Excelsior?

bkthicklady · Mar 28, 2008

You can't get onto EC's site because you aren't a student yet, but I can. I am preparing for the "final exam"--the only hands-on-patient experience we will have, the CPNE. It is 2.5 days of patient care and skill testing with exacting criteria and 100% accruracy to pass. Here is one student's writing after spending about $4500:
"Hi everyone, That's right, I failed this weekend in Atlanta. Talk about pathetic. I'm sure this post wont stay on this site very long, but I would definetely "NOT" adivce this program to anyone. I hope atleast one person will read this.
My labs started on Friday, I had this very nice CE named Bonnie. She was the Best. It's amazing how a smile and friendly gesture can reduce your stress. I passed the IV med station without any problems. Then I go to the IVP station. The CE there was a lady named Yvonne. Talk about Pissy!! I thought I contaminated my syrynge a couple times and so I disposed of it in the sharps container. When I did so about the last time, she rolled her eyes and slumped back into her chair. I couldn't get the syrynge to flush. I'm not the only one that had this problem. It would turn but not advance with a little push. The syrynges would stick, even after I had plunged it a couple times. I started pushing and doing the turning method, in which I had a 1/2 ml to give. After about 30 seconds I asked the CE if she thought any of my med had gone in. She said, I'm not sure, or something to that effect and was going to ask the CA about that. We had to wait about five minutes for the CA to get over to our station and they failed me because my time was up. My time wouldn't have been up if the CE wouldn't have asked for the CA. I DID NOT Fail any critical elements. I just had not pushed any med in and I would've started pushing if she woud've said, no, none is going in. I tried to explain the situation to the CA and she said that I shouldn't argue with her right there. She said I failed because I hadn't pushed any of the med in in that minute. As far as I am aware, you have more than a minute to infuse, you just can't be over. She said well your time expired, but again, it wouldn't have if she woudn't have taken so long to get over to us and was it my fault that the CE didn't know how to answer my question and that the CA was busy???? I don't think so.
Anyways, I was freaked out and went on to my sub Q injection. My hands were shaking like crazy. The fluid in the bottle was moving all around. I forgot to put gloves on. Yes, I know I shoud've gloved, but I was so upset about failing unfairly I wasn't even thinking about that station. You hear that they aren't out to fail you, but you know what, you would think that if they knew you were upset, they would give you a few minutes to re group yourself. Ya right.
Next day, I about failed my PCS because I had Pain Management and I reassed my pain level, but put it under the vital sign section and not under the pain management station. It was documented for pete's sake. She thought she was doing me a grand ole favor by passing me. How sweet!!
I redone my IVP and I removed my gloves after palpating the sight. Hmmmmmm...... In one of my telephone conferences, the lady told me that if anything, you would remove your gloves so you don't contaminate supplies.
This is how this whole school program has gone. You hear so many different stories from everyone, so you don't know what is actually right. Even the workshop was that way. (You put 750 dollars into the workshop, and then you get critiqued by another clueless student... Nice)
As I said before, the CA was not friendly at all. She was not a CA that was on our side.
Does it mean anything that the first four of us were done around the same time and we all failed???
I'm very disapointed with this school, the money you put into it, and then you can fail in a matter of minutes????
They say that they aren't out to fail you, but they are looking for anything to fail you.
I'm pretty upset about this and I WOULD NOT recommend this school to anyone. There are other options out there. This school doesn't help you to suceed. They don't care if you fail or you pass. You're just another number. Another way for them to make some more money.
I sure hope that those of you who are debating on whether or not to start this school, you would not do so and go to a traditional school. They do have online LPN to RN programs that would be so much better. I should've got out when I first started when I was only a few thousand dollars in debt. Now I am several dollars in debt and I have nothing to show for it. This is the biggest waste of time, energy and money."
I am not saying one way or the other about her experience, but it is something that you as a future student need to see. You will also read glowing reports from those who pass. Personally, i think the school needs to find a better way to evaluate students after we have come so far down a dark lane. The point that sent me around the bend is an example given in EC's text on the test: you can FAIL a patient care situation (and the whole weekend) for not including 1 ml of oral Nystatin in their Intake record. I'm not talking about forgetting to put it in the Med. section. I'm talking about including it with the 750ml of breakfast drinks. But you don't need to specify what kind of lung sounds a pt with COPD has--you need only choose "'normal" or "abnormal". Why? because it is easy to quantify 1 ml and harder to agree on crackles/light ronchi or bronchovesicular/bronchial . But which would you rather have you nurse be able to do?
(if anyone wants to read her post from themselves, look on the EPN Dec 16, 8 pm. "a big F in Atlanta")
Just blowing off a little steam after studying. Got to change my attitude, because i have already paid my money.
New attitude I LOVE EXCELSIOR!

That was a horrible experience, :cry: :cry: I hope you can stay strong and continue to strive for your goal as becoming a RN:bowingpur. I recently graduated:yeah: and was strongly considering Excelsior. I've heard good and bad things about the program. with my job schedule and kids. it's seems to be the best option for me. Do you have another oppurtunity to take the CPNE again? Excelsior told me you have up to three separate trials to pass.

cfna033 · Jan 17, 2009

Is there anyone in this group doing Excelsior fro Ft. Lauderale, Florida? I am about to start the program and very nervous..

elena121 · Jan 18, 2009

"Hi everyone, That's right, I failed this weekend in Atlanta. Talk about pathetic. I'm sure this post wont stay on this site very long, but I would definetely "NOT" adivce this program to anyone. I hope atleast one person will read this.
I thought I contaminated my syrynge a couple times and so I disposed of it in the sharps container. When I did so about the last time, she rolled her eyes and slumped back into her chair. I couldn't get the syrynge to flush. I'm not the only one that had this problem. It would turn but not advance with a little push. The syrynges would stick, even after I had plunged it a couple times. I started pushing and doing the turning method, in which I had a 1/2 ml to give. After about 30 seconds I asked the CE if she thought any of my med had gone in. She said, I'm not sure, or something to that effect and was going to ask the CA about that. We had to wait about five minutes for the CA to get over to our station and they failed me because my time was up. My time wouldn't have been up if the CE wouldn't have asked for the CA. I DID NOT Fail any critical elements. I just had not pushed any med in and I would've started pushing if she woud've said, no, none is going in. I tried to explain the situation to the CA and she said that I shouldn't argue with her right there. She said I failed because I hadn't pushed any of the med in in that minute. As far as I am aware, you have more than a minute to infuse, you just can't be over. She said well your time expired, but again, it wouldn't have if she woudn't have taken so long to get over to us and was it my fault that the CE didn't know how to answer my question and that the CA was busy???? I don't think so.
Anyways, I was freaked out and went on to my sub Q injection. My hands were shaking like crazy. The fluid in the bottle was moving all around. I forgot to put gloves on. Yes, I know I shoud've gloved, but I was so upset about failing unfairly I wasn't even thinking about that station. You hear that they aren't out to fail you, but you know what, you would think that if they knew you were upset, they would give you a few minutes to re group yourself. Ya right.
Next day, I about failed my PCS because I had Pain Management and I reassed my pain level, but put it under the vital sign section and not under the pain management station. It was documented for pete's sake. She thought she was doing me a grand ole favor by passing me. How sweet!!
I redone my IVP and I removed my gloves after palpating the sight. Hmmmmmm...... In one of my telephone conferences, the lady told me that if anything, you would remove your gloves so you don't contaminate supplies.
The point that sent me around the bend is an example given in EC's text on the test: you can FAIL a patient care situation (and the whole weekend) for not including 1 ml of oral Nystatin in their Intake record. I'm not talking about forgetting to put it in the Med. section. I'm talking about including it with the 750ml of breakfast drinks.

well, it is not so unfair..

If students don't use gloves..forget the basic I&O and cannot push med..or forget to wash their hands and provide privacy, or don't know what classifies as vital sign...i guess they have to be failed..

Even a CNA won't forget to do all these..( except pushing meds)..

next time the experience from the failing will help..

I know about stress ..but still ..