Excelsior actually has been a blessing.

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I tend to go on and on about my love/hate relationship with Excelsior, but today something happened that made me stop and realize just what EC has done for me.

This is purely anectdotal, but then so is most all the information on this board. I do want to say my situation is the gospel truth.

For anyone who thinks being an Excelsior graduate makes you unemployable, or makes people doubt your abilities, I want you to know that within two weeks after I graduated I had three job offers. One agency has called me every week wanting to give me a job.

I was able to get a job in a field I was really ineterested in: home health. I am making (conservatively) about $54,000 a year after taxes. In Tennessee that is a good salary and I have found out today that just to be "on call" over a week I will get $150 extra. Big whoopie, you may say, but there aren't many fields where you can do this with an associates degree from a distance learning school.

At the risk of sounding like a corny tv commercial...thanks Excelsior.

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Specializes in Peds stepdown ICU.

I must agree with you on this one. EC has allowed me to move up while staying at home with my daughters and maintaining employment. I am making more than I ever have and greatly appreciate that. I feel that with my 10 years LPN experience that EC was a good choice for me. For the right healthcare professionals this program is a blessing! Thank you for your positive post!

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Specializes in Home Health, Podiatry, Neurology, Case Mgmt.

What about a brand new graduate of LPN school, do you think it's possible to do well thru EC w/out all the extra clinical time you would get in a traditional school?

And by the way congrats on your new job, i can't wait just to make SOMETHING after not working for a year so i could go to LPN school full time! lol

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i've got to agree with you. this is what the nln had in mind when they accredited excelsior. if there were no excelsior, would you be a registered nurse? how good of a nurse are you? would you be a better nurse if you'd attended a traditional school? some things to consider when you evaluate what excelsior has done for you.

i'm very grateful for excelsior college. along this path, i think i've got better experience than most new nursing grads.

the great thing about excelsior is it creates opportunities for folks otherwise locked out of traditional education by circumstance.

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Specializes in ER, IICU, PCU, PACU, EMS.

Hi Motorcycle mama!

I think I met you when you were in your "hate" part of the EC love/hate relationship - LOL!

Congratulations on your new job and good luck in your future career!!

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heh. the cpne is enough to make you hate the world :). you could never explain what it's like to anyone who hasn't taken it. you can try, but ....

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i've said this before, but here it is again: society needs nurses. hospital nurses, nursing home nurses, hospice nurses, managerial nurses, entreprenuer nurses, community health nurses and so on.

excelsior has been the gateway for more nurses than any single program in the country. i've personally met some phenomenal leaders who went through the excelsior program.

i've got great respect for the folks at the NLN for accrediting the program. For the good of society, these nurses were able to think outside the box. I would love to see a scientific study conducted by a respected nursing researcher on the pratice of excelsior grads, with the information presented in the light of day.

i've found that those who successfully complete excelsior tend to be independent thinkers who are self motivated. this is a group of people sorely needed by our health care system. the excelsior grads i've met here are, in my estimation, a brighter and more capable class of folks than traditional programs graduate.

excelsior deserves a lot more praise than it recieves. it's great to see a thread by someone who appreciates what excelsior has done in her life. motorcycle mama, you rock!

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Specializes in ICU, tele.

Contgrats motorcycle mama. That's great!

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Specializes in RN: L&D, LPN: Med/Surg, CNA: MedSurg/LTC.

Pedinurse05, I see that you're in So Cal. I thought you couldn't get licensed in CA with Excelsior? Is this not true?

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Specializes in Peds stepdown ICU.

I enrolled before the the deadline set by the CA board of registered nursing way back in 2003. Anyone enrolled in the program by December 6, 2003 are able to obtain licensure in CA. I enrolled in October 2003 and completed the program in March 2005. I had no problem getting licensed here.

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Specializes in RN: L&D, LPN: Med/Surg, CNA: MedSurg/LTC.

Oh ok, thanks for answering :)

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Specializes in Too many to list.
I tend to go on and on about my love/hate relationship with Excelsior, but today something happened that made me stop and realize just what EC has done for me.

This is purely anectdotal, but then so is most all the information on this board. I do want to say my situation is the gospel truth.

For anyone who thinks being an Excelsior graduate makes you unemployable, or makes people doubt your abilities, I want you to know that within two weeks after I graduated I had three job offers. One agency has called me every week wanting to give me a job.

I was able to get a job in a field I was really ineterested in: home health. I am making (conservatively) about $54,000 a year after taxes. In Tennessee that is a good salary and I have found out today that just to be "on call" over a week I will get $150 extra. Big whoopie, you may say, but there aren't many fields where you can do this with an associates degree from a distance learning school.

At the risk of sounding like a corny tv commercial...thanks Excelsior.

Congratulations!! I don't care how you got your degree. You earned it.

Hats off to you for going after what you want and getting it!!!

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