Seeking advice on moving on from Paramedic

[TF_MI]

Hello all, just found this forum today and have read around a bit, I think this is the correct spot for my question but if not please let me know. I am hoping to find a few people who have gone from EMS to a hospital setting and pick their brains some. This will probably be a longer post and I appreciate those willing to stick through it and provide some advice.

I'm currently a paramedic with a goal to return to school to increase my education (and pay) and move into a hospital setting. I came to EMS from a sales background, and this is my first medical field job. My wife is an RN and her success in the medical field is what piqued my interest from the start. Now that I'm here I find that I really enjoy it and wish to make this my career.

I am currently exploring Medic to ADN bridge programs, traditional BSN programs, and then a plan to move on to NP, CRNA, or something else.

Some specifics about my situation:
- My only college education is in business/finance, so I am basically starting school from scratch. I never finished a degree because experience and licensure was a better use of my time (at that time) in the business world.
- I intend to work full time for the majority of my education. Dropping to part time is probably doable for short (~6 month) duration if necessary. My employer has a generous tuition reimbursement program which I intend to take advantage of.
- I prefer an ER/ICU/Critical Care type setting, consistent with the type of work I do in the field already
- I would like a position that allows me to work in a team setting, but with autonomy of care consistent with the type of work I already do. IE, I'd love to be able to continue to do my own assessments and decide on my own treatments. Cracking my drug box open and going to work is what I enjoy most about EMS.

At the moment, my tentative plan is to avoid the medic to ADN bridge and work toward a traditional BSN program. ADN jobs are still available in my area, but they are getting harder to obtain every year and I don't want to get stuck in that spot once I graduate. Once I obtain my RN, my hope was to get settled into a hospital network near me, and return to school to specialize from there. Without having done a ton of research on options past RN, NP and CRNA are currently at the top of my interest list.

So, with all that said, has anybody here done a similar transition from EMS? Do my goals seem reasonable? Do you have any specific advice on the transition, and/or other fields of study I should consider that I did not post here?

Thank you all for your time.

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[762513]

Hello all, just found this forum today and have read around a bit, I think this is the correct spot for my question but if not please let me know. I am hoping to find a few people who have gone from EMS to a hospital setting and pick their brains some. This will probably be a longer post and I appreciate those willing to stick through it and provide some advice.

I'm currently a paramedic with a goal to return to school to increase my education (and pay) and move into a hospital setting. I came to EMS from a sales background, and this is my first medical field job. My wife is an RN and her success in the medical field is what piqued my interest from the start. Now that I'm here I find that I really enjoy it and wish to make this my career.

I am currently exploring Medic to ADN bridge programs, traditional BSN programs, and then a plan to move on to NP, CRNA, or something else.

Some specifics about my situation:
- My only college education is in business/finance, so I am basically starting school from scratch. I never finished a degree because experience and licensure was a better use of my time (at that time) in the business world.
- I intend to work full time for the majority of my education. Dropping to part time is probably doable for short (~6 month) duration if necessary. My employer has a generous tuition reimbursement program which I intend to take advantage of.
- I prefer an ER/ICU/Critical Care type setting, consistent with the type of work I do in the field already
- I would like a position that allows me to work in a team setting, but with autonomy of care consistent with the type of work I already do. IE, I'd love to be able to continue to do my own assessments and decide on my own treatments. Cracking my drug box open and going to work is what I enjoy most about EMS.

At the moment, my tentative plan is to avoid the medic to ADN bridge and work toward a traditional BSN program. ADN jobs are still available in my area, but they are getting harder to obtain every year and I don't want to get stuck in that spot once I graduate. Once I obtain my RN, my hope was to get settled into a hospital network near me, and return to school to specialize from there. Without having done a ton of research on options past RN, NP and CRNA are currently at the top of my interest list.

So, with all that said, has anybody here done a similar transition from EMS? Do my goals seem reasonable? Do you have any specific advice on the transition, and/or other fields of study I should consider that I did not post here?

Thank you all for your time.

First off, congratulations on your choice to further your education!

I will give you some background on my end; I was in the military as an Army medic with a year in Iraq. I had been working as an EMT before being deployed, came home and pursued a Paramedic degree and ended with a critical care endorsement. I was a dispatcher, field training officer, ect in EMS. I loved EMS, but as I got older I realized I wasn't going to evolve as a caregiver unless I surrounded myself with people who were more educated than I.

I know a few people who have done the EMT-P to RN bridge; unfortunately none of them have been successful. I don't know if it's a scam, exactly, but from what my friends have told me they are not set up for success. I went a traditional ADN route for many reasons.

1. Understanding how to think like a RN is as much socialization as it is education. I wanted a ground up education.
2. I chose early intensive care nursing, and was happy I did. ER nursing is very similar to EMS. Quick treatments and discharges and not nearly enough time to learn and grow. That's not to say ER nurses aren't outstanding; they are. However, ICU nurses, I feel, are the most experienced, and you would enjoy going from EMS to ICU much, much more.
3. BSN is becoming the standard for hospital nursing. Keep that in the back of your head while applying.
4. Advice for nursing school; do not, ever, under any conditions, tell your nursing instructors you are a Paramedic. It will not go well for you. Every Paramedic who has become an RN has had the same experience. Keep it to yourself. On that note, during the first half of school your EMS experience will be a hinderance as you try to change your thinking towards nursing, towards the last half you will be leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else.
5. Be patient with yourself. Remember when it was difficult going from a competent EMT to a incompetent Paramedic? That starts all over again.
6. Nursing culture: be careful, nurses eat their young. It shouldn't be that way, but it is. You have to walk a fine line when you are new between standing up for yourself and ignoring the crazy people around you.
7. Autonomy. This will need to be earned. You will NEVER have the same level of autonomy in nursing as you will in EMS. There are so many complex systems and moving parts, it's so important you learn from the physicians and the nurses around you. I just can't stress this enough. An ICU RN is not considered competent until they have five years at the bedside. If you want autonomy you need to go MD.
8. Study. I skated through Paramedic school. Nursing is very, very different. Read every chapter, every page. I know it seems counter intuitive that nursing would be that difficult, but it really is. On a nursing exam every answer is correct, and one is most correct. It's a crazy frustrating educational experience coming from EMS to nursing.

I think you are making a great decision. Good luck to you, stay motivated, and ignore all the crap that will roll downhill on you. If you have any more questions I am here to help!

 

[TF_MI]

First off, congratulations on your choice to further your education!

Great information, thank you for taking the time.

 

[Boatswain2PA]

I agree. If you already HAD a bachelors then you could consider finishing up your PA pre-req's and applying. But....that would require a completed bachelors, 1-3 years of pre-req's, and then INTENSE competition for a seat at a PA program (usually 20-40 completed applications per seat). And then for the 2-3 years of PA school you wouldn't be able to work because the curriculum is too intense.

So, probably better to go Paramedic to RN. As soon as you get your RN you start making more money and have a less physically demanding job. Then you can get your BSN while going part time (with tuition assistance/reimbursement). As soon as you get your BSN you can then start working on your NP, also part time.

This effectively gets you to the same place for jobs, credentialing, etc.

Of course, you can infer that one of these is an intense educational process that is designed to teach you how to practice medicine. The other is much, much easier, and is often-times referred to as "a joke!" educationally. From what I have seen from many friends going through both paramedic programs and NP programs, your paramedic program has much more actual medicine in it.

But, since they both get you to the same place for jobs and credentialing, I would suggest you do the easy route. But when you get there...remember YOU TOOK THE EASY ROUTE, so throw yourself into learning your job.

One of the best providers I know is an NP, but he knows his NP education was a joke, so he quickly brain-dumped all of the nursing theory crap they taught and he threw himself into learning MEDICINE. Again, he is one of the best EM providers I know.

 

[762513]

I agree. If you already HAD a bachelors then you could consider finishing up your PA pre-req's and applying. But....that would require a completed bachelors, 1-3 years of pre-req's, and then INTENSE competition for a seat at a PA program (usually 20-40 completed applications per seat). And then for the 2-3 years of PA school you wouldn't be able to work because the curriculum is too intense.

So, probably better to go Paramedic to RN. As soon as you get your RN you start making more money and have a less physically demanding job. Then you can get your BSN while going part time (with tuition assistance/reimbursement). As soon as you get your BSN you can then start working on your NP, also part time.

This effectively gets you to the same place for jobs, credentialing, etc.

Of course, you can infer that one of these is an intense educational process that is designed to teach you how to practice medicine. The other is much, much easier, and is often-times referred to as "a joke!" educationally. From what I have seen from many friends going through both paramedic programs and NP programs, your paramedic program has much more actual medicine in it.

But, since they both get you to the same place for jobs and credentialing, I would suggest you do the easy route. But when you get there...remember YOU TOOK THE EASY ROUTE, so throw yourself into learning your job.

One of the best providers I know is an NP, but he knows his NP education was a joke, so he quickly brain-dumped all of the nursing theory crap they taught and he threw himself into learning MEDICINE. Again, he is one of the best EM providers I know.

You do not learn more "medicine" in paramedic school than NP school.

Reference:

I'm A Licensed Paramedic In NP School (2016). Found in The Journal of Why You're Wrong, 34(1). Retrieved July 25, 2016. Doi: My Brain.

 

[Boatswain2PA]

You do not learn more "medicine" in paramedic school than NP school.

Reference:

I'm A Licensed Paramedic In NP School (2016). Found in The Journal of Why You're Wrong, 34(1). Retrieved July 25, 2016. Doi: My Brain.

Wait....they teach medicine in NP school? I thought it was all "advanced nursing"!

Who knew?!?

 

[TF_MI]

Boatswain- So you recommend a medic to ADN bridge, then BSN, then NP? I am currently debating whether to do a bridge (fast and cheap, try to snag a job with an ADN while I still can), vs traditional BSN route and just be done with it. I need to compare schools in my area, but I'm worried about wasting time on my ADN and then not having anybody be willing to hire me.

Anybody with experience making similar decisions?

Thanks again for your time, this has been a great resource for me already.

 

[pamac]

And Boatswain2pa is the resident NP education hater ... to the point of personal obsession. Its strange, and a bit creepy, especially considering you didn't ask anything about PA's whatsoever. You can always count on him interjecting at each and every opportunity about what he sees as the inferiority of NP education compared to PA school, which neglects to mention that even though PAs generally have more training than NPs in school, they have tremendously less than MD's, yet many of them on their forums are acting like their 2000 hours are oh so close to the 1000o hours of training that an MD or DO gets, and that they should be easily bridged to medical school if they so choose. Every conversation.... EVERY conversation about NP's will involve him trying to steer conversation in the direction of conflict. Look back and see for yourself. Its literally every thread he can get in on that involves anything regarding NPs. Its his mission. He took it on because apparently displaying a chip on his shoulder on an obscure message thread does something for educating NP's on the fact that they aren't PA's. I guess we will all go out and study more after his browbeating so that we will be on par with new grad PAs. Case in point to all of this... you didn't ask ANYTHING about PA's.... yet you get a detailed response from Boatswain2PA that is heavy on PA topics.... whether you wanted one or not. Your mileage may vary.


A paramedic to nursing program would be a good way to go, but I just haven't seen a lot of folks come out through that route. It might be worth your time to just go traditional ADN or BSN, especially because of your wife being able to hold down the fort a bit due to her being a pretty good earner. And yes, nursing school wouldn't be a good place to openly showcase your paramedic skills. Few people are as jealous and vicious as many nurse educators can be. You might not have to actively hide it, but its wise to approach nursing school as if its a blank slate. They like a humble audience.

I worked full time through my ADN program as a laboratory scientist. My superiors were very accommodating. My ADN program was not. There are programs that were much worse than mine as far as time commitment. Its not so much how much time you have to put into a nursing program, but rather how they spread it out. If you are in class 5 days a week, even if only for a few hours, that will affect how easy you will be able to work full time shifts. I was lucky that where I worked had a lot of 8 hour shifts that started all through the day that I could work. I also had very supportive coworkers who were willing to bend their schedules to allow me to fit work around school. They were all so good to me, and made my journey possible. Some weekends, you will need to cram for a big exam, and it just wont work to have to work 2 twelve hour shifts on a busy rig. I was incredibly busy during nursing school, but I did it, and didn't feel like it took too much out of me. one paramedic I worked with did 24 hour shifts, or some kind of mix and match of a 24 and a 12, and seemed to do well. But leave yourself some flexibility.

You can do a lot worse than having a guaranteed job as a nurse. I have made pretty good money the whole way through my educational journey as a nurse, starting as an ADN. My workplace has paid for my bachelors degree, as well as my ADN, and they are pitching in for my NP, although that last part is rare for most tuition reimbursement programs. I've been a nurse for less than 5 years, but I'm making over $80k with a little bit of overtime. I pick the days/nights I want to work, I work as a resource pool nurse, which puts me in every department in the facility, and gives me great variety. I would suggest you start in ICU if you can, because although ED is fun and full of teamwork, its not as in depth as what you will see in a critical setting. If you start in ICU, you can go anywhere in the facility with a little bit of orientation, but rarely will you see many ED nurses branching out from their realm. They work in ED until they get burned out and go to day surgery, or something more tame. They tend to do their jobs well, but have tunnel vision. Your most skilled nurses have a broad skill set that comes from an ICU setting. From there, you just have to develop some pacing skills to fit into an ED. Teamwork is great, but I found there is some benefit to having your own responsibilities to manage without anyone else contributing or meddling.

I like it when I work in the ER, but so much of it involves just managing chaos rather than sitting down and diving into the knowledge you have in front of you. Ultimately, when I'm wearing my ER hat, my typical workload involves 90% juggling tasks and managing personalities, and 10 percent or less of diving into the pathophysiology of anything other than figuring out who is most sick and needs attention, and what needs to be done to immediately stabilize the sick patient. On top of that, there's the never ending army of not sick people that are doing their level best to distract you from what you thought you would be doing as an ER nurse. The difference between being a paramedic and a nurse is that as a paramedic, you have one person at a time to deal with, and there's two of you (and a supervisor sometimes if you are lucky). In the ED, its not uncommon for me to have a steady stream of patients rolling through that keeps me with 5 or 6 of them at a time. On top of that, I usually find myself helping a peer, or stepping up to assist a physician that needs something done but the patient's nurse is stuck somewhere else . It becomes all about time management. If you get a really sick patient, you sometimes can quickly bump down to one-on-one or better, but even then, in the back of your mind is all the paperwork you have to do to get caught up on your one-on-one patient, and you are too busy keeping that patient going that its not any kind of break. Don't get seduced by the action of the ED. Most teamwork there involves people coming to help you when they know they have their own things to do. Add in the new expectations that you do everything with a smile on your face and an attitude of customer service first, and you have a recipe for cynicism. But at its core, it can be a lot of fun to work with the right kind of people there. When you walk through the ED on your day off for some reason, and everyone is like "dude, you should be working with us tonight, we could use the help!"... it leaves you with some job satisfaction. But I wouldn't ever go work there full time.

 

[Boatswain2PA]

Sooo.....according to PAMAC....I was right!!

Thanks!

TF - I don't know whether you should do ADN first or not. Like you said, much depends on the local schools.

 

[762513]

And Boatswain2pa is the resident NP education hater ... to the point of personal obsession. Its strange, and a bit creepy, especially considering you didn't ask anything about PA's whatsoever. You can always count on him interjecting at each and every opportunity about what he sees as the inferiority of NP education compared to PA school, which neglects to mention that even though PAs generally have more training than NPs in school, they have tremendously less than MD's, yet many of them on their forums are acting like their 2000 hours are oh so close to the 1000o hours of training that an MD or DO gets, and that they should be easily bridged to medical school if they so choose. Every conversation.... EVERY conversation about NP's will involve him trying to steer conversation in the direction of conflict. Look back and see for yourself. Its literally every thread he can get in on that involves anything regarding NPs. Its his mission. He took it on because apparently displaying a chip on his shoulder on an obscure message thread does something for educating NP's on the fact that they aren't PA's. I guess we will all go out and study more after his browbeating so that we will be on par with new grad PAs. Case in point to all of this... you didn't ask ANYTHING about PA's.... yet you get a detailed response from Boatswain2PA that is heavy on PA topics.... whether you wanted one or not. Your mileage may vary.


A paramedic to nursing program would be a good way to go, but I just haven't seen a lot of folks come out through that route. It might be worth your time to just go traditional ADN or BSN, especially because of your wife being able to hold down the fort a bit due to her being a pretty good earner. And yes, nursing school wouldn't be a good place to openly showcase your paramedic skills. Few people are as jealous and vicious as many nurse educators can be. You might not have to actively hide it, but its wise to approach nursing school as if its a blank slate. They like a humble audience.

I worked full time through my ADN program as a laboratory scientist. My superiors were very accommodating. My ADN program was not. There are programs that were much worse than mine as far as time commitment. Its not so much how much time you have to put into a nursing program, but rather how they spread it out. If you are in class 5 days a week, even if only for a few hours, that will affect how easy you will be able to work full time shifts. I was lucky that where I worked had a lot of 8 hour shifts that started all through the day that I could work. I also had very supportive coworkers who were willing to bend their schedules to allow me to fit work around school. They were all so good to me, and made my journey possible. Some weekends, you will need to cram for a big exam, and it just wont work to have to work 2 twelve hour shifts on a busy rig. I was incredibly busy during nursing school, but I did it, and didn't feel like it took too much out of me. one paramedic I worked with did 24 hour shifts, or some kind of mix and match of a 24 and a 12, and seemed to do well. But leave yourself some flexibility.

You can do a lot worse than having a guaranteed job as a nurse. I have made pretty good money the whole way through my educational journey as a nurse, starting as an ADN. My workplace has paid for my bachelors degree, as well as my ADN, and they are pitching in for my NP, although that last part is rare for most tuition reimbursement programs. I've been a nurse for less than 5 years, but I'm making over $80k with a little bit of overtime. I pick the days/nights I want to work, I work as a resource pool nurse, which puts me in every department in the facility, and gives me great variety. I would suggest you start in ICU if you can, because although ED is fun and full of teamwork, its not as in depth as what you will see in a critical setting. If you start in ICU, you can go anywhere in the facility with a little bit of orientation, but rarely will you see many ED nurses branching out from their realm. They work in ED until they get burned out and go to day surgery, or something more tame. They tend to do their jobs well, but have tunnel vision. Your most skilled nurses have a broad skill set that comes from an ICU setting. From there, you just have to develop some pacing skills to fit into an ED. Teamwork is great, but I found there is some benefit to having your own responsibilities to manage without anyone else contributing or meddling.

I like it when I work in the ER, but so much of it involves just managing chaos rather than sitting down and diving into the knowledge you have in front of you. Ultimately, when I'm wearing my ER hat, my typical workload involves 90% juggling tasks and managing personalities, and 10 percent or less of diving into the pathophysiology of anything other than figuring out who is most sick and needs attention, and what needs to be done to immediately stabilize the sick patient. On top of that, there's the never ending army of not sick people that are doing their level best to distract you from what you thought you would be doing as an ER nurse. The difference between being a paramedic and a nurse is that as a paramedic, you have one person at a time to deal with, and there's two of you (and a supervisor sometimes if you are lucky). In the ED, its not uncommon for me to have a steady stream of patients rolling through that keeps me with 5 or 6 of them at a time. On top of that, I usually find myself helping a peer, or stepping up to assist a physician that needs something done but the patient's nurse is stuck somewhere else . It becomes all about time management. If you get a really sick patient, you sometimes can quickly bump down to one-on-one or better, but even then, in the back of your mind is all the paperwork you have to do to get caught up on your one-on-one patient, and you are too busy keeping that patient going that its not any kind of break. Don't get seduced by the action of the ED. Most teamwork there involves people coming to help you when they know they have their own things to do. Add in the new expectations that you do everything with a smile on your face and an attitude of customer service first, and you have a recipe for cynicism. But at its core, it can be a lot of fun to work with the right kind of people there. When you walk through the ED on your day off for some reason, and everyone is like "dude, you should be working with us tonight, we could use the help!"... it leaves you with some job satisfaction. But I wouldn't ever go work there full time.

I agree with everything said here. It's the same as my post, except I would steer away from bridge programs.

Boatswain is not worth listening to. I kind of doubt he's even a PA at all.

 

[pamac]

Boatswain, you are right about 90% of the time, its just the last 10% can be a mix of BS and hyperbole that is the big turnoff... even though I'm a fan of PA training. I don't see eye to eye on being content with the subservient nature of the relationship between PA's and MD/DO's, but that's more from a practical aspect. I want to have some freedom to be more of my own man as a professional. I really like to talk about policy and where things are headed, but every pis---ing contest here is a roadblock to that subject. Nothing is going to change because people are complaining on the SDN clinician thread. Nurses are doing their thing, and even if the education standards of a DNP aren't up to what some would want them to be, its all happening. California recently rebuffed an attempt at expanding the NP role, but roughly one or two states per year become "independent" states for NP's. The sky isn't falling, and it won't. We all have more to worry about what will happen when single payer comes in and nationalizes healthcare. When it happens, it won't be mild or something similar to the Canadian model, it will be a steamroll that happens in the night, and grabs for all the goodies that interest groups have pined for all along. Providers will take a hit, and become employees in the system.

 

[Boatswain2PA]

Boatswain, you are right about 90% of the time.......

Thanks! I might use that as my signature line! lol

I'm not trying to get into a "pissing match" with you or anyone. Lots of newbies come here like the OP here. I think I give them the best synopsis of the two professions: We do pretty damn near the same thing, but we have vastly different educational pathways to get there. One is ridiculously intense and expensive, the other is much easier and therefore doesn't prepare you as well.

But I always point out that, in the end, the quality of provider that one becomes is dependent upon the PERSON, not the educational pathway.

I think that's accurate, and fair.

 

[762513]

Thanks! I might use that as my signature line! lol

I'm not trying to get into a "pissing match" with you or anyone. Lots of newbies come here like the OP here. I think I give them the best synopsis of the two professions: We do pretty damn near the same thing, but we have vastly different educational pathways to get there. One is ridiculously intense and expensive, the other is much easier and therefore doesn't prepare you as well.

But I always point out that, in the end, the quality of provider that one becomes is dependent upon the PERSON, not the educational pathway.

I think that's accurate, and fair.

You are absolutely always on the lookout for an opportunity to knock the NP profession. It's not up for debate, it's all on the forums.

Saying a paramedic liscense you can get in 6 months has more medical education then 8 years for a DNP.

Case in point the only reason you responded to this thread at all was to bash NP. You aren't a paramedic a nurse or a NP. We also have moderators who ignore their own rules because they hate NPs too.

What a joke.

 

[Boatswain2PA]

You are absolutely always on the lookout for an opportunity to knock the NP profession. It's not up for debate, it's all on the forums.

Saying a paramedic liscense you can get in 6 months has more medical education then 8 years for a DNP.

Case in point the only reason you responded to this thread at all was to bash NP. You aren't a paramedic a nurse or a NP. We also have moderators who ignore their own rules because they hate NPs too.

What a joke.

Your entitled to your opinion, even if your wrong.

Want a tissue? "Sniffle"

 

[762513]

Your entitled to your opinion, even if your wrong.

Want a tissue? "Sniffle"

Thanks for proving the point lol. Perfect.

 

[TF_MI]

I would steer away from bridge programs.

Why?

Thanks to those who have replied, and especially those who have remained on topic.

 

[762513]

Why?

Thanks to those who have replied, and especially those who have remained on topic.

I'm still a Paramedix today and have kept contacts in the field. I know of 4 medics, one of them smarter than I am, who were all unsuccessful at the bridge. It just doesn't seem like they give you the tools to be successful. I would spend my academic dollars more wisely.

Beyond all that accreditation can be very, very complicated with these bridge programs. I researched it extensively.

 

[TF_MI]

I'm still a Paramedix today and have kept contacts in the field. I know of 4 medics, one of them smarter than I am, who were all unsuccessful at the bridge. It just doesn't seem like they give you the tools to be successful. I would spend my academic dollars more wisely.

Beyond all that accreditation can be very, very complicated with these bridge programs. I researched it extensively.

Unsuccessful as in they couldn't pass NCLEX or as in they couldn't find a job?

I know of three medics who still work part time at my service who have completed a local program and have found ER jobs without a ton of difficulty. I know it is getting harder for ADN's, but it sure would be a MUCH faster route for me.

I am going to try to contact recruiters and HR people in my area and see if they are willing to play ball and answer some questions for me. I know the standard response it "We prefer BSN" but I'm curious if they will admit/deny their willingness to hire new ADN's.

 

[762513]

Unsuccessful as in they couldn't pass NCLEX or as in they couldn't find a job?

I know of three medics who still work part time at my service who have completed a local program and have found ER jobs without a ton of difficulty. I know it is getting harder for ADN's, but it sure would be a MUCH faster route for me.

I am going to try to contact recruiters and HR people in my area and see if they are willing to play ball and answer some questions for me. I know the standard response it "We prefer BSN" but I'm curious if they will admit/deny their willingness to hire new ADN's.

They were unable to pass the skills portion of the bridge to even be qualified to sit for NCLEX. My friend had to fly to a different state three different occasions and still did not pass. After that many fails in that program I believe he was unable to keep testing.

Each state has their own nursing boards, and in many states the bridge programs are not recognized. Just because a school states they have accreditation does not mean the state board of nursing in which you will be practicing will necessarily agree.

I know it's a lot more work, but I would really encourage you to enroll in a traditional RN program. If you have financial concerns you can get your ADN and begin working as a RN; you may not be at your dream job right away, but it will allow you to get experience (and a paycheck) while you complete your BSN, which is a breeze.

After that get a few years experience and decide what kind of NP program is right for you.

 

[Boatswain2PA]

Unsuccessful as in they couldn't pass NCLEX or as in they couldn't find a job?

I know of three medics who still work part time at my service who have completed a local program and have found ER jobs without a ton of difficulty. I know it is getting harder for ADN's, but it sure would be a MUCH faster route for me.

I am going to try to contact recruiters and HR people in my area and see if they are willing to play ball and answer some questions for me. I know the standard response it "We prefer BSN" but I'm curious if they will admit/deny their willingness to hire new ADN's.

I know several paramedics who did bridge programs to ADN, two of whom went further into BSN, and one of them then went PA.

Never heard of a paramedic who couldn't complete it or failed NCLEX. I'm sure they exist, but everyone I've talked to has said paramedic school was more difficult than nursing.

While I'm sure there is variability from area to area, and especially from school to school, I wouldn't worry about you, being a paramedic, not being able to make it through a bridge program and then passing NCLEX.

 

[762513]

I know several paramedics who did bridge programs to ADN, two of whom went further into BSN, and one of them then went PA.

Never heard of a paramedic who couldn't complete it or failed NCLEX. I'm sure they exist, but everyone I've talked to has said paramedic school was more difficult than nursing.

While I'm sure there is variability from area to area, and especially from school to school, I wouldn't worry about you, being a paramedic, not being able to make it through a bridge program and then passing NCLEX.

I've actually done both instead of "talked to people" who have done both.

This is poor advice. Nursing is much more difficult than paramedic.

The national registry is straight forward. The NCLEX is not.

 

[Boatswain2PA]

But remember....I'm right 90% of the time (according to pamac)!!

 

[762513]

But remember....I'm right 90% of the time (according to pamac)!!

Is giving an opinion on a topic you have no first hand knowledge of but allows you to bash nurses an example of you providing a "different perspective" ?

If a Paramedic wants to go to nursing and NP school, it may be wise to let other Paramedics who have gone to nursing and NP school answer those questions,

I don't respond on PA school question posts, do I?

 

[Boatswain2PA]

I have never bashed nurses. Ever. You can retreat to your "safe space" now, review all the posts I have EVER made, and you won't find a single one where I bash nurses.

I've never had DKA either, but I know a whole lot about it.

I also know a whole lot about not only the various pathways that PAs and NPs can take, along with the in-depth history of both of these professions. I kinda had to learn that stuff when I was working on my masters thesis, which was on the future of both of these professions, for my Masters of Public Health.

Respond away to PA school questions, you can't look any more ridiculously militant than you already do.

 

[762513]

I have never bashed nurses. Ever. You can retreat to your "safe space" now, review all the posts I have EVER made, and you won't find a single one where I bash nurses.

I've never had DKA either, but I know a whole lot about it.

I also know a whole lot about not only the various pathways that PAs and NPs can take, along with the in-depth history of both of these professions. I kinda had to learn that stuff when I was working on my masters thesis, which was on the future of both of these professions, for my Masters of Public Health.

Respond away to PA school questions, you can't look any more ridiculously militant than you already do.

What a horrible analogy. Feel free to keep lying to yourself, but when the OP comes on for advice, let people who hold the licenses he is asking about give it to him.

 

[Boatswain2PA]

What a horrible analogy. Feel free to keep lying to yourself, but when the OP comes on for advice, let people who hold the licenses he is asking about give it to him.

So now you're demanding I just stay in the corner and be silent now Cupcake? I think not. I wore the uniform of this country for 20 years...think I'll have my say anywhere I damn well want to. We're not in your liberal-ass Hawaiian Academia where anyone with a confounding opinion can be shut down by students demanding their safe space.

If you want only "licensed" people to talk about the career paths, you could set the example and not talk about MD/DOs, PAs....or even NPs because you're still in school.

 

[762513]

I wore the uniform of this nation for twenty years, I'll do whatever I please here Cupcake. If it offends you, then leave.

Wow. Hero. That makes you special? I spent a year in a combat zone carrying a rifle too. Keep asking for civility and calling me "cupcake." I bet it will work!

 

[pamac]

I had a paramedic study buddy in ADN school. He was a smart kid, so he would have been successful whether he was a paramedic or not. He said that nursing school was harder overall, just because if what was said about nursing having a lot more nuance in the material you had to master. Said that a lot of paramedicine involved basically mastering flow charts and things of that nature. I didn't take that to mean that it was more rigorous. For me, coming from a very high science red meat academic environment that was pre med on steroids (I took every human biology elective my university had, as well as advanced anatomy and phys courses.... took the anat and phys ones again at another university to have them fresh on my transcript for when I applied to PA schools), and I struggled with nursing school. This wasn't because it was particularly rigorous at all, but I had to grasp the nuances of the trade. I was used to black and white thinking. Nursing school, and the nclex, to this day seem both to be exercises in nuance that bordered on being highly subjective. With the wrong supervisor, it even seems that the workplace is filled with that too, so in that regard, maybe it gets you ready for that. I felt like a lot of the questions on tests were the ultimate "gotcha" questions. But who am I to question whether that makes a good nurse or not, because apparently a gaggle of nursing educators can agree on enough to be able to put together curriculum and standardized tests that are in lockstep with one another.

A quick case study illustrating where common sense gets in the way of prioritization according to the nursing mindset:

I get a patient from the ER that has been covered in vomit for half an hour before arriving to my unit right as I was gathering meds before the pharmacy closed in 3 minutes (because I wouldn't be able to get the medication I needed for another patient without calling a pharmacist in during the middle of their 45 minute drive home). The correct answer, according to my supervisor at the time, was not to delegate the task of cleanup to the CNA on the floor, nor the ED nurse who "needed to get back to the ED", but to actually do the job myself, and somehow also get the medication from the pharmacy. Patient care comes first, as one could understand, but delegating to a capable CNA while you do something only an RN can do doesn't come second in that flowchart because the CNA didn't feel like getting that project started at the time. There might be times when your paramedic mindset clashes with a nurses mindset.

 

[762513]

I had a paramedic study buddy in ADN school. He was a smart kid, so he would have been successful whether he was a paramedic or not. He said that nursing school was harder overall, just because if what was said about nursing having a lot more nuance in the material you had to master. Said that a lot of paramedicine involved basically mastering flow charts and things of that nature. I didn't take that to mean that it was more rigorous. For me, coming from a very high science red meat academic environment that was pre med on steroids (I took every human biology elective my university had, as well as advanced anatomy and phys courses.... took the anat and phys ones again at another university to have them fresh on my transcript for when I applied to PA schools), and I struggled with nursing school. This wasn't because it was particularly rigorous at all, but I had to grasp the nuances of the trade. I was used to black and white thinking. Nursing school, and the nclex, to this day seem both to be exercises in nuance that bordered on being highly subjective. With the wrong supervisor, it even seems that the workplace is filled with that too, so in that regard, maybe it gets you ready for that. I felt like a lot of the questions on tests were the ultimate "gotcha" questions. But who am I to question whether that makes a good nurse or not, because apparently a gaggle of nursing educators can agree on enough to be able to put together curriculum and standardized tests that are in lockstep with one another.

A quick case study illustrating where common sense gets in the way of prioritization according to the nursing mindset:

I get a patient from the ER that has been covered in vomit for half an hour before arriving to my unit right as I was gathering meds before the pharmacy closed in 3 minutes (because I wouldn't be able to get the medication I needed for another patient without calling a pharmacist in during the middle of their 45 minute drive home). The correct answer, according to my supervisor at the time, was not to delegate the task of cleanup to the CNA on the floor, nor the ED nurse who "needed to get back to the ED", but to actually do the job myself, and somehow also get the medication from the pharmacy. Patient care comes first, as one could understand, but delegating to a capable CNA while you do something only an RN can do doesn't come second in that flowchart because the CNA didn't feel like getting that project started at the time. There might be times when your paramedic mindset clashes with a nurses mindset.

I wince everytime you tell that story. Nurses often are bullied by people both above and below and the patient themselves. There are days I come to work and am a punching bag for 13 hours. No wonder "nurses eat their young" ... they can't eat anyone else!

 

[pamac]

The solution for me has been to adapt and anticipate those kinds of things, and work to head them off actively. I appreciated the results for the most part because it basically involves being extra kind and working harder to step in and help folks on the floor... Being more outgoing. Key is not burning yourself out on it, nor enabling folks around you to manipulate. Having expectations of people is healthy. So is being willing to ask directly what folks expectations are.