go over charts, others say they get to do some patient care but they do not have a clinical sheet that requires them to do a set number of skills. Example: in Corpsman school we were required to take care of a set number of patients with certain conditions, we had to give so many IM injections, so many SQ injections. We had to start at least a minimum number of IV's and push so many meds. The list goes on, but they are not required to do that. They can go two years, and some have, and never start an IV or push an IV med. It is determined by what is happening on the floor when they do clinicals. I lost count of the number of IV's, foley's, dressing changes and various drug adminstration I have done over 20 years. Now they have the audacity to look down their nose at me. Not to mention as a paramedic now I have to assess the patient on my own in adverse conditions, come to decision as to what is going on with the patient, come up with a treatment plan, stabilize the patient and supervise my partner. Yet once again I am not qualified to be a "Nurse" in Georgia. I ask you, who do you want caring for your family member when they come through that ER door?

I am sure the post is for real. I am the lab coordinator for the nursing and allied health program where I work. A state technical college and I hear it everyday. The instructors are encouraging their students to use us as an example for projects and writing campaigns. I feel like Custer every time I enter my work space.

Welcome to the Georgia Board of Nursing. I can't wait to move out of this state.

For Excelsior College and most other colleges like EC you have to be a minimum of a Paramedic. Many do not even accept paramedic level, only LPN. You do not have to be an EMT to get into the traditional campus based programs. A new trend is the Paramedic to RN bridge program. It is becoming more popular at tradiational campus programs and we are starting to see more paramedic students in our program looking to go that route. They take paramedic with the intention of doing the bridge program at a latter date. The technical college where I work is considering starting one.

the rn program at the college i work for requires 600 clinical hours. at excelsior, you can't even sign up to take classes in the adn program unless you have extensive clinical experience. many of the former military corspman and lpn have tens of thousands of hours of time working and performing medical skills. paramedics are required to have a certain number of each skill performed under the supervision of an rn and senior medics. i currenlty work with the rn program students at the college i work for. as a matter of fact i manage their nursing lab. they do not have to do certain number of injections, drug administrations, vitals signs or other skills. what ever happens to be there on the clinical site when they do clinicals is what they get. so, for a paramedic they require over 100 iv successful iv's or im injections. there are nursing students that graduate and never start one iv on a real patient. when i did my paramedic clinicals i ran accros rn's that did not know how to set up a thoracentesis tray and chest tube. they worked in the emergency room and gaduated from a local rn program. i have experienced rn's tell me that the new rn's arriving in the er and other areas can't start an iv. most of us in excelsior lost track about ten thousands iv's ago. now, i know that weather a student can start an iv or not does not determine what type of rn the will be. but, neither does graduating from a traditional program vs. graduating from excelsior. i am speaking from my own experience and own observations. as a navy corspman at the age of 19 i was responsible for a 24 bed hospital ward and one bed icu all rolled into one. for 12 hours i was the only medical personel working the ward. all the patients were my responsiblity. all the meds, procedures, iv's, pre-op's and post-ops fell upon my shoulders. i will place my nursing/medical skill up against any traditional nursing program graduate. even with all this experience, we also have to take a two day comprehensive practical exam to prove our skills. no other adn program in the country requires this. if we don't pass it, then we have to retake it. if you don't pass it in three then you are out from what i understand. excelsior is not for everyone, but it works for me. i had a doctor once tell a nurse that "i was the least certified, but most qualified medical personel in the building, and that includes the rn's and lpn's working here." he was the one that pointed me to excelsior as he knew i could not afford to quit my job and attend a traditional program. guess i got to rambling, but i am just tired of all this. just let me finish and let me be.