Excelsior College LPN to RN Questions

Published

hi,

i am an lpn with 13 years experience in hospital setting however; i have not practiced in 7 years as i have gone into clinical research. i want to get my rn and have been reviewing excelsior college as a means to get this done. what i would like to know about the program is:

once completing the rn aa, can one pass the boards? meaning did one feel as if they were prepared?

after speaking with an on line rep. from the college, one can either take an actual online class or just buy a book, study, and take a test.

what are the online classes like? are they like an online class you would take at a community college with actual instructors assigning homework and posting on a discussion board?

i really would hate to enroll and find out that i number 1, need to go back and study more theory than what i remember clinically. moreover, not pass the pa state boards.

please post if you can give me some insight,

thanks

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I earned my RN with Excelsior in March 2011. I was an LPN with 3 years of experience, none of which came from an hospital. After passing Excelsior nursing exams, you will be well prepared for the NCLEX. The CPNE, which is the 3 day clinical, you must prepare for that. I hope that you are talking to advisors from Excelsior directly, and not The College Network or RUe. PM me if you need any more questions answered, I will be happy to help you

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Hi Erika,

Thanks for posting back. Yes, I am dealing with Excelsior only. Yesterday I spoke to a counselor named Kate. She was the most helpful out of three that I delt with thus far. Regarding the Theory classes, I was concerned that there was not an instructor. However Kate explained that there is and when I actually set up an account on their website and viewed the class tutorials they were set up exactly like my community college online classes( i dont know if thats a plus or a minus due to the fact that online classes I have taken in the past give more homework then going to the college to take them).

Do the advisors tell you in what order to take the classes?

Reviewing the AS listed gen eds I am thinking I want to take all of them listed.

Did you shadow anyone in the hospital or where ever you worked before the CPNE?

Thanks so much for speaking to me.

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No the advisors don't tell you in which order to take the classes. They will help you decide, it's best to get your transcripts reviewed so that you know what classes are needed. I also attended a CPNE prep class for 5 days, that helped me prepare for it.

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hey erikadawn_rn can you please send me a PM please i have a few questions to ask.

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Erika,

Were you working as an LPN when you started the classes? How much clinical experience did you have. I ask because I have 14 years in a hospital setting however; I have not beena floor nurse for 6 years and am afraid of what I have forgotten may lend to issues.

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I was an LPN for 2 years. I have never worked in a hospital setting. I have been a corrections nurse and still is. I do alot of hands on, but no where on the level of a med surg floor. No matter how much clinical experience you have, you still have to do it 'Excelsior's way'. My clinical instructor thought I picked it up easier, because I had less habits to lose. I recommend taking a CPNE training if you can. If not utilize all the resources available. I would suggest looking up Luna's and Ivans CPNE guide. You should be able to find it over on the Distant learning forum. The Excelsior's site also have a wealth of info, on the EPN.

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

excelsior discussion found in our distance learning for nursing forum.

pa bon does recognize program and allows graduates to take nclex + get pa license upon passage.

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Good night all. I'm new to this site and I would really like some feedback on how to get started with Excelsior college. I've been an LPN for 1.5 yrs, working at a clinic for 9mths and just want to get back to school before I forget what it is like to study. If anyone can give me any info I would really appreciate it. Thanks

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Good night all. I'm new to this site and I would really like some feedback on how to get started with Excelsior college. I've been an LPN for 1.5 yrs, working at a clinic for 9mths and just want to get back to school before I forget what it is like to study. If anyone can give me any info I would really appreciate it. Thanks

You will find thread after thread concerning the Excelsior program in the distance learning forum. Highly suggest you go to the EC website and start there, http://www.excelsior.edu. You can call the school to get your questions answered, (write down a list before you call), and you will find that many policies are addressed in the distance forum. You want to spend the bulk of your time on the website so that you are getting the most up to date info. Usually the advisors are very helpful and friendly. Go to the publications page and download a copy of the latest School of Nursing catalog. You want to download a copy so that you have it (the policies in place when you enter the program) in case you need to refer to any policy that changes over time.

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sorry is the distance learning forum on all nurses.com? see the advisor answered some questions but I'm just confused about how some pay upfront and others take classes without registering? maybe I'm not understanding how people are doing this.

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Yes, on AN, the distance learning forum can be found by clicking on the site map (right hand side of the yellow bar at the top of the page). You can also find it in the "Jump to" bar that appears just below the Quick reply box at the bottom of the page. 'Taking classes without registering' probably refers to the two nursing exams that can be dealt with prior to formally enrolling in the program (and paying the enrollment fee). First thing you need to do after finding out about the program by going to the school's website, is to arrange to have transcripts sent to the school so that you can get an evaluation to see what other courses you may have to take besides the nursing exams. The advisor will tell you all of this when you speak to them.

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