Did anyone who Graduated from Excelsior College had problems when trying.

[northernnyLPN]

Hello,

I've just sent in my first payment to start taking classes from Excelsior to get my ADN. When I called the school where I got my LPN, I was told by the director that Colleges are not recognizing ADN from Excelsior college because they do not have a Clinical Component. Is this true, I did call Excelsior and was told that California will no longer accept students from Excelsior to sit for the Boards. But those that are already enrolled will be allowed but no new students. Has anyone had any problems in the past or present with going on to get your BSN from a different colleg? Say Pace University or Stony Brook? Thank you for any information you can give me. I don't want to be halfway through with Excelsior and find out it will be useless to me..

Thanks:)

[ddc101]

i have been getting lots of contact from chancellors.has anyone ever used them and do i need them whatsoever? i currently take classes at lsu but i would love to speed up the process.

[chris_at_lucas_RN, RN]

I don't know that Chancellor's has anything except stuff to support Excelsior College nursing students. That is, to my knowledge, what they have are notes geared to the Nursing Concepts examinations that Excelsior nursing students take.

If you are attending LSU, a traditional nursing school, I cannot see what use that would be to you, but they may have more than what I know about.

Insofar as Excelsior College students (of which I am one, for the moment--waiting to graduate) needing Chancellor's, they had nothing that wasn't available for free online.

If you have finished at least half the clinicals required for your degree, you would be eligible the apply for admission to Excelsior College, and that could hurry you up (it was less than 3 months from the day I took my first exam to my last). However, there is some waiting involved, and it might wind up being just as long on the calendar (or longer) for you to finish, compared to students in your traditional nursing class (as was my experience).

But I may also have totally misunderstood your question, so if I have missed your point, please clarify....

[Spazzy Nurse, RN]

i have been getting lots of contact from chancellors.

those 3rd parties (chancellor's, rue, college network, excel advantage, etc.) will pester the heck out of lpns. they are companies that are not at all affiliated with excelsior college. yes, you can use them, but you will spend a ton of money going that route, and you will be using study materials made by a company that makes up their study guides by sending their employees in to take ec exams and trying to remember what was on them to make up their study guides. i heard that with my own ears from a rue employee. pretty brilliant, eh?

[ddc101]

Those 3rd parties (Chancellor's, RUE, College Network, Excel Advantage, etc.) will pester the heck out of LPNs. They are companies that are not at all affiliated with Excelsior College. Yes, you can use them, but you will spend a ton of money going that route, and you will be using study materials made by a company that makes up their study guides by sending their employees in to take EC exams and trying to remember what was on them to make up their study guides. I heard that with my own ears from a RUE employee. Pretty brilliant, eh?

So in all actuality I could go the straight Excelsior route then? I was wondering.

And no I am not into the clinical area yet.I am an LPN trying to get all the prerequisites for Fast Track.But I was thinking if I could do distance Ed straight through Excelsior I could work more since I have to pay my own college anyway.

Thanks.

[barbiedee]

Amen Chris. Do your homework before committing $$$. I did a lot of research before registering for Excelsior College. There are more states than just California who require additional clinical hours before granting licensure. (I believe they are Illinois, New Hampshire and Georgia. This information was given to me by a study guide company recruiter while I was investigating study options) Education is a big money business, and there are companies and people out there that will take advantage of anyone with a chequebook or credit card. So it really is "buyer beware". Do research on websites like this, read postings about schools and service providers. Don't just believe everything you see on a company's website. (we won't name any names.) A few hours researching can save you tons of money, time and frustration!

[DC2RN]

Amen Chris. Do your homework before committing $$$. I did a lot of research before registering for Excelsior College. There are more states than just California who require additional clinical hours before granting licensure. (I believe they are Illinois, New Hampshire and Georgia. This information was given to me by a study guide company recruiter while I was investigating study options) Education is a big money business, and there are companies and people out there that will take advantage of anyone with a chequebook or credit card. So it really is "buyer beware". Do research on websites like this, read postings about schools and service providers. Don't just believe everything you see on a company's website. (we won't name any names.) A few hours researching can save you tons of money, time and frustration!

I know it has been said several times on this thread, but I feel it has to be said again, because there is a lot of misunderstanding about Excelsior. You are right that you cannot get a license directly from Illinois or Georgia with an Excelsior ADN. You can, however, get a New York RN license, and New York has reciprocity with 42 other states, including Illinois and Georgia. It is another step, but if you are a LPN who cannot go the traditional route for your RN, it is not that bad. California is the only state that will not accept Excelsior grads enrolled after 12-06-03.

[chris_at_lucas_RN, RN]

So in all actuality I could go the straight Excelsior route then? I was wondering. And no I am not into the clinical area yet. I am an LPN trying to get all the prerequisites for Fast Track. But I was thinking if I could do distance Ed straight through Excelsior I could work more since I have to pay my own college anyway. Thanks.

Excelsior considers (apparently) that if you are an LPN, you are getting clinical exposure at work and have the opportunity, under an RN's supervision, to expand your areas of familiarity with various skills.

As an LPN, you would meet Excelsior's admission criteria.

I too paid my way through nursing school (and all the rest of my education as well) and it really makes a difference being able to completely tailor your schooling to your own schedule.

No PowerPoint presentations, no papers due, no appointments where you must be in a classroom or on a chatline. They give you everything you could possibly need in terms of "assigned readings," and they're available by telephone, email or fax, during normal business hours (and some early evenings--I forget which). And you go out there (or in my case, get on line) and learn, learn, learn.

I thought it was terrific.

Good luck, and let us know if we can be helpful. Somebody's almost always here! (LOL)

[Sheri257]

If you have finished at least half the clinicals required for your degree, you would be eligible the apply for admission to Excelsior College.

This is probably the weirdest thing about the pro-Excelsior arguments. Especially when you go on about how supposedly tough the admission and course requirements are, and how it meets the requirements of other schools.

Don't get me wrong. I'm sure it's tough. Just like LVN school is tough. And the first year of nursing school is tough. But it's still not going to qualify you as an RN in California, if that's all you've done.

If only half the clinicals are required, and there's only the two and a half day CPNE exam besides that, how does this meet the requirements? Especially since the CPNE doesn't test for the additional clinicals required in the last year of nursing school.

Half is still only half of the clinicals required elsewhere. How many schools allow you take half the clinicals and still graduate with a degree? Not many. How is this supposed to measure up to other programs or state requirements?

I guess you guys think the state is supposed to assume people will pick up the rest of the clinical skills on the job. But how is the state supposed to know this? How are they supposed to verify that people get the additional training if nobody's watching, and it's not even tested in CPNE?

It's a very strange argument and doesn't make much sense.

[chris_at_lucas_RN, RN]

Perhaps it would be clearer if you considered that with Excelsior College, it isn't what you have done, because anybody can live long enough to complete clinicals and pass with a C or better (or B or better, or whatever the subjective grade minimum would be).

With Excelsior College, it is all about what you can do. You have to be able to demonstrate certain skills.

Anyone who has been through clinicals knows you can avoid doing (or just not get the chance to do) certain skills.

Do you not think that LVN's have and use nursing skills? Seems to me that they do! And after they graduate and go to work, they get more skills, because they are exposed to them, they learn them, and they do them. I haven't met an LVN yet who wasn't a nurse, but the suggestion is that somehow being an LVN should not be sufficient for entrance into an RN program. If they can do what it takes, why not?

I guess that confuses me. What difference does it make if they are an LVN if they can do the skills of a newly graduated ADN? Isn't that the point?

I would be very surprised if the California BON required any nursing students to have an actual clinical examination. But Excelsior requires this.

It's not about how many hours or minutes you spend in your uniform, being a student nurse on a floor someplace, clocking time in clinicals. There's no consistency there anyway, i.e., no two students will have the same clinical experience. Therefore some will have more than others, and therefore, others will have less than some. Some instructors really do make sure that you can do what you are supposed to do, but many, many (read those posts!) do not. Everybody gets an A--next!

There is much more consistency with Excelsior College: It's what you know and what you can do.

It actually isn't very confusing at all, if you read any of the many, many cogent posts written by Excelsior College students who have succeeded in completing the program, over the past many years, without preconceived negative notions.

Well, I guess it could be confusing, since anything could be confusing....:)

[Sheri257]

Do you not think that LVN's have and use nursing skills? Seems to me that they do! And after they graduate and go to work, they get more skills, because they are exposed to them, they learn them, and they do them. I haven't met an LVN yet who wasn't a nurse, but the suggestion is that somehow being an LVN should not be sufficient for entrance into an RN program. If they can do what it takes, why not?

I guess that confuses me. What difference does it make if they are an LVN if they can do the skills of a newly graduated ADN? Isn't that the point?

There's a fundamental flaw with this argument. Which is: most states won't allow LVN's (or LPN's) to practice as RN's without additional education and training. If LVN's do already have all of the skills, then why don't the states go ahead and simultaneously license them as RN's? They wouldn't have to even bother with Excelsior or any other school.

I haven't heard of any state board which says LVN's have the same skills, let's go ahead and license them as RN's, forget about the other requirements. It just doesn't work that way. Obviously they think LVN's need something more to qualify as RN's.

The other problem is how are they supposed to know that the LVN can do the skills? Take their word for it? That was one of the issues with CPNE in California. It doesn't test for advanced meg surg, psych and geriatric clinicals, which are all required in LVN to RN transition programs.

Then, of course, you've got the problem of other people going through Excelsior who aren't even LVN's. How do you know they have the skills? If CPNE doesn't test for everything LVNs are supposed to know, then how is a two and half day test supposed to cover all the other skills as well?

In the end, the argument seems to boil down to: Trust us. We get the skills on the job. Don't worry about it. Well ... that's not how it works, at least in California.

[chris_at_lucas_RN, RN]

Not going there any more. You are right. You must be right. You keep saying the same things over and over again. Repetition makes for accuracy, doesn't it?

If I follow your most recent argument, I guess nursing students must be allowed to practice as RN's in California. Therefore, they would be eligible to be licensed as RN's. That is what you are implying.

I am still curious, lizz. You never have told us your credentials. What experience or education gives you any sort of insights about Excelsior College? Did they not accept your application?

Are you a nurse? A nursing student? You did say once that you couldn't divulge anything because of some kind of legality. Does that also keep you from making use of Excelsior's programs? Is that where your ire comes from?

So many of us have asked you what your deal with Excelsior College is. Give us a clue! We might be able to relate to you in a more positive way if you ever answered any of those questions! (We've all been pretty open and honest about where we are and where we come from... your turn! :) )

As they say....

Inquiring minds want to know!

[smk1, LPN]

There's a fundamental flaw with this argument. Which is: most states won't allow LVN's (or LPN's) to practice as RN's without additional education and training. If LVN's do already have all of the skills, then why don't the states go ahead and simultaneously license them as RN's? They wouldn't have to even bother with Excelsior or any oti was under the impression that most her school.

i was under the impression that the "skills" were (for the most part) the same for lpn and Rn but the educational knowledge base is what differentiates the two.

I haven't heard of any state board which says LVN's have the same skills, let's go ahead and license them as RN's, forget about the other requirements. It just doesn't work that way. Obviously they think LVN's need something more to qualify as RN's.

Again it think it is just the broader and more in depth education that the state would require.

The other problem is how are they supposed to know that the LVN can do the skills? Take their word for it? That was one of the issues with CPNE in California. It doesn't test for advanced meg surg, psych and geriatric clinicals, which are all required in LVN to RN transition programs.

This would be an issue, especially if one had been working in one specialty for a long time. (i.e. threads about "losing your skills in ltc" etc...)

Then, of course, you've got the problem of other people going through Excelsior who aren't even LVN's. How do you know they have the skills? If CPNE doesn't test for everything LVNs are supposed to know, then how is a two and half day test supposed to cover all the other skills as well?

this i would think would be the biggest concern. People who are not lpns or paramedics/emt-I's. the former would have attained a certain skill set that others probably won't have had. the test should be comprehensive for competency in all areas that other local RN schools look for competency in.

In the end, the argument seems to boil down to: Trust us. We get the skills on the job. Don't worry about it. Well ... that's not how it works, at least in California.

i freely admit that i have no experience regarding excelsior other that what i have read here. It seems like a program that could work for many lpns and paramedics but others might have some problems getting the clinical skills practice. :uhoh21: