Anyone from Galen College of Nursing in Tampa Area

shamrokks, ADN, ASN, RN · Dec 4, 2011

The lpn to rn bridge program at excelsior i figured will cost me about 6K. That is without purchasing the books because a friend of mine is giving me his. A big chunk of it is at the end, when you do your CPNE (2K) and u will also probably have to travel to do the CPNE and pay travel expenses for the 3 days. Though most of the programs at excelsior qualify for financial aid, the nursing program does not. I think it is because of the structure of the classes... since they are not actual "classes" and you are basically just reading the material on ur own and taking an exam when you're ready. So I will be paying for it all as I go. They do have some type of payment plans available as well. And the whole time you go at your own pace, so as soon as u have money for the next exam, and are ready for it, you take it. You have like up to 10 years i think to finish the program. Anyway my friend got his RN through Excelsior in about 7 months, and a lot of that time was waiting to take his CPNE and boards. I am doing it with a few friends so we can keep each other motivated. Oh also, Excelsior has associates, bachelors, and masters in nursing degrees that are all fully accredited (both regionally and nationally). Also all the prereqs that excelsior requires, they also offer as a credit by exam. And excelsior does not have a time limit on credits, whereas galen did not accept credits over 10 yrs old, and 5 yrs for science classes. The only drawback I could see is if you were the type of learner that needed classroom instruction or were not self motivated, then it may not be the type of program for you. Also there are a few states such as california that do not accept excelsior graduates for licensure. I don't know how it would work if you were already licensed in another state. anyway... just some things to think about... let me know if you have any questions... or just call excelsior, they will send u loads of info and their advisors are very helpful and knowledgeable on the phone.

I am a LPN in the Tampa Bay area of Florida and considering the bridge programs at SPC, Excelsior and Galen. It's alot to consider and it's stressful, lol. Time is a factor for me because I am not getting any younger and want to get my RN sooner rather than later. With my time factor I'm leaning more towards Excelsior or Galen. I have most pre-req's done through SPC but my GPA is only 3.11 and it's so competitive, even for transition students (from what I hear of course. The rumor mills in nursing school are horrendous). One of my biggest drawbacks is the transferring into a BSN and MSN for future reference and I don't want to be stuck going to private, most costly institutions to continue my education. I can hope that Galen will gain accreditation but so far they have not and it would be a big gamble. I know all I'd have to do is take whatever is missing to transfer (I think) but that leads to even more time in the future. I'm just hoping the right decision will come to me. Good luck everyone. SN: Jobs are hard to come by for new grads. Everyone wants that one years experience. You have to come across someone willing to give it to you.

B3lla88 · Apr 20, 2012

Hello, would you mind telling us about your experience at Bayfront?