ADN program in Pennsylvania

Science771 said:

 

     The cons I find with Excelsior is their of lack transparency regarding state licensing and some of their unfair testing practices, such as failing students for trivial things that are not based within rubric guidelines.  It probably wouldn't hurt Excelsior's cause to have in person, supervised clinicals for every online theory class just to satisfy all the states, which would remove state barriers to nursing licensure for grads and RNs.

   When I began and completed the Excelsior program there was pretty much one state that would not license Excelsior grads no matter what and that was California.   I see a lot of states are now listed by Excelsior as not accepting students from, which is sad, because like you said they do not take into consideration the hoops and hurdles that Excelsior students have to go through the just to graduate and have the opportunity to take the NCLEX-RN.  Fortunately I passed the NCLEX-RN on my first attempt. I remember that there was a young lady in the waiting room at the Pearson Vue testing center. I struck up a conversation with her and just asked if she was there to take her RN boards and she was.  She then went on to tell me that this was her 5th time taking the NCLEX-RN and that she had to wait several weeks in between before being allowed to register again to take it.  She went on to tell me that she had graduated from a 4 year brick and mortar University.  Now she may just be a poor test taker but I was taken aback , and a bit petrified, that if this young lady couldn't pass this exam what shot do I have????   Fortunately I had worked up my worry for no reason at all.  I never was able to follow up with her to see if she finally passed the boards or not but , and I believe this to be 100% true, my education through Excelsior gave me the knowledge and confidence to get this beast of a test, the NCLEX-RN, slayed and in my rearview mirror.

Nice! I had a similar experience.  I passed the CPNE the first time around.  Then passed NCLEX-RN on the first try with only 75 questions.  I was certain that I failed only to find out that I passed.  After all this time, it still feels like a miracle.  Some years later I met a nurse's aide with a chip on her shoulder, bitter because she had failed her boards 5 times after graduating from the prestigious brick and mortar 4-year university in the area.  Before her, I met another girl in the same situation on her third try that I tutored and helped pass her boards.  Not sure what ever became of the fifth tryer though.  I feel like I got a good education because I reached for further understanding, not just passing.  But somehow, I feel I could have gotten a better education from a brick-and-mortar school.  But dealing with some of these new grads from local schools, most of them come to the floor not having a clue about assessments, nursing judgement, or clinical skills.  It leaves me wondering, what did they learn in their program and clinical.  Taking into consideration, a lot of them have no prior nursing or healthcare experience, which was my situation starting out as an LPN from a local community college, I can kind of see how.  But later as an ADN RN grad from Excelsior, I'd already previously worked as an LPN in nursing homes and hospitals for years, so I was not really a brand-new nurse by then. That, along with the CPNE and NCLEX prep made me an incredibly strong new RN.  Sometimes it depends on your instructors too.  Though Excelsior had its issues, I think it was a good program and fit for me when I graduated.  I think some people go beyond accreditation, getting caught up in name brands and what looks good on paper.  Apart from your nursing program, it is also your healthcare background, experience, motivation, guidance, and a commitment to daily learning and growth that make the difference.