Question?? Paramedic To Rn???

acgemt · Jan 1, 2005

Hi Matty,

I know of bridge classes from RN to paramedic, but I have yet to see one for medic to rn. I have a paramedic in my nursing class. Good luck to you...

Trauma Columnist · Jan 1, 2005

I live near Peoria, IL and I don't know of any EMT-P to RN course in IL. However, I do know that there are options in my area to work at a hospital, get tuition reimbursement and basically get your RN in return for a work comittment to the hospital. Good luck!

NurseFirst · Jan 1, 2005

I am new to the site...I am a paramedic in Illinois. I am looking to go to nursing school, however I am really interested in the online studies. I was wondering if anyone could recommend one. Or has anyone heard of a Paramedic to RN bridge program? I have been searching all morning online, and right now, i am just really confused about what route to take exactly. Could someone please help me out here?? :) I work full time in a ER now as a medic in southern Illinois and I really want to do the RN thing.As a medic, I am finding it hard to find steady employment or a decent company to work for. thank you in advance for ANY info or advice you can swing my way :)
~~Matty

If you are a paramedic, you are allowed into this unique and venerable "distance learning" program. If you look at the forum on distance learning under the Nursing Students Forum.

Good luck to you!

NurseFirst

TiffyRN, BSN, PhD · Jan 1, 2005

Excelsior College (formerly Regents) offers Paramedic to RN option. There is some controversy about Excelsior but it is generally well accepted except in California (see many other threads about that, it's a relatively new development). My husband did the program, he was a Paramedic. He successfully graduated, passed NCLEX on first attempt, and has now worked as an RN for over 2 years now in Neonatal ICU.

Trauma Columnist · Jan 1, 2005

EC is NOT accepted in Illinois - for distance learning if you aren't an RN already, please ensure you check with the Illinois State Professional Regulations Board.

bobnurse · Jan 3, 2005

Paramedic to RN programs are popping up everywhere.......THere are 3 or 4 in our area at different colleges. Only one is online that i know of (class), you still have to do clinicals. One just started that is worker friendly. I think you do 1 class day and 1 clinical a week (2 total) for 10 months.

paraloco · Jan 3, 2005

I am new to the site...I am a paramedic in Illinois. I am looking to go to nursing school, however I am really interested in the online studies. I was wondering if anyone could recommend one. Or has anyone heard of a Paramedic to RN bridge program? I have been searching all morning online, and right now, i am just really confused about what route to take exactly. Could someone please help me out here?? :) I work full time in a ER now as a medic in southern Illinois and I really want to do the RN thing.As a medic, I am finding it hard to find steady employment or a decent company to work for. thank you in advance for ANY info or advice you can swing my way :)
~~Matty

I know of 2 programs in my area. One of them is at Lamar State College Port Arthur, the other at San Jacinto College North. I think both take 1 year. The one in Port Arthur does not work around your EMS schedule. I know a few medics in it. A couple of em tried Excelsior, 1 failed the CPNE 3 times. There's a new way also. A group out of Indiana is approaching EMS instructors, setting up classes where you go to class twice a week, and basically get spoon-fed everything you need to know to pass the nursing tests and the CPNE. There's one of these places in Deer Park, Texas. Jerry Reichel is about to open another office in Beaumont. Depending on how many classes you need, it may run up to 12,000 big ones, but it is supposedly all-inclusive. Come on, we are hurting for medics.

bobnurse · Jan 3, 2005

If they would pay medics what they deserve, many would stay.....Its all cool to be a medic when your younger, but when you start a family and so forth and a RN makes twice what your making and more, well you do the math........

paraloco · Jan 3, 2005

If they would pay medics what they deserve, many would stay.....Its all cool to be a medic when your younger, but when you start a family and so forth and a RN makes twice what your making and more, well you do the math........

I believe that what holds EMS back the most is that Medicare only pays a pittance for our services, and medicaid and the insurance companies follow medicare. The private EMS company owners make money hand over fist, but pay as little as they can get away with. They have associations which would step in to help if the employees ever rose up to demand better working conditions. There's not enough unity among the medics to get anything meaningful done. There's a big contoversy going on about a National Scope of Practice for EMS. It would take the pressure off the big-city fire department systems to improve their standard of care. Most of the guys on those units dream of a time when they have enough seniority to bid onto a pumper. I have long suspected that EMS would reach a point where a political decission would have to be made to either increase its scope (through increased education standards), or dial it back. As we have increased our capabilities and the quality of care that we deliver in the field, we have developed EMS into something of great value to us, but this value is not shared by others. That puts us in a unhappy situation. I am 40, have been in EMS 21 years (17 of those continuously at the paramedic level), and I love my job. However, I have 3 kids who will all be of college age within 5 years, and I have reluctantly come to believe that my financial needs will never be met by EMS. I don't have delusions that I will become rich by becoming a nurse, but I know that I could easily make 55k+/year with very little extra overtime. That's more than I've ever made in my life. I'm about topped out at 45k (not bad IMHO). I know many medics who have become rn's, they all miss the street, but can't walk away from the rn pay. I'm going to do both(only 9 years to EMS retirement) for a while. In the next couple of years, I see a mass exodus from EMS to nursing. I really hope we have trained the young ones well for the burden that will be on their shoulders.

Thunderwolf, MSN, RN · Jan 3, 2005

Go for it Matty!!!!

817NP · Aug 10, 2005

does anyone know if Excelsior is accepted in florida,I am firefighter/paramedic for 6years am looking to get RN---thanks