Morning everyone! I'm an LPN who came across these boards yesterday while reseaching information on becoming an RN through online/distance learning. I was on the phone so long yesterday with Distance Learning Systems Indiana Inc., The College Network and Excelsior that my portable phone died!
Each rep gave me tons of information, but all from their school's point of view. From what they told me and from what I've gleaned from briefly scanning various postings, I think going with Excelsior will be the thing for me. I'm hoping you can help me made the right choice and save me from wasting my time and making costly mistakes.
I am a 56-year-old nurse who graduated from LPN school just over 5 years ago. Before that I was a firefighter/EMT and then a police officer. Although I've only taked one college course (psych), I've actually been "in school" my entire adult life so I know how to study on my own.
Some questions I have are:
1) If I go with Excelsior, exactly what must I purchase (books, study guides, etc) to prepare for each test?
2) How much support does Excelsior provide when a student has questions or problems?
3) Once signed up, are you obligated to pay the entire cost of the course, even if you for some reason must "drop out"?
4) Are there other online/distance learning opportunities in addition to Excelsior that are reputatable? (Not study guide providers like The College Network)
5) Can you take your general ed classes in the order you choose or is that determined by Excelsior?
6) I graduated from LPN school five years ago this past May. Are any of the courses I took counted toward my degree?
I'm trying to get as many answers as possible before August 30th, when I'm to meet with our corporate reps to present my case for tuition assistance. I want to be prepared to explain how distance learning benefits me (because its faster) and for the company (because it costs less than a "traditional" nursing school.)
How long does it take to do the 30 unit option in California?
It depends on how well you do on the challenge exams, which determine where you are placed as an LVN in nursing school. If you pass all the challenge exams you get to skip the first year of an ADN program (that, however, is extremely rare). If you fail the challenge exams you have to start at the beginning like everybody else. If you pass some but fail other challenge exams (which is more typical) you may end up skipping first semester, but have to take the remaining three semesters. You also have to take an LVN-to-RN transition course and science courses like physio and micro. So ... it can still take awhile. Where you really save the time, is with the liberal arts courses you usually have to take as pre-reqs to get into nursing school.
It depends on how well you do on the challenge exams, which determine where you are placed as an LVN in nursing school. If you pass all the challenge exams you get to skip the first year of an ADN program (that, however, is extremely rare). If you fail the challenge exams you have to start at the beginning like everybody else. If you pass some but fail other challenge exams (which is more typical) you may end up skipping first semester, but have to take the remaining three semesters. You also have to take an LVN-to-RN transition course and science courses like physio and micro. So ... it can still take awhile. Where you really save the time, is with the liberal arts courses you usually have to take as pre-reqs to get into nursing school.
A few years ago I was considering the 30 unit option myself. The info packets I got from both San Diego City College and Grossmont College in El Cajon stated that if I went the 30 unit route and obtained my RN license that I could not go back and finish the liberal arts courses to get the ADN which is what I wanted to do because I didn't want CA to be the only state I could work in if my life took me elsewhere. This info dates back to 2001-2002 so it may have changed but I thought it was a strange rule.
There's something I'm not getting here:
In TX the LVN's take the transition course and then join the traditional ADN students for the final two semesters for a total of three semesters.
Are you saying that the "typical" LVN to RN students in the CA programs pass some but fail some of the challenge exams so they end up taking the transition course and an additional three semesters for a total of four semesters? Isn't four semesters the length of time it takes for the non-LVN students who are starting from the beginning? Am I missing something?
Somewhere out there, there has GOT to be a better and more efficient way to transition LVN's into RN's that all states could agree on and I'm not saying that the answer is EC either because I too have my grumblings about the way they run their program and how they handled CA's concerns in the beginning.
Some cc's in CA operate on the ladder model. One of them (Gavilan College) has students become a CNA, then an LVN, then get the ADN. I don't think there are challenge exams for the ADN students. They take 2 semesters of nursing plus the science and other liberal arts classes to get their ADN.
A few years ago I was considering the 30 unit option myself. The info packets I got from both San Diego City College and Grossmont College in El Cajon stated that if I went the 30 unit route and obtained my RN license that I could not go back and finish the liberal arts courses to get the ADN which is what I wanted to do because I didn't want CA to be the only state I could work in if my life took me elsewhere. This info dates back to 2001-2002 so it may have changed but I thought it was a strange rule.
There's something I'm not getting here:
In TX the LVN's take the transition course and then join the traditional ADN students for the final two semesters for a total of three semesters.
Are you saying that the "typical" LVN to RN students in the CA programs pass some but fail some of the challenge exams so they end up taking the transition course and an additional three semesters for a total of four semesters? Isn't four semesters the length of time it takes for the non-LVN students who are starting from the beginning? Am I missing something?
Somewhere out there, there has GOT to be a better and more efficient way to transition LVN's into RN's that all states could agree on and I'm not saying that the answer is EC either because I too have my grumblings about the way they run their program and how they handled CA's concerns in the beginning.
In TX the LVN's take the transition course and then join the traditional ADN students for the final two semesters for a total of three semesters. Are you saying that the "typical" LVN to RN students in the CA programs pass some but fail some of the challenge exams so they end up taking the transition course and an additional three semesters for a total of four semesters? Isn't four semesters the length of time it takes for the non-LVN students who are starting from the beginning? Am I missing something?
Somewhere out there, there has GOT to be a better and more efficient way to transition LVN's into RN's that all states could agree on and I'm not saying that the answer is EC either because I too have my grumblings about the way they run their program and how they handled CA's concerns in the beginning.
You're right. It's a bit screwed up ... you can end up taking four semesters or more anyway, which is why it's not really worth becoming an LVN in Calfornia, IMHO, if you want to become an RN. It all goes back to the BORN's tougher standards ... so to speak.
You can't just skip the first two semesters because you're an LVN. You have to prove you know the material by passing the challenge exams which are, essentially, the same comprehensive final exams we take at the end of each semester. I think the board does this because some LVN schools don't have the same cirriculum as RN schools (as we previously discussed with a different board and regulations) and they want to make sure you know the material (i.e. some of the problems previously mentioned with LVN schools).
This is not first hand information but, from what I understand, the failure rate on challenge exams can be as high as 50 percent, particularly on the second semester exam, which is more involved and harder if you haven't been studying and been tested on the material all semester long like regular students have. LVN's do study of course, but, without taking the class, etc. ... it's a lot tougher.
I do not know one LVN who has been able to pass the second semester exam, but all the LVN's I know were able to pass the first semester exam.
Another LVN I know simply has the problem of having taken microbiology as a three unit course without a lab ... which apparently is ok for LVN but not RN ... so LVN's run into all kinds of problems like that too. Also ... I believe the transition course is six weeks ... not a full semester. But still, that takes more time also.
So yeah ... something needs to be done and it is a screwy way to handle things. But I think it really goes back to the problem of having different boards setting two different cirriculum standards and LVN's being caught in the middle.
First off let me say, good for you! Even though you're no stranger to school, it's a big move.
I graduated from EC 2 1/2 years ago and I can't say enough good about the program. Not only was I able to go from LPN to RN without having to go to a classroom, but I feel that the program made me into a different person by forcing me to become more independant and self reliant; this of course made me a better nurse.
There are a couple of downfalls to EC (the long wait for the CPNE {even though it was only 3 months for me} and graduation) but all in all it is SO worth it.
I went through a 3rd party (College Network, DSL, Chancellor's, RUE, etc) and I am very sorry that I did. I ended up spending WAY more money than I would have had I gone straight through EC. No matter what those 3rd party recruiters tell you on the phone, you WILL spend more money if you go through them. Trust me.
To answer your questions:
1) You get free content guides and can purchase whatever texts you want. EC recommends several for each course, but by no means do you have to use them all. I bought a couple used online (half.com) and used a lot of my old LPN books. You could do the same.
2) Once you're enrolled you will have an advisor. Like others said, I too didn't need to call them with any questions really until my CPNE prep.
3) With EC you pay an enrollment fee, and pay for each test just prior to taking it. You pay for it when you make your appt. to take it. If you decide to quit you're out the enrollment money but not money for the courses. BUT. If you go through a 3rd party, you sign a contract and you pay them every single cent, whether you finish or not.
4) I have heard of some people going through Deaconess but I personally don't know much about that program.
5) You can take them in whatever order you want.
6) You'll need to check with EC admissions on this. They can do an official transcript review. There is a small fee for this but the fee is applied towards enrollment (or something like that) when you enroll.
Another suggestion---- check out the CLEP and Dantes exams. They'll save you a lot of time and money. They're not given through EC, but EC grants credit for them. I took a 3 credit CLEP for Sociology and saved a ton of time and money.
If you do decide to go with EC, keep up with the message boards. They were a God-send for me and I've seen soooo many other people say the same.
One more thing......... regarding the "several" states that don't accept EC graduates.... there aren't several. California doesn't and Illinois and Kansas have some weird rules too, but as far as I know that's it. If North Dakota doesn't that is brand new. And someone mentioned earlier ND not accepting associate level RNs.... they did change that--- right after my sister in law who lives in ND got her BSN because of the no ASN rule.
Sheri257
3,905 Posts
It depends on how well you do on the challenge exams, which determine where you are placed as an LVN in nursing school. If you pass all the challenge exams you get to skip the first year of an ADN program (that, however, is extremely rare). If you fail the challenge exams you have to start at the beginning like everybody else. If you pass some but fail other challenge exams (which is more typical) you may end up skipping first semester, but have to take the remaining three semesters. You also have to take an LVN-to-RN transition course and science courses like physio and micro. So ... it can still take awhile. Where you really save the time, is with the liberal arts courses you usually have to take as pre-reqs to get into nursing school.