emtpbill

? While I am a lifelong learner and always say get more education, unless you specifically need the BSN, don't rush it. I am currently on a travel contract, middle of week 3 of 13 weeks, and am making more money working in the ER for this than I have ever made. 36 hours a week. I do Mids, and am loving life. They make you get a year or two of experience before most travel companies/hospitals will give you a contract. Go get your money and enjoy life a little.

I don't see what the problem would be. Paramedics use protocols, with a lot less information in a lot less controlled environments.

Also, not to resurrect this post, but I , fairly recently, got my multistate RN license. I can practice as an RN now with only 4 or 5 states that my multistate license isn't valid in. This was all thanks to Pennsylvania finally joining the nurse compact. I am actually starting a travel job in New Jersey next week (I live in Pennsylvania) and other than paying for clearances (FBI) there wasn't one thing more I had to do to practice in a compact state.

I would just say don't try to hide it. Let the appropriate people who need to know and be upfront. I've noticed if it is something you can learn from this, even though it was obviously a mistake, higher ups tend to work with you instead of against you.

When I began and completed the Excelsior program there was pretty much one state that would not license Excelsior grads no matter what and that was California. I see a lot of states are now listed by Excelsior as not accepting students from, which is sad, because like you said they do not take into consideration the hoops and hurdles that Excelsior students have to go through the just to graduate and have the opportunity to take the NCLEX-RN. Fortunately I passed the NCLEX-RN on my first attempt. I remember that there was a young lady in the waiting room at the Pearson Vue testing center. I struck up a conversation with her and just asked if she was there to take her RN boards and she was. She then went on to tell me that this was her 5th time taking the NCLEX-RN and that she had to wait several weeks in between before being allowed to register again to take it. She went on to tell me that she had graduated from a 4 year brick and mortar University. Now she may just be a poor test taker but I was taken aback , and a bit petrified, that if this young lady couldn't pass this exam what shot do I have???? Fortunately I had worked up my worry for no reason at all. I never was able to follow up with her to see if she finally passed the boards or not but , and I believe this to be 100% true, my education through Excelsior gave me the knowledge and confidence to get this beast of a test, the NCLEX-RN, slayed and in my rearview mirror.

The CPNE was removed completely from Exceslsiors program. This was done about 2-3 years ago. When I graduated in Augustbif 2021 the only issue I had was that Pennsylvanias BON required a flame thrower to be put behind them to send me my ATT letter for the NCLEX-RN. I actually had to get my local state representative involved to have their contact in Harrisburg contact them to see why it was taking so long. Once they helped I miraculously got my ATT within 2 weeks after that. I do agree with the statement about the CPNE administered using unstandardized grading practices. But since that was eliminated and additional classes with more clinicals I believe it made their program better. After going through excelsiors program successfully I would 1000% pick an excelsior grad to be as competent, if not more so, then graduates of other online or brick and mortar school offering the same degree level.

I can remember about 15 years ago my grandmother lived in North Carolina and I lived in Pennsylvania. My grandmother had a bowel infarction and was, after growing up during the Great Depression being very stoic and not complaining of really anything, yelling in the background when the internal medicine resident was in her room at the hospital after the resident called me at my request. His reasoning was 'he didn't want her to get addicted'. I reminded him that she is 86 years old, probably not gonna last too much longer and that he REALLY needs to rethink his strategy on medicating certain populations to an appropriate level. Once I asked who his attending was within 3 minutes I did not hear any more yelling, or had to have any more conversations with this resident.

So just to add to my original post.... Yesterday July 23rd, 2025, my Pennsylvania single state RN license became a multistate license. Didn't take nearly as long as I thought, they opened Pennsylvania nurses to apply for multistate licenses on July 7th 2025 , so two weeks and two days, bravo Pa BON. Something done quickly.

Because I'm full of a lot of useless knowledge. But did you know ? The act of shaking someones hand originated long ago when armies, more specifically the generals, would meet before the battle and to prove that the other person did not have a weapon up their sleeve or under their armor, would shake the opponents hand to ensure this.

I have had the opposite experience. I have worked in several Emergency Rooms, and currently work critical care ground/flight transport. Not once was my education brought up and half the time I am teaching nurses that have been doing it a lot longer than me things. This is just my opinion and my experience. I am not belittling anyone on their choices. We all have to make out own informed decisions. I knew exactly what I was getting into by researching excelsior extensively. Hell, I almost quit myself when that damned CPNE kept standing in my way. Now its gone, I'm sure to the cheers of current and future students.

Hey all, I have been an RN for almost 4 years ago and was super stoked when I heard that the governor signed the law for RN's and LPN's to join the national compact. Finally on July the 7th PA nurses could apply for a multi-state license. They are making applicants get a Pa. state police background check again and also get FBI fingerprinting , again. Had to send a copy of my drivers license and a signed Pa. residence declaration. I know that when I finished nursing school I had to get my local state rep involved to , what is the polite way of saying, lighting a fire under the *** of the state to get my ATT letter. Anyone else started the journey in Pennsylvania to get your Compact license?

This This This........................ They will come at you and say "we just want to get your side of it" but remember, they are not your friend, they are not looking out for you and whatever you say can and will be used against you!

any further update on the Pennsylvania BON and your situation?

Although this is very true , I was a Medic for a long time, making the jump to nursing was a whole different ball of wax. As a medic my job was to keep them alive until 8i got to an ER. My job as an RN, especially in the ER, was more focused on the whole picture. There was so many things that I had to learn for the ER job. Like when to put in orders for 6 hours later for repeat labs. Having to learn that I was now in the "mother may I" because working as medic I had a huge amount of autonomy to work. I felt like moron my first day in the ER cause I had to learn to multi task big time. As far as a base knowledge anatomy and Physiology I was basically a new nurse and had to learn a lot before I was cut loose and cleared to take my own patients. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I felt like brand new nurse and had to learn the flow of everything that happens after that 20 minute drive to the ER. Once I dropped the patient I almost forgot about the patient to move to the next one. In the ER I had to learn a new skill set. And im a firm believer that the older people get it enhances care as a nurse. But alas, this question can only be decided by one that you , and only you. I wish you good luck no matter what choice you make.

I graduated nursing school in 2021 and I'm currently 53 years old. Best decision of my life.

My few short years so far working a regular suburban ER and I have smacked the code Blue button 3 times already, and thanks be to God they worked, because I was assigned 4 rooms that were around the corner from the nurses station so that if no one was sitting right at the nurses station no one would hear me yell.

My former colleagues call me a Reverse Skirt, since I was medic for 25 years and then got my Nursing degree and RN. I got the last laugh cause I make about 15-20 more per hour as a nurse than I ever did as a medic.

While yes, putting in an IV backwards can be bad, don't beat yourself up too much about it. I bet you'll never do that again, learn from it. Also, and this is only my opinion which in the grand scheme of things means very very little, stick up for yourself. Play off it. If someone says something about it in a public area about it use some light brevity and say something like "trust me, ill never make that error again" and people will forget and move on .

I don't think The PA board is singling out Excelsior graduates, they are just slow in general. I had to get my state Rep involved and bam, got my ATT letter. I graduated in August of 2021 and took the NCLEX-RN in October of 2021.

When I graduated from Excelsior in August of 2021 I forwarded my transcripts to the state and waited, and waited, and waited. I finally had to get my local state representative to contact the BON to get my ATT letter. Got it within a week of them getting involved.

What school are you going to?

I was always told that once an expungement occurs it is treated as the issue never occurred at all.

I, for one, think that the type of nursing you get into has a lot to do with your enjoyment and competency in providing care to others. I currently work doing interfacility critical care transport. I love it. Basically what I did as a paramedic but as an RN I get paid ALOT more, like 50% more, than the current medics working ALS compared to SCT transport. I do the sickest of the sick, which is what I want as I have a huge degree of autonomy. In the ER, where I have worked as an RN, its more of a 'Mother may I' to do skills or treatments. I guess everybody could come up with things that would turn someone off to their career. Not debating what the OP stated almost a decade ago, and this is Pre-Covid, so nurses were in more demand that a lot of other times in history.

Don't ask here, get a lawyer.

I live in NE Philly and the one thing I have noticed is that it's a long shot to get into a peds hospital. Just the nature of the patients requires one to be very attuned to any subtle changes because most of the patients cannot speak for themselves. I would try to get into a hospital and work the ER or, if youre lucky, the ICU. Once you get some mileage on your nursing license your odds go up a lot to get into a peds facility.