Anyone currently in the Excelsior bridge program?

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I am just getting started taking the RN program through Excelsior, just curious if anyone else in this program as well. I take my first test in 2 weeks & curious as what to expect.

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Specializes in Home Health, Community Health.

I am interested in this program - if there is any info you can share, that would be great! I am an LPN who already has a non-nursing Bachelor's degree. I started to investigate the College Network, but it seems that they are just an add-on to the existing Excelsior program.

1) How long do you expect it will take you to complete the RN program?

2) Did you begin the program by transferring in existing credits you took elsewhere?

3) What do you estimate the total co$t to be?

Thanks for any insight :)

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Head on over to the Distance Learning forum. There's a ton of information there.

It took me two years including wait time for the cinical exam. Under $10k.

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how is the excelsior bridge program so far ? am going to have to do that next year after i get out of lpn school.

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Specializes in Cardiac Care, Palliative Care.

It took me a year to finish Excelsior's nursing program and I have no regrets! It takes a self-learner with little procrastination to be able to successfully complete the program. Just like SuesquatchRN suggested, the Distance Learning forum have lots of info regarding Excelsior. Good luck!

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Specializes in Geri-psych.

I am currently enrolled in Excelsior. I have a BA degree (non-nursing) so they accepted all my core classes, with the exception of a few (Psych & Soc). I have two sciences left to take - A&P and Micro - that I plan to try to take through Excelsior, and if I fail, take at my local CC. I've taken three nursing exams so far - Health Safety, Reproductive and Transitions - and passed all three. Two C's, one B, I'm still getting the hang of this!

I expect to be done by December, which would mean a total of 18 months, but I really did nothing for the first 6 months, just talked about testing! I have taken the 3 exams over the last 6 weeks, and been fine. Most of what I tested on so far I either already knew from LPN program, or just through work experience. The rest will be much harder, so I'm planning on one test a month. Hopefully I can double up, study for A&P while doing the Life Span, since they seem to cover a lot of the same material.

Overall, I think it will cost me less than $6K, but I haven't totalled it up. Much more affordable and better for my schedule than the local CC program.

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I just started also, I have all my pre-req. except for a comp. class they told me that I need, will take that at my State College. Did you order all the books? or did you buy Lisa's study guide?

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Specializes in Geri-psych.

I haven't bought any books or study guides so far. I've relied on my LPN books, free online materials, and my RN-NCLEX books. I've found that using those materials has worked out fine - all the same facts, which is all that matters. When it comes to core classes (Psych and Soc) I'll have to buy those books to make sure I have the right material. I've heard that those tests ask specific questions about scenarios in the text books, but I haven't found that to be the case with the nursing exams.

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I haven't bought any books or study guides so far. I've relied on my LPN books, free online materials, and my RN-NCLEX books. I've found that using those materials has worked out fine - all the same facts, which is all that matters. When it comes to core classes (Psych and Soc) I'll have to buy those books to make sure I have the right material. I've heard that those tests ask specific questions about scenarios in the text books, but I haven't found that to be the case with the nursing exams.

Im just wondering what state are you in?

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Specializes in Geriatrics.

Hi all,

I too am seriously considering the Excelsior program for LPN to RN. Does anyone know if the Board of Nursing in in Minnesota accepts this college? Any Minnesotans who have taken this route?

Thanks in advance.

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Hey just a note... Excelsior created some new bundle plan or something like that for the LPN to RN program. If you are someone who could finish the program in a year or less... it would cost you 3500 plus books, flight for cpne, hotel, etc, and any other materials... as opposed to the 6000 plus expenses that i paid since they did not offer this when i started. There is info about this plan on their site, but i'm sure they can also tell you about it if you called. Basically i think it was 1500 plus the cost of ur cpne, which i think was 1900 or something... the 1500 includes all the nursing exams, practice tests, fcca, graduation, and registration costs. The only thing it doesnt include is the cpne or any of ur prereqs. Now, if you are still in the program after a year, you have to pay another 1000 or something like that... even then it would all add up to like 4500 instead of 6000. Another tip... if you go this route... take your prereqs before u sign up for the program, such as ur sciences, psych, english, etc. Excelsior also now lets u take 2 of the nursing exams (i forget which ones they are) before you are actually in the program. Then once you finish these... apply for the program. And I think it is fairly reasonible to complete the program in a year. Especially if you apply for a cancellation date for the cpne... i got my cpne date for 3 weeks from the date i applied. New York dates seem to be quickest. I graduated my lpn program in feb of 09, got accepted into excelsior in may 09 and will be graduating the LPN-RN program next month. And all while working full time. And a lot of that time was sitting around doing nothing. I actually had finished all my nursing exams and took my cpne in october... but i lost motivation to complete my last exam, microbiology, and just recently took that lol. Anyway... hope that all makes sense. Just thought I would give some tips. I wish that package bundle plan was around when i started... would have saved me a lot of money.

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Also to answer your other question... i had some previous credits, so had to do about half of my prereqs... information literacy, microbiology, a&p, and life span developmental psych. I took a&p right after nursing school before i was accepted into the program... the other 3 i took after i took all my nursing exams (that way i could get the nursing exams done and apply to take my cpne quicker)

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