Any excelsior grads who travel

NedRN · May 1, 2014

It would be much harder to travel with such a degree. Some 15 states, including California, deny, restrict, or place additional training requirements on Excelsior grads.

nursetaminator · May 7, 2014

Check out this link: Excelsior College | State Board Requirements

Looks like most of the states you can get a license via endorsement, just need X number of hours experience working as an RN. If you go this route might be a good idea to keep copies of paystubs that show hours worked. According to a friend who lives in CA and received her degree from Excelsior (and got her RN license from Texas) you can apply for endorsement but it's pretty much a lost cause, at least for now.

nursetaminator · May 7, 2014

According to a friend who lives in CA and received her degree from Excelsior (and got her RN license from Texas) you can apply for endorsement but it's pretty much a lost cause, at least for now.

To clarify: lost cause for getting a CA license/endorsement at this time.

DeLynn, RN · May 16, 2014

I'm an Excelsior Grad. I started with a NY License, I have moved to NC so I also have a compact License. I also have a FL License. That covers a lot of the country! I know I can't work in Cali, but I'm o.k. with that.

Strawberrykool · May 16, 2014

Thank you Delynn for your response. I could 2 caps about not traveling in the state of California but for some reason people think that's all that matters.

NedRN · May 16, 2014

Good climate, lower ratios, higher pay. Yup, who cares! Choose the education that limits where you work.

I have to wonder what is so great about Excelsior? Is it that much cheaper or easier than other programs to put up with what is apparently viewed as a second class education by a number of states, almost a third of all states?

Strawberrykool · May 16, 2014

That's right higher cost of living, there are other places that have the same climate has cali. It's not about it being cheaper. I travel and I don't stay in one location to finish a degree. I don't want to stop traveling for 2-3 years to get my degree. Excelsior let's me work and go to school. I don't plan to move to California. I live in MY and when I decide to stop traveling I will stay in NY. So yes there's a possibility that I will limit myself.

DeLynn, RN · May 17, 2014

Good climate, lower ratios, higher pay. Yup, who cares! Choose the education that limits where you work.
I have to wonder what is so great about Excelsior? Is it that much cheaper or easier than other programs to put up with what is apparently viewed as a second class education by a number of states, almost a third of all states?

Excelsior is not cheaper or easier, it's a matter of the school that best suites your needs/situation. As far as easier, I feel in some ways it's actually harder. The clinical exam was extremely strict. The reason behind the program is that LPN's use their work experience as clinical time. I worked on a med/surg floor, I got plenty of "clinical time". The nursing students that came to clinicals at the hospital I worked at did the same thing in clinical that I did as a LPN (exactly the same thing) The only difference is that RN's can hang blood and do IV push (this is tested at Excelsior's clinical exam) And RN's can be in charge, which RN's don't take charge until after they graduate anyway. As far as which states I can work in, the only one that does not allow endorsement at all is California, that leaves 49 more states for me to work in. I work in the O.R. so I only have one patient at a time anyway, and NC has great weather and low cost of living. So, choose the school that best suites your needs.

NedRN · May 17, 2014

Actually, it is 15 states with restrictions on Excelsior grads. Even OR nurses benefit in California as they are one of the few states that mandate meal breaks and a break every four hours as part of the staffing law. You get an hour extra paid if you don't get them and I did one assignment where I got a couple extra hours every week for missed breaks or late meals.

I am getting that Excelsior is popular for LPNs upgrading to RN, but if there are other choices that are same priced or better, it would seem prudent to seriously consider them. No one knows where they may be in 10 years, and limiting your potential choices seems unwise. One big reason I became a nurse was the ability to work anywhere - easier than many professions. I took the easy route: I was in California at the time and getting an RN in two years (I had a prior college degree) at a community college basically for free ($50 registration fee per semester plus books) seemed like a no-brainer. But now I have regrets. I could have chosen a fast track masters of nursing program instead completed in the same time frame, and now I am being excluded from some potential jobs because I don't have a BSN.

I think it pays to really explore education options out there. As an OR nurse, I feel bad for all the scrub techs out there who have an associate's degree. In the same amount of school time (well, more if they didn't have prior college), they could have become an RN doing the same job for much more money and flexibility. I don't know the choices for LPNs out there, but certainly it is worth exploring options so you won't regret your choice many years later.

DeLynn, RN · May 17, 2014

There are 15 states with restrictions, however, due to my RN experience, I can get a license by endorsement in all states except California.

NedRN · May 17, 2014

I think you are right that all the states will ultimately endorse except California. Still a big hole as California is certainly the most nurse friendly state (to work in that is), and as the most populous state, has more nursing jobs than any other state.