Leaving Excelsior program

Nursing Students Excelsior

Published

Hi all,

I really never expected to be writing this, but having just made my decision, I am writing it out to help myself process it.

I finished LPN school in Canada in 2004 and worked one year before getting married in the US and deciding to stay at home with a new baby. A year later, knowing that I would not be returning to work imminently, took on EC's LPN-RN program (2007). I studied before my son woke, from 5am - 8 am everyday, and my husband was a great help in the evenings. It worked well, and actually got me through many trials of new motherhood.

Skip til now. April 2012. In the last 5 years, I have not "worked," our family has moved 8 times, we've had another (very difficult!!) baby, bought a fixer-upper house, and my husband has been working well out of state for the last 3 years. He is currently in Africa, and we hope he will return in the summer for a couple of weeks. My family is in Canada, my in-laws are an 8 hr drive away. We've made some great friends in our newest town, but I really have had no support. My hands are full. I have a 6 yo I'm homeschooling and a 3 yo who is now just starting to sleep through the night. I am doing all the house repairs myself. As soon as book an exam, something happens. Somebody gets sick, hurt, broken, etc. And it's postponed. And postponed.

Now, I have been educated a decade ago in another country. I'm finding it really difficult to keep up. At this point I'm no longer in touch.

At this point I have HALF of the program finished.

And I'm feeling like I failed. Like I said, Im processing it, just give me this humble little page. YES, it's an excellent program. Its a great option. I am very dedicated, driven, very good at learning on my own - I was home schooled a while as a child, and I finished HS at home as well. Enter life, enter kids. I just can't pull it ALL off on my own. My kids and their home had to always come first. It IS very difficult for me to process letting it all go.

So I'm going to take the 'easy' route, separate my home life and college a little more, find care for my kids and relax in a classroom, being spoon fed the stuff I've already learned half of, and could really really use a few clinical rotations to get back into it. Its taken me a long (tormented!) time to come to the decision, but the more I think about it, the more excited I am about it. Excited about a definite end date. AND! The labs, care plans, drug cards, clinicals.. it's all coming back.. it's stuff I am familiar with, and so entering a 2 year RN program? I feel like I will be a step ahead.

Talk about letting go and moving forward - aigh.

One step.. at .. a ... time...

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Specializes in MDS.

Good luck Grape. You do seem a little overwhelmed. I wish you the best.

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Happened to stumble upon your post and as I was reading it I thought you were going to say you were quitting altogether... I am so happy that not only are you going to continue, but that you will be in a classroom with peers, because it sounds like you definitely need some "ME" time! Good luck to you. I sincerely hope you still don't feel that you failed. I can "hear" the excitement in your post and I wish you the best.

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Specializes in Dialysis, LTC,.

The best of luck to you! You may not know this bu,t your actually strong then you think;)!

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Specializes in all but OB and Peds.

Praying for you....You will get thru this.....Rn and all..........You will look back and say wow how did I make it thru......:) you can do it.........

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Specializes in Ambulatory.

You can do it and best of luck, you are certainly not alone and after all the hard work you've already put in, there's no where to go but forward and finish that RN degree! =)

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Wow! Good for you! You are making a GUTSY choice! I just FINALLY finished allllll my EC tests and will be taking my CPNE in October. The one thing I wish someone had warned me about is the CPNE, you must pass it perfectly and you only have two chances to take it. If you fail the second time all of your work is wasted! No other school takes EC credits, and your money is GONE! You are then forced to start all over again at a regular brick and mortar school. I think you have great insight into your life, and are making the right choice.

Congrat's and good luck!

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That is not the easy route it is the route that is right for you thus making it the right route. i graduated excelsior in july. At times i doubt my skill set. I wish i had had regular clinical though i did pass the cpne first time and it was grueling, not the skills though, the pressure and nerves. So now i know i have nerves of steel, but the skills i had to perform were so basic that i am not sure i have skills of steel. so I wish i had had the courage to quit and do what was best for me, kudos to you for doing just that.

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Specializes in Operating room.

sometimes we all need to be spoon fed

good luck

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Good luck!

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Good Luck!!!! I too was also half through the program and decided to go another routh, Lamar State College texas. excelsior is not for everyone. i needed a more structured program and more guided as well. again, Good Luck

Hi all,

I really never expected to be writing this, but having just made my decision, I am writing it out to help myself process it.

I finished LPN school in Canada in 2004 and worked one year before getting married in the US and deciding to stay at home with a new baby. A year later, knowing that I would not be returning to work imminently, took on EC's LPN-RN program (2007). I studied before my son woke, from 5am - 8 am everyday, and my husband was a great help in the evenings. It worked well, and actually got me through many trials of new motherhood.

Skip til now. April 2012. In the last 5 years, I have not "worked," our family has moved 8 times, we've had another (very difficult!!) baby, bought a fixer-upper house, and my husband has been working well out of state for the last 3 years. He is currently in Africa, and we hope he will return in the summer for a couple of weeks. My family is in Canada, my in-laws are an 8 hr drive away. We've made some great friends in our newest town, but I really have had no support. My hands are full. I have a 6 yo I'm homeschooling and a 3 yo who is now just starting to sleep through the night. I am doing all the house repairs myself. As soon as book an exam, something happens. Somebody gets sick, hurt, broken, etc. And it's postponed. And postponed.

Now, I have been educated a decade ago in another country. I'm finding it really difficult to keep up. At this point I'm no longer in touch.

At this point I have HALF of the program finished.

And I'm feeling like I failed. Like I said, Im processing it, just give me this humble little page. YES, it's an excellent program. Its a great option. I am very dedicated, driven, very good at learning on my own - I was home schooled a while as a child, and I finished HS at home as well. Enter life, enter kids. I just can't pull it ALL off on my own. My kids and their home had to always come first. It IS very difficult for me to process letting it all go.

So I'm going to take the 'easy' route, separate my home life and college a little more, find care for my kids and relax in a classroom, being spoon fed the stuff I've already learned half of, and could really really use a few clinical rotations to get back into it. Its taken me a long (tormented!) time to come to the decision, but the more I think about it, the more excited I am about it. Excited about a definite end date. AND! The labs, care plans, drug cards, clinicals.. it's all coming back.. it's stuff I am familiar with, and so entering a 2 year RN program? I feel like I will be a step ahead.

Talk about letting go and moving forward - aigh.

One step.. at .. a ... time...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
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