Exelsior College Information Need Advice Plz

The biggest catch is that you are wasting a ton of money by using The College Network as it is only a publishing company. Their materials can be bought used on ebay. Go to the Excelsior College website and read the disclaimer that is on the nrsg dept main page. Become familiar with the Excelsior website. Download a copy of the nrsg school catalog as well as the study guide for NC 1. You will be exempt from NC 2 d/t your LVN license.
Research this website for the many threads about distance learning w/Excelsior, other progs. Go to Yahoo groups, there are many groups devoted to Excelsior and they have files sections with study material/tips from Excelsior students. My advice that I give out: Do Not Procrastinate!
Get at least Saunders NCLEX test review book and do sections of ?s for each section of the tests as you register for them. One of the best ways to study is to do tons of ?s (with rationales from test prep books) as possible. One person said on this site that all they did was study in this manner. Did not even buy any ref at all, other than Saunders and passed the tests. Good luck to you.

I used Mosby NCLEX-RN review for the EC exams and it covered the material on the exams quite well.

I'm sorry you already got roped into the College Network because you don't need them.

As far as employment goes, as a new grad EC RN, every hospital I sent my resume to in both Dallas and Houston area hospitals called me for an interview and every interview offered me a position in the specialty of my choice.
No employment problems whatsoever. They just want RN after your name period.

I graduated from this school in 1984 and took my boards and passed them. I also took my tests and NEVER studied for them and passed. I took the Sandra Smith review for my RN Boards and stayed about 1/2 the time and knew I was prepared for them.

I've been an Assistant Head Nurse in ICU/CCU, Charge Nurse on staff and also as a travel Nurse and truthfully learned the most when I took my critical care courses then anything else combined. You'll do fine. I still rely on a ton of LPN knowledge which is still very much applicable. I graduated Practical Nursing school in 1979 and worked my first day believe it or not the day I graduated. I forego the party and the b.s. I went the route of Med-Surg, Telemetry and ICU as a Practical Nurse and did the same as a RN. It made me one of the best with a firm knowledge base. I graduated first at 19 1/2 y/o. At age 48, I'm still enjoying this profession and looking forward to the future.

I doubt if finding a job with a degree from Excelsior would be any problem. Usually employers are so happy to have a warm body with a RN license, they don't care where you went to school.

I tried this program in the late 90's back when it was called Regent's College. The theoretical testing was not the problem....I aced all of that with no problems. The problem was with clinical evaluations.

My experience with clinical evals was that it was all a huge rip off ($1200). Clinical evals were the most nerve-wracking thing I've ever done because their total objective was to fail you for the most insignificant reason; and passing or failing had nothing to do with your current clinical competence. (I had been working med/surg as a LVN for years.)

They had a thick clinical manual which you were supposed to memorize completely, and the slightest deviation from their way was not acceptable. The evaluators had a terrible out-to-burn-you attitude. Their way was the only way, and was not necessarily how you had been previously taught in school. For example, if you failed to place the stethoscope in precisely the Regent's postions the correct number of times, it was unacceptable. A lot of people failed just on vital signs or counting IV drops. When I completed their clinical evals, pass rates were extremely low. I think one passed out of 10. I failed once, brushed up and tried again for another $1200 and failed again. I even spent considerable money on a weekend course in Atlanta on how to pass their clinicals. Later, after failing and speaking to Regent's counselors about their program and how much money I had wasted, I was advised "not to go to their Dallas test site", but to go to Arizona instead. (Of course, both times I did it in Dallas!). If they knew there was a problem with their Dallas test site, why was it operational at all? I decided NOT to go for a 3rd and final try for another $1200. I was so livid I didn't want to give them another red cent! And just for proof it wasn't me: a fews years later, I returned to brick and mortar school and completed my ADN with high honors. IMHO, I definately would be very wary of the clinical evals. I wouldn't recommend going this route.