How to deal with negative comments about Excelsior

[ltsgnn]

Hello everyone I'm writing to seek some advice on negative responses to Excelsior College. I work at National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. I'm scheduled to take Transitions August 27 so whenever I have down time at work I study for it. Sometimes the RN's I work ask me what I'm studying and I tell them. The RN's I work with proceed to tell me not to do Excelsior and lecture me about how I should go to a real college and get a real education. Please give me advice on how to respond to such comments. I tell the nurses that an Excelsior graduates have a high NCLEX passing rate and the program is accredited by the NLN but these points are ignored. I don't want to hide the fact that I'm doing distance learning but the negative comments I hear are starting to agitate me.

[BetterMeRN]

When I told my manager about getting my RN this way he laughed. I'm an LPN an a busy Med/Surg floor my manager doesn't like LPN's (he said it in orientation) he doesn't even value any of our input. He has no choice because our hospital has a skill mix of RN's and LPN's. Because of team nursing (one RN one LPN and CNA) he always looks for the RN to get his questions answered.

I've already finished all of my nursing classes including the CPNE still working on Micro and then the boards. I can't wait to see the look on his face when I bring my license in hand knowing that I didn't need a teacher to hold my hand through my courses and I did it on my own. I've listened to many RN's give report on my floor and I feel I could run circles around them with my "online education". Hang in there, there is light at the end of the tunnel. I value EC, this was truly the best way for me.

Ro

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

I was proud to be an EC student, and I'm proud to be an EC grad. :) My RN coworkers were with me every step of the way through the program, and they saw how hard I studied and prepared for every exam and the CPNE. If any of them had any preconceived notions about distance learning, they've changed their minds (especially after I *thumped* my CPNE study guide onto the counter at the nurses station -- their faces were OMG priceless! LOL). Our most respected manager is doing her RN-BSN through EC -- she left UoP for EC after she saw how excellent my experience was.

I've never much cared what others thought of me -- just always been that way. I know who I am, and that's good enough for me. I ignore those who criticize.

[Conqueror+, BSN, RN]

Preach it Lunah On topic, I have heard everything fron "good for you girl" to "you people shouldn't be allowed to take boards" and......so what? They don't pay my bills and I don't give a frog's fat fanny what some hater thinks of my plan.

[Medic2RN, BSN, RN, EMT-P]

To the OP: Wow. I'm kind of surprised that in this day and age where it seems as though everyone is working on some sort of degree either online, distance, or a combination thereof...to find people with that mindset. Obviously, those co workers are ignorant of the fact that education if very fluid nowadays.

I'm proud to be an EC grad. I worked hard and spent time away from my family for that degree. I was offered a couple of nice positions prior to even taking the NCLEX because the NMs loved EC grads due to their discipline and devotion. (I wish I lived near that Level 1 trauma center!)

Keep doing your own thing and ignore them. These little biddies will pick some other topic to complain and bicker about.

Let them chew their cud!

Best wishes to you!