Excelsior FL nursing grad endorsement dillema

U.S.A. Florida

Published

i'm an excelsior nurse grad, non-lpn, rn licensed in another state, still no nursing experience, who live in florida. i came upon a memo dated july 2007 in the fl board of nursing website regarding endorsement of excelsior nursing graduates. i gathered they will accept experienced lpns for endorsement but for all other excelsior nursing graduates they will require 2 years experience out of state or work from a local veterans hospital. i have contacted the endorsement unit at the board and they said it would be best to give an application for endorsement with a 'variance'. (variance as i understand is like a petition to the fl boards to accept your endorsement-- for which i was advised to seek legal assistance or lawyer to draft it). i think it would not matter at this time if i graduated prior to their released memo in july 2007. that would not be enough to exempt me from the 'variance' rule because i am still an excelsior graduate.

it's just so disappointing that fl boards did not give enough time for students like us or for excelsior to prepare for this kind of situation--that they suddenly changed the rules on online graduates. and the options they're suggesting is very limiting: 2 years experience out of state, or 2 years experience at a local veterans hospital. in my case, i cannot just move and practice elsewhere because i have kids and i cannot practice in a va hospital because i'm not yet an american citizen. besides, what are the chances of a newly graduate/no experience rn getting accepted??..

so my option right now, after spending so much time and money to become an rn, is to take my chance (and spend more money!:bugeyes:) to apply for endorsement with the variance. my question is: anybody with a similar situation?? knowing a lawyer who handled same case will be very much helpful:typing

i just want to know that i'm not alone in this mess and i want to warn the current fl excelsior nursing students of what they may have to face in the future should they apply for endorsement in fl. :nurse:

Specializes in Tele.

I agree. FL is a horrible state. great weather. but horrible rule.

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HERE

HERE

are the links for the information about Florida n Excelsior. The second one is the transcript from the board of nursing and Excelsior reps, who met trying to iron this out. In attendance representing Excelsior were:

JOSEPH PORTER, ESQUIRE, for Excelsior College

BRIDGET NETTLETON, Ph.D., R.N., Dean, Excelsior College

It is a 51 page document that, if you take the time to read, shows Florida's lack of "understanding" of what Excelsior is about in regards to "clinical experience." Anywho, just thought some of you might like to read and see what the real details behind the decision making was. This is from the FBON website, BTW.

Good luck to all of you caught in the middle of this mess.

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Not sure if someone addressed this. If you read through the document(s) and the decision there is a way. If you went non-PN to ADN through Excelsior and were enrolled as of the date of Oct-?-2007 and finish by 2010 you will be given special "variance". You have to request this to be able to sit for testing in FL. I think (if I interpreted right) it cuts out having to test in another state and then endorse over to FL. The FL BON has a list of Excelsior grads/students that they will make this dispensation for. I'm sure you can verify with them that you are on this list and the procedure you'll have to follow.

If you read the minutes it seems every effort was made on the part of FLBON and Excelsior to prevent you guys from falling through the cracks. I hope it actually works.

Best of Luck

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Specializes in LTAC, Telemetry, Thoracic Surgery, ED.

Tampagirl, I have read your comments .......but before I make any comment that may be perceived as negative may I ask what kind of experience you have in nursing and additionally with regards to Excelsior and their clinicals that leads to your comments?

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honestly, this is simply such total crap. i'm a paramedic to nurse via excelsior.. no one has ever even questioned where i went to school or how i got my rn license.

this is all about a turf war wherein crazy women (this is the truth, after all) who run the nursing schools have the ear of the florida bon... and these control freaks would love nothing more than to shut down a program that challenges their exclusive rule.

i would never in a million years made it through the sheer stupidity of a traditional nursing program. for the florida bon to pretend that the paramedic clinicals and exam don't essentially fullfill the clinical component of nursing school.. (yes, virginia... there is TONS of overlap.).. well, it's just politically motivated. rather than actaully study the performance of excelsior grads in nursing ... we get this knee jerk reaction.

pitiful!

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Specializes in ICU, PICC Nurse, Nursing Supervisor.

first thing you must understand here is that excelsior does not have clinical. they have a clinical evaluation ...big difference. most rn schools do not have 1000 hours and the requirement according to the florida bon is 50% of the nursing program must be clinical. now please dont make me post a link cause ill probably never find that again.

many things in nursing you never learn nor perfect in nursing school. most of your procedures are a introduction and you learn them when you get to the real world. that is why clinical folks that are non- nurses are sucessful . a lot of this stuff over laps from job to job... you dont have to be a lvn o rn to start a iv, give meds, do wound care there are other people that can do that stuff.

as far as repeative procedures...honey i have clocked in 30,000 plus hours of repeative procedures i think that is enough clinical for one life time...

i know that you're constantly learning but three days (36 hrs) compared to the almost 1000 hrs that a student that goes to a traditional program that requires clinicals is a big difference. a exam is the student going to a facility once and performing each skill only once in front of a nurse (who may cut corners him/herself, not do procedures the way they should be done or the way she was taught in this program, not pay attention and tell you that you're doing something wrong, not want to deal with a check off list and start marking things without seeing them done, etc.) check you off. clinicals have a lot of repeatative procedures that you will do to help you to understand how to do this properly.

i can bet this is why the state wants at least two years of experience before they'll give you a license in this state and from what i saw on the bon website about this situation (in regards to non lpn's getting a rn this way) the school knew about this for awhile and weren't relaying this to their students but in this case it looks like she was living in another state that's why she was unaware of the ruling until now. this is why these online schools are shady. i wonder how many other students are going to have problems when other states start refusing those licensed from graduating at that school.

there's a girl in my class that wants to move to new york and whether or not she gets her license there or here they want 200 ceu in exchange for the clinical hours she lacking because ny requires more clinical hours than fl.

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Specializes in ICU, PICC Nurse, Nursing Supervisor.

:yeahthat:

Tampagirl, I have read your comments .......but before I make any comment that may be perceived as negative may I ask what kind of experience you have in nursing and additionally with regards to Excelsior and their clinicals that leads to your comments?
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Specializes in Tele.
i'm an excelsior nurse grad, non-lpn, rn licensed in another state, still no nursing experience, who live in florida. i came upon a memo dated july 2007 in the fl board of nursing website regarding endorsement of excelsior nursing graduates. i gathered they will accept experienced lpns for endorsement but for all other excelsior nursing graduates they will require 2 years experience out of state or work from a local veterans hospital. i have contacted the endorsement unit at the board and they said it would be best to give an application for endorsement with a 'variance'. (variance as i understand is like a petition to the fl boards to accept your endorsement-- for which i was advised to seek legal assistance or lawyer to draft it). i think it would not matter at this time if i graduated prior to their released memo in july 2007. that would not be enough to exempt me from the 'variance' rule because i am still an excelsior graduate.

it's just so disappointing that fl boards did not give enough time for students like us or for excelsior to prepare for this kind of situation--that they suddenly changed the rules on online graduates. and the options they're suggesting is very limiting: 2 years experience out of state, or 2 years experience at a local veterans hospital. in my case, i cannot just move and practice elsewhere because i have kids and i cannot practice in a va hospital because i'm not yet an american citizen. besides, what are the chances of a newly graduate/no experience rn getting accepted??..

so my option right now, after spending so much time and money to become an rn, is to take my chance (and spend more money!:bugeyes:) to apply for endorsement with the variance. my question is: anybody with a similar situation?? knowing a lawyer who handled same case will be very much helpful:typing

i just want to know that i'm not alone in this mess and i want to warn the current fl excelsior nursing students of what they may have to face in the future should they apply for endorsement in fl. :nurse:

did you ever get this figured out?

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yep, i got it all figured out! in the real world nobody cares whether you graduate from excelsior or any other nursing schools. the patients will all be grateful as long as you do your job as you should.

the only sickening reality is-- you have to abide by the rules (endorsement procedures), no matter how ****** it is, if you want to get a license and eventually work in the place you want to be. then afterwards just cross your fingers and hope you'd be happy with what you did... and get well compensated with the job you get to pay for all the extra expenses you incurred in doing the process!

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Specializes in Tele.

Did you continue the EC school??

and if you are working already, congrats!

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