Don't do it.

That is a sad story indeed. But I think we all are responsible to secure our own futures and thus, she should have better researched her program and whether it is an approved RN program in the state where she wanted to work.

I did a quick search on Maryland Board of Nursing and it states

"[COLOR=#cc0000]Attention Excelsior College Graduates and Students:[/COLOR]

That is a sad story indeed. But I think we all are responsible to secure our own futures and thus, she should have better researched her program and whether it is an approved RN program in the state where she wanted to work.

I did a quick search on Maryland Board of Nursing and it states

"[COLOR=#cc0000]Attention Excelsior College Graduates and Students:[/COLOR]

Effective

July 25, 2006

,

all Excelsior College students who are enrolled in the nursing program

before July 25, 2006

and who graduate

before December 31, 2007

may apply for the NCLEX examination or, if already licensed by another state, for endorsement."

She graduated in 2010, that should have been a heads up that there would be an issue.

This is a giant example of someone not doing their due diligence.

If I would have known what I know today when I enrolled in Excelsior's associate degree nursing (ADN) program, I would have NEVER done it.  Here in my part of New York, it has been nearly impossible to get hired by any acute care hospital because of my degree.  From people on my job treating me like I'm not a real nurse and whispers about me being a fake RN to finding out that certain states outright will not license Excelsior ADN nurses by exam or endorsement, I realize that I've made a huge mistake.  I guess I could reinstate my LPN license if I had to work in one of the off states like Melissa did.  But that is a slap in the face after enduring such a rigorous bridge program.  Not sure if it would even be worth it.

The horizontal violence, bullying, incivility, and toxicity in nursing is already out of control.  This is just one more strike against me as a minority male GLBT nurse.  I went on to get a bachelors in nursing from a local university, but some employers look right past that and back to my excelsior degree, because it's the one I had when I passed the NCLEX RN "on the first try." Some of the girls from the prestigious universities in the area were on their fifth try and still failed.  The ones that did pass and now working as new grads don't seem to have any clue whatsoever, not even basic nursing skills.  But I'm looked at as the fake RN.  I do my job exceptionally well.  Patients and doctors that I work with can verify that.  But it seems to be more about titles and who you know, rather than what you know.

I wish I could do things over again and go to a traditional program for my associates if I were going to be an RN again.  But after 23 years of being a nurse, I would not choose nursing at all.  It has become a never-ending cycle of endured abuse.  Apart form this, I'm crazy about nursing.  But overall, I can't wait to be done with the profession and never look back.  Do yourself a favor and choose another school besides Excelsior's ADN program.  With all the things you will have to deal with in nursing, you don't need a school with a bad rep and another strike against you.  You want a degree that will be accepted in all states without restriction.

   I have had the opposite experience. I have worked in several Emergency Rooms, and currently work critical care ground/flight transport. Not once was my education brought up and half the time I am teaching nurses that have been doing it a lot longer than me things.

  This is just my opinion and my experience. I am not belittling anyone on their choices. We all have to make out own informed decisions. I knew exactly what I was getting into by researching excelsior extensively. Hell, I almost quit myself when that damned CPNE kept standing in my way. Now its gone, I'm sure to the cheers of current and future students.

  Also, not to resurrect this post, but I , fairly recently,  got my multistate RN license.   I can practice as an RN now with only 4 or 5 states that my multistate license isn't valid in.  This was all thanks to Pennsylvania finally joining the nurse compact.  I am actually starting a travel job in New Jersey next week (I live in Pennsylvania) and other than paying for clearances (FBI) there wasn't one thing more I had to do to practice in a compact state.