BON Investigating Excelsior College

roser13, ASN, RN · Feb 19, 2016

What's DLSI?

emtpbill, ASN, RN, EMT-P · Feb 19, 2016

Distance Learning Systems Indiana. Kind of like the college network and Rue

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Feb 19, 2016

DLSI is a third party company that would not be privileged to know such issues as they are neither affiliated with nor endorsed by Excelsior. You should have called TXBoN not DLSI for clarification

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Feb 19, 2016

This is the issue

In 2009 the Texas legislature passed House Bill 3961 which included the provision of a "study of alternative ways to assure clinical competency of graduates of nursing educational programs" and additionally specified that "the research study must be designed to determine if the graduates of a clinical competency assessment program are substantially equivalent to the graduates of supervised clinical learning experiences programs in terms of clinical judgments and behaviors." Currently the only nursing program with a clinical competency examination is Excelsior College.
The study called for in the Bill was not funded by the legislature and it was not completed. In 2017, a Sunset Advisory Commission will determine if our program continues to meet standards substantially equivalent to those of the Board of Nursing. This means that under the current law there is no absolute end date for eligibility for licensure in the state of Texas for Excelsior graduates, but during 2017 the issue will be considered again. We cannot predict the outcome of the Commission or the continued eligibility of Excelsior College graduates for RN licensure in the state Texas.
February 4, 2016

Source: Excelsior College | State Board Requirements

The end result could be anything from not accepted for exam only endorsement with clinical practice, mandated student initiated clinical preceptorships like GA, only accepting LPN to ASN and not RT or medics like several states, to requiring a school facilitated in state clinical practicum like AZ. It's not an investigation of criminal or civil nature like implied, it's a possible assessment in 2017 as to whether the CPNE produces nurses clinically competent equivalent to programs with clinical rotations. Does EC meet the standards of TX BoN?

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Feb 19, 2016

Thread has been moved to our Excelsior forum.

Molemedic, MSN, EMT-P, NP · Feb 20, 2016

I don't necessarily believe this is cause for concern so I'm not sure why the advisor spoke "nervously". Excelsior has listed this on the state board req area of their site so it's not like they are attempting to conceal anything. Furthermore there is no evidence that anything will change with the Texas BON as this is just an evaluation to determine if the program continues to meet standards substantially equivalent to those of the Board of Nursing. IMHO opinion I don't think anything is going to change as Excelsior is actually a very good program who graduates competent nurses. I think this is especially important coming from me as I used to be one of those who doubted the Excelsior program until I met some excelsior grads, one of which is currently a CRNA. Excelsior is a true nursing program in that people actually fail where as the brick and mortar school I attended tended to push students through to keep their numbers high. I think in a worst case scenario they might add a preceptorship and ask that those who endorse in do so with some experience as this is what some other states have done.

MedicFireRN · Feb 20, 2016

You've gotten some good input from JustBeachyNurse and Molemedic, I will just add this: Even if TX puts additional stipulations on EC grads (such as only licensing them by endorsement w/ a certain amount of experience, as several other states already do) you can always get your license in a state that doesn't have stipulations and work there for a while and move back to TX, or you can work in TX in a VA facility on a license from another state. There are options. Excelsior is by no means the easy route, but it is doable, especially if this is your only option.

On a somewhat related but not directly related note, is going around that Excelsior is looking at tightening up their admissions requirements (by things like possibly requiring a letter verifying experience in an acute care setting, and by adding an entrance TEAS exam in the near future) and I think that would HELP the school in the long term with the state board process as it makes it even more comparable to other traditional schools. I think they should even require a minimum GPA for the sciences and prereqs like other schools do, but that's not on their list (as of yet).

Nalon1 RN/EMT-P, BSN, RN · Feb 21, 2016

I remember in 2009 when this came up the first time. This is not a TxBON issue, it is a legislative issue.

I wrote to my state senator (who was on the is now Lt Governor and has a daughter that is a RN) when this came up.

From what I recall from it (and it says in the Excelsor post) is that the study was ordered under a bill that was passed, but the study was never funded or done.

The sections of this bill that have to deal with out of state nursing colleges (pretty much just Excelsior) expire December 31, 2017. The Sunset Commission will re-evaluate the sections that are going to expire and see if they need to be extended or if they can expire and go away.

In my (legally worthless) opinion, it was not even funded the first time, why would it even be renewed? It is a non-issue. The only reason it is even being re-evaluated is because the bill specifically states it. The Sunset commission's reason for being is to cut government waste, and nothing says waste more than the fact that it could not get funded the first time.

If you are concerned, write you state senator, write the governor (Greg Abbott), write to Dan Patrick (the Lt Governor) about it.

Here is a copy of House Bill 3961

medicnurse2971 · May 21, 2016

I decided to contact the NYS BON the other day concerning Excelsior and the CPNE. I basically called to see if they were aware of the backlog and wait time for the CPNE. When I called I was informed that there is an investigation currently in progress concerning the nursing program at Excelsior Collage. They could not tell me anything further. I asked if it had to do with the CPNE and was told that the entire program was being looked at.

Editorial Team / Moderator · May 21, 2016

I decided to contact the NYS BON the other day concerning Excelsior and the CPNE. I basically called to see if they were aware of the backlog and wait time for the CPNE. When I called I was informed that there is an investigation currently in progress concerning the nursing program at Excelsior Collage. They could not tell me anything further. I asked if it had to do with the CPNE and was told that the entire program was being looked at.

I believe this is part of why the admissions criteria have been altered and have become more strict. They are whittling down the number of people who are eligible, and that will ultimately benefit their program and outcomes (like NCLEX pass rates, which have decreased and would trigger a review of any school by any BON). I am not surprised by this.