College Network or Excelsior for LPN to RN ASN degree?? So Confused!!!

Nursing Students Excelsior

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Hi all,

I am trying to decide between TCN or Excelsior for my nursing classes, at some point I would have to transfer all my CN classes to excelsior anyways right? How much did excelsior end up costing you all who have completed it?? How did you pay for it?? Are there financing options? Every time I have tried to speak to someone over there I am on hold forever or they seem rude, like I am asking stupid questions. I would like to start ASAP and finish ASAP, but I wonder if I should just take a personal loan to pay for all of it?? It's getting frustrating! I have been "trying" to get my RN now for about 6 years...I have taken all the non nursing classes at local community colleges. Any advice would be a huge HELP!!!:loveya:

Specializes in wound care, sub-acute, community nursing.

Thanks for the advice everyone! I'll have to see both prices and options and weight them out. If TCN is much more $$ then I can't go that route. I wish I could just be done allready!! :banghead: I will know more for sure after Wedneday when it's in black ans white. How long did it take you all to conplete nursing? How long in between tests did you wait? The school that I was going to go to before I looked into EC was going to cost me over 17K for 1/5 years and I would have to go at night and weekends! I have just about all my non nursing courses done. How long a wait for the CPNE??? I have to do mine in NY since it is the closest.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
I feel like either way I will pay the same amount in the long run, but still graduate from EC.

No, you won't be paying the same amount in the long run. You will pay thousands extra.

And again, you can't transfer something from an entity that is not a school. TCN does not award credits, and therefore you cannot transfer anything from TCN.

I'm sounding like a broken record. There isn't much more to say that I haven't said twice. I'm done!

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Lately people have been getting CPNE dates in NY after a couple of weeks. New York site dates are the quickest to get. You can take the nursing tests as quickly as you can prepare yourself to pass them. In your case, you would schedule them as quickly as you can save up the money to pay for them. Some people have taken them every three weeks and passed. Some have taken two tests on one day and passed. Just up to you how fast you can do them. Very possible to complete program in one year, give or take.

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I'm done also. I can't see why you would bind yourself to a contract to pay as much as $13,000 for something that can be had for $6000. Good luck.

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Specializes in ICU, PICC Nurse, Nursing Supervisor.

you are not understanding this process...you must be enrolled with ec to take the exams minus the first two..those can be done without enrolling....tcn is a publishing company only..they make study modules they cannot grant you permission to test ..they are not a college .... everyone test at person vue period but you will still have to be a ec student first....there is no transferring credits from tcn to ec because tcn is not a college...you will still have to have all of your transcripts evaluated by ec regardless of what tcn says... you will end up paying for the cost of ec and what tcn charges for each module....you will be paying for years on this if you go via tcn....ec has financing options that you need to look into.....

tcn is known for stretching the truth to get people to sign.......research your options...

i was also told i could take the nursing modules and exams through tcn (same as ec tests) and transfer them all into ec when i am ready to enroll there. she just started at tcn about 4 months ago. i'm looking over the paperwork wednesday so we'll see, i want whatever is going to be convienient for me since i work as well as have 2 kids in school.
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Specializes in wound care, sub-acute, community nursing.

Thanks everyone--I think I have my mind made up...I will search Ebay and see what I can find for materials. Sorry to anger any of you, but I'm simply weighing my options and geting as much info as I can out there. It's a big decision and you have to look at all angles before jumping, I have only heard about TCN from my friend TODAY--that's how much thought I have given it. But after reading some other posts as well i have my mind set on EC all the way.

Again thanks so much for the help!! I'm sure you'll see my "pulling my hair out" posts during crunch time (haha):D

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After you have bought some used TCN study guides on ebay you will congratulate yourself for saving thousands of dollars. Good for you. And we hope to see you post here in 18 months or so, that you have passed the CPNE and are awaiting graduation!

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

Not angry, no worries! But if I had a nickel for every time I've typed a phrase like "TCN is not a college," I'd retire. :D People who try to make money off of students who just want to get ahead and don't know any better than to sign -- now that makes me angry!! ;) I realize TCN makes it "attractive" in the packaging, but what it really comes down to is they charge something like $495 for a study guide you can buy used on eBay, and the study guide costs more than the exam. It's just not logical!

EC rocks. I did the paramedic-to-RN path through EC, and it's opened doors for me that I never even knew existed. Fabulous!

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Specializes in Geriatrics.
Thanks everyone--I think I have my mind made up...I will search Ebay and see what I can find for materials. Sorry to anger any of you, but I'm simply weighing my options and geting as much info as I can out there. It's a big decision and you have to look at all angles before jumping, I have only heard about TCN from my friend TODAY--that's how much thought I have given it. But after reading some other posts as well i have my mind set on EC all the way.

Again thanks so much for the help!! I'm sure you'll see my "pulling my hair out" posts during crunch time (haha):D

They are NOT books. Quite frankly I found them to be pretty worthless all in all. I'm telling you they aren't really worth your time!

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Specializes in Cardiac Care, Palliative Care.

I graduated from Excelsior recently and was in a financial bind also before I started. Since Excelsior had their own payment plan, I was able to put in some overtime at my job in order to pay them monthly. I also received a private loan from my job to pay for the CPNE. Since I graduated, I owe Excelsior no money, whereas if I had chosen to go through The College Network or RUE, I'll still be paying them years after I had graduated.

I understand that you trust your friend, but if you read threads on the horror stories of people going through TCN or any other publishing company, you'll change your mind about entering into a binding contract.

Great idea from the member who recommended going on ebay to buy their study guides if you are dead set on using TCN materials.

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Specializes in wound care, sub-acute, community nursing.
I graduated from Excelsior recently and was in a financial bind also before I started. Since Excelsior had their own payment plan, I was able to put in some overtime at my job in order to pay them monthly. I also received a private loan from my job to pay for the CPNE. Since I graduated, I owe Excelsior no money, whereas if I had chosen to go through The College Network or RUE, I'll still be paying them years after I had graduated.

I understand that you trust your friend, but if you read threads on the horror stories of people going through TCN or any other publishing company, you'll change your mind about entering into a binding contract.

Great idea from the member who recommended going on ebay to buy their study guides if you are dead set on using TCN materials.

How long did the program take you? Did you find it challenging? I'm concerned about the CPNE, how many hours a day and what are these clinicals like? Are they simulated or on actual patients?

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How long did the program take you? Did you find it challenging? I'm concerned about the CPNE, how many hours a day and what are these clinicals like? Are they simulated or on actual patients?

The CPNE is on actual patients for three patient care situations that you must pass, along with four lab simulations that you do on the first evening. You start on Friday afternoon and finish sometime on Sunday depending on whether you have repeat PCSs. You are allowed one repeat adult and one repeat peds. If there are no peds patients, then all your patient care will be for adult patients. The program can take as little as one year and there is a maximum time limit of seven years to complete it. The seven year time limit can be extended for one year if you appeal it with a good reason. (Yes, there are some people who drag it out for seven years +!)

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