wyoungs Posted May 22, 2008 Posted May 22, 2008 I am looking into getting my RN online through this group called iStudy.com and Excelsior College. Its a great deal of money for a city servant. My question out there to you all is, have any one taken this program and done anything with it? Was just curious, Thanks
Ridryder 911 Posted May 22, 2008 Posted May 22, 2008 Do a search, you will find that it is NOT recommended! Many states do not recognize your RN, (even if you are licensed from another state). Unlike EMS, it also depends upon where you obtained your education, as well many institutions do not honor it as a B.S. degree, and one has to take additional courses or may not be allowed for upper level advancement. I suggest the traditional route or bridge program. R/r 911
Dustdevil Posted May 22, 2008 Posted May 22, 2008 No need to do a search. Here is everything you need to know: First of all, you don't get your degree online through Excelsior. It is not an online programme. It is a programme to validate knowledge, education, and training you already have. If you have to use something like i Study, then you don't already have that knowledge, education, and training, and have no business going this route. less than ten percent of all who start the programme ever successfully finish and graduate. And those who do were either already great LVNs or long time military hospital medics, or else they are just good test takers and turn out to be suck-arse nurses. Every other nurse they work with can tell they never went to nursing school because they don't know shit except how to take a written test. There is ZERO benefit to this programme. None. It's more expensive than nursing school. It takes years longer than nursing school. It's much harder than nursing school. And it gives you NO education. If you can find some sort of benefit in that scenario, then you are hallucinating. But if you, like every other EMT or medic who thinks that their EMS experience translates to "knowing all that stuff nurses know", want to waste your time and money just to admit four years down the line that you can't get 'er done, then knock yourself out. iStudy, Rue, and all those other companies, as well as Excelsior itself, makes millions more off of their FAILURES than they ever will from their graduates. Feel free to send them your money.
VentMedic Posted May 23, 2008 Posted May 23, 2008 If you obtain an entry level RN degree by mail order, you will have no practical nursing experience. The first time your nurse preceptor has to show you the correct way to take a rectal temp it will be your arse that's feeling the pain. For Florida, I believe an Excelsior grad must work in another state for at least two years before applying for a Florida Nursing license. The ICUs at the hospital I work at will not even interview an Excelsior grad. You might be able to pick up an ED job in some desparate hospital. Nursing homes are desparate but they prefer an RN that has proven themselves to handle a full+ med-surg assignment. EMT-P does not prepare you for that. For a decent RN job, you may be competing with the BSN graduates which are coming out in big numbers in some areas. I have 8 different schools in just my area graduating new RNs. There is also another higher degree that the hospitals are paying big money to recruit...the entry level MSN. If you have a Bachelors degree in another profession, regardless of what it is, you may get your entry level MSN in 14 - 20 months depending on your sciences. Since most nurse educator positions either in the hospital or college systems require a Masters, these grads are being recruited in a big way. In summary, despite what you have heard about a nursing shortage, the competition is there for the better RNs jobs. Very few Paramedics-turned-RN last more than a week on med-surg if not adequately prepared.
ccmedoc Posted May 23, 2008 Posted May 23, 2008 For a decent RN job, you may be competing with the BSN graduates which are coming out in big numbers in some areas. Very true. Even if you get an interview..IF..You will most likely have to prove your skills in a competency lab..Very few of which can be attained in EMS. There is also another higher degree that the hospitals are paying big money to recruit...the entry level MSN. If you have a Bachelors degree in another profession, regardless of what it is, you may get your entry level MSN in 14 - 20 months depending on your sciences. This, I have not seen. I have seen the accelerated 12 and 24 month generic Bachelors to BSN programs, but never a generic bachelors to MSN. The MSN, and NP, is to be phased out shortly in favor of DNP..A lot of people think this won't happen, but I believe it will. In short, save your money and time. Get the pre-requisites you need and attend an accredited ADN or BSN program. Most BSN programs are only slightly longer than ADN programs, but the course work and expected quality of this work is greatly increased. Most of these require more advanced sciences than associates. It mostly depends on what you want to do as a nurse. If you are doing it for the money, find life elsewhere. You have to want to do it to have any longevity.. In my opinion.
VentMedic Posted May 23, 2008 Posted May 23, 2008 This, I have not seen. I have seen the accelerated 12 and 24 month generic Bachelors to BSN programs, but never a generic bachelors to MSN. I have a friend in this program in California. It is expensive but he already has a hospital willing to reimburse him for most of his tuition. http://www.samuelmerritt.edu/nursing/elms_nursing I can not remember which of the many Florida nursing programs also have the entry level MSN. I just know we have a lot of NPs in the area. Some of the NPs are flying to California to work a few days for a serious wage and then returning to their FL home for the rest of the month. Edit: for clarification of which program being referred to.
Dustdevil Posted May 23, 2008 Posted May 23, 2008 I have a friend in this program in California. It is expensive but he already has a hospital willing to reimburse him for most of his tuition. Why would they be anxious to fund the tuition for a guy who won't be able to get a Kalifornia licence? :?
VentMedic Posted May 23, 2008 Posted May 23, 2008 Why wouldn't he be able to get a CA license? It is a full RN program complete with clinicals. Instead of calling it ADN for the two years, they honor his Bachelors and call it an MSN. Entry Master of Science in Nursing - Students complete the full pre-licensure curriculum in an accelerated, 16 month program. Entry MSN students experience all clinical components described above, enabling them to sit for the NCLEX licensing exam. After completing pre-licensure content, students continue in their declared clinical track (see below).
Dustdevil Posted May 23, 2008 Posted May 23, 2008 Why wouldn't he be able to get a CA license? It is a full RN program complete with clinicals. Instead of calling it ADN for the two years, they honor his Bachelors and call it an MSN. Sorry, I didn't realise that you had completely departed from the original topic. I thought you were talking about Excelsior.
VentMedic Posted May 23, 2008 Posted May 23, 2008 My apologies. I was replying to ccmedoc. You are right about California not honoring the Excelisor program.
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