According to the National Center for Education Statistics, more than 90 schools offer registered nursing programs in Texas. Many of these schools provide advanced placement options for licensed EMT-paramedics, providing them credit for knowledge obtained through their paramedic training. Paramedics can transition to registered nursing careers in less than two years.
Overview of schools
Schools such as South Texas College, Trinity Valley Community College and schools in the Lone Star College System, offer special programs or advanced placement for paramedics. Students with paramedic certification may be able to bypass first-year nursing courses, such as introduction to nursing classes, or prerequisites courses, including anatomy and physiology or biology.
Admission requirements
Requirements vary by school. Most paramedic to RN transition programs or advanced placement programs require applicants to be licensed EMT-paramedics. Some programs require at least one year of work experience as a paramedic or may require an associate's degree. Students may also be required to take all or part o f the HESI A2 entrance exam. Applicants for the RN programs must meet all undergraduate general entrance requirements for the school, which may include a high school diploma, minimum grade point average or a minimum score on college entrance exams.
Program prerequisites
Applicants may need to complete prerequisite courses to be placed in an advanced track or transitional program. These courses might include English composition, anatomy and physiology, microbiology, physics and math.
Completing a transition program
Because paramedics have already received some of the training provided in typical RN program, transition programs, or advanced track programs, can often be completed in less than the two years it usually takes for a traditional program. For example, for the program offered at Trinity Valley, paramedic transition students take courses over the summer and then enter into the second year of the program in the fall any may finish the following spring. Students still take nursing practice and client care courses and participate in nursing clinical rotations.
NCLEX-RN exam
Upon completion of the program, students will take the National Council Licensure Examination, usually referred to as the NCLEX-RN exam, to become licensed registered nurses. The exam covers basic areas of client needs, including safety, management of care, health promotion, pharmacological therapies and risk reduction.
Job outlook
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, RNs can expect excellent job opportunities through 2018 and employment is expected to grow at a faster than average rate. The mean annual wage in 2009 for RNs in Texas was $64,670 annually.
References
- National Center for Education Statistics College Navigator
- South Texas College: AND Handbook
- Lone Star College System: Additional Nursing Program Requirements
- Trinity Valley Community College: Health Sciences: ADN program
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook: Registered Nurses
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