Texas Lvn's in Excelsior program

U.S.A. Texas

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Can someone please post their experiences with Excelsior Lvn to Rn program. Post your experience with the program such as completion, how long it took, cpne, finances, etc. I'm considering their program but not sure if its worth it

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Hi there!

Im from fort worth, texas and I actually just finished Excelsiors lvn to rn program.

Its a great program! I started july 2010 and took my cpne and finished the program july 2011, just got my

ATT letter to take nclex! Its totally doable, if you look under the distance learning group, there is a ton

of excelsior students. I loved it because I have 2 kids and a husband in the military who is gone a lot. Its nice to

be able to go at your own pace when life gets in the way.

I took my cpne in lubbock, it was a great site! The cpne is hard but if you prepare you will be fine. There are a lot

of resources to help you prepare for it also. If u have any specific questions, just let me know. I would be happy to help

you!

Robin

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Thank you Robin for responding! How did you prepare for the cpne? Is is really hard, and what does it involve?

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Its not hard, its just hard having someone breathing over your shoulder watching every little thing you do. It is a 3 day test, the first night you have labs to do on a manequin. A sub q/ Im injection, IV piggy back med, IV push station and a wound station that you pack. On saturday you have 2 patients to care for, you are assigned what to do with them and sunday, depending on how well you did saturday you may have 1-3 patients. You have to pass 2 adults, 1 pediatric patient and all of your labs to pass. There are several different workshops out there, some Excelsior runs and others are run by outside people. I did one with Lynn Frederick, she travels, so I went to hers in Dallas. I also did an online one, which was awesome with Sheri Taylor. They both prepare you very well for this test.

You have 7 or 8 nursing tests to take before you can be eligible for cpne though, so its best to just focus on those. You will have plenty of time to prepare for the clinical. Its a great program though if you are self motivated and a self learner.

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I thank u so much! Of course I may have more questions later, but last one for the night. How was financing the program?

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Well my husband is military, so I payed for mine with a military spouse scholarship. I dont think you can use financial aid but you can do a payment plan for the tests and cpne, and other fees. Also, if you fill out a fafsa, they have scholarships they give out a few times a year, I ended up getting a couple of them. The cost is not bad though, its comparable to other schools. It ended up being around 6,000 for me.

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Specializes in Dialysis.

I'm doing it. I started taking my nursing exams in January. I am studying for my last one now. I need to test for microbiology credit as well. I want to be completely finished, or at least CPNE ready and waiting, by the time my baby comes (early march)! I am just paying as I go for the exams. The CPNE will go on a credit card. Grad. fees as well.

I am just SO ready to be an RN at my job! I truly feel like I am tired of my current role as an LVN there.

Good luck! I think it is very worth it and actually pretty easy (the exams).

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I had a terrible experience with them back in the late 90s when they were called "Regents".....I passed all 6 written exams with As easily. The clinical exam was the problem. I was working in a Med/Surg environment, so it wasn't for lack of clinical experience. I spent a lot of money to go Tennesse for a workshop prior to the clinical exam. I took the clinical exam in Dallas even though it had a reputation as NOT the place to go...I knew people from the Dallas area who actually flew to AZ to take the clinical.

Anyway, I did the clinical in Dallas because it was the closest location and I didn't buy into the bad reputation story. I failed for some minor detail I can't even remember. It was the most nerve racking experience I've ever had. I paid for another clinical exam in Dallas some time later and failed yet AGAIN. (You'd think I would've learned my lesson about the Dallas location?) The evaluators were clearly looking to fail people for any minor detail; it was definately a culture among them. No doubt about it.

I called the school and spoke with some of the nursing staff about it. Even they said NOT to go to the Dallas location for clinicals. Evidently, the school had sooooo many complaints that they shut those biotches down soon thereafter and I notice they've also changed their name from Regents to Excelsior. It was a definate waste of my time, a lot of money and effort so I would NEVER recommend them even if they've changed their name and cleaned up their act. And I make it a point to let everyone know this whenever the subject comes up! IMO, they clearly have earned a bad rap.

I returned to school, graduated with high honors with my ADN in 2003. No thanks to Excelsior (Regents).

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Specializes in geriatric, pediatric trach/vent, LTAC.

I live in Pennsylvania. I started with Excelsior in November of 2009 and finished in February 2011. I had 13 classes to finish, but was able to get it done, including my CPNE.

I actually didn't think the CPNE was as bad as everything I had read and heard about it. I took a 3-day course on it at the Excelsior campus in Albany, NY. The instructors were great and I honestly don't know that I would have been prepared enough and would have passed had it not been for them.

When it actually came down to taking the CPNE, I worked on thinking of the instructor as my student, or a trainee. I was always getting nursing students assigned to me at the nursing home I worked at and had helped with training several new nurses, so it was an easy role for me to step into. It made me much more at ease. Also, I was nervous until I stepped into the first patient's room and introduced myself. That's when it occurred to me that this is what I do every single day. I had to be confident that I knew what I was doing and was going to take care of this patient to the best of my ability for the next 2 1/2 hours. I did run a little behind on my first patient and was down to 1/2 hour left with several things to do. I got into my "teacher" mode and told the instructor exactly what we would be doing, in what order, and where. The instructor just smiled at me and said, "you do what you need to do and pretend I'm just a fly on the wall". I finished with a whopping 2 minutes to spare. Needless to say, I was MUCH more prepared for my next patient!

Schedule yourself time to study, time to relax, and just have confidence in yourself. It's definitely worth it. I took my NCLEX-RN for the first time last week and passed.

Jackie

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Specializes in Dialysis.

Escp,

thanks for that! You made the best points. I take care of patients every day, why should I be freaking out? It refreshes me to think of this as an experience with patients, not a series of clinical exams which just happens to involve patients, ya know? If I stop freaking out about the technical stuff that is required and the time management and remembering various sets of skills, and just remember, "Hey! This is patient care! You know this!", then I'll be more at ease.

Thanks for the new point of view!:yeah:

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Specializes in Hospice.

I do wish you luck in your education but when it comes to the Excelsior RN program. I know that there will be many opinions but when I looked into this option I did A LOT of research. Although convenient and self paced there are many many horror stories and when you utilize our FAFSA and student loans let's get serious. I have been a nurse at the VA hospital in Cleveland for 6 years and they do not back this program any longer. No scholarship money and no tuition reimbursements. I am going to include a couple links for you to view but before you sign anything, do your research. It is as simple as doing a google search for Excelsior reviews, Excelsior complaints or CPNE. I chose to go the old fashioned way, no questions ever, it is what it is.

1) http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/cpne-clinical-testing-c423801.html

2)http://www.scamfound.com/f13/excelsior-college-cpne-171331.html

3) http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/scam-c178868.html

I am not a hater, I am a mom and LPN who also has a goal to reach. Best of Luck to you.

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Specializes in Trauma ICU.

I finished my LPN to RN in April of this yr. It took less than a year and now I am starting my BSN.

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