Excelsior college

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Hi, I'm a new grad, LVN .... am interested in enrolling into the excelsior college RN program. Can anyone tell me how long the program took for you?

Thank you . :chuckle

Specializes in ER.
I have been a paramedic for 4 years and I have enough college credits to kill a horse (mostly in other disciplines however) I only have to take Lifespan development, Micro and the 7 nursing classes to finish. My question to anyone out there who has been through the program...How long will the classes take me? And more importantly...How hard is the CPNE to prepare for and pass. I know I have 6 months before I can test but should I take the practice weekend in Albany prior to the actual CPNE. The lady on the phone said the exam was really hard and if you fail, you must wait another 6 months and pay another 1500$. I just need to know if I should be going forward. Any help out there?

The test is very thorough. It is not so much hard - they give you all the answers beforehand! - as it is a study of yourself, to see how you react under pressure.

Yes, take the Excelsior College prep course. Take all three days (two day CPNE course and the one day skills). They will show you exactly what you need to do to pass. And remember to relate it to what you already know (e.g. a peripheral vascular assessment is essentially the same assessment that you do before and after you splint an extremity - you just do it to both arms (or legs).

Good luck!

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I have been a paramedic for 4 years and I have enough college credits to kill a horse (mostly in other disciplines however) I only have to take Lifespan development, Micro and the 7 nursing classes to finish. My question to anyone out there who has been through the program...How long will the classes take me? And more importantly...How hard is the CPNE to prepare for and pass. I know I have 6 months before I can test but should I take the practice weekend in Albany prior to the actual CPNE. The lady on the phone said the exam was really hard and if you fail, you must wait another 6 months and pay another 1500$. I just need to know if I should be going forward. Any help out there?

Take the prep three day course. They will go overe verything you need to know. You need to remember, you are being graded on every aspect of your care. This means not introducing yourself-nono; not washing your hands, nono not taping down something that should be, nono, I could go on and on. I was in an MSN program with a graduate from this program. He said it was difficult but you can pass on your first attempt if you pay attention. And do not waste your time and money on any of those prep courses offered by outside groups. Big waste of time and even a bigger wastre of your money.

Grannynurse :balloons:

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The program is a good one for thoose that are very self-disaplined. but one word of advice, check with the BON in your state, EC is not recongized in some states ( like CA.)

Good luck

TanayNicole :rolleyes:

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Specializes in LPN.
I have been a paramedic for 4 years and I have enough college credits to kill a horse (mostly in other disciplines however) I only have to take Lifespan development, Micro and the 7 nursing classes to finish. My question to anyone out there who has been through the program...How long will the classes take me? And more importantly...How hard is the CPNE to prepare for and pass. I know I have 6 months before I can test but should I take the practice weekend in Albany prior to the actual CPNE. The lady on the phone said the exam was really hard and if you fail, you must wait another 6 months and pay another 1500$. I just need to know if I should be going forward. Any help out there?

I can't answer for the CPNE, but as for the classes, it depends upon your knowledge of them. It also depends upon your time to study and the other responsibilities in your life. For me, it may take a month for the 3 credit classes, and 3 months on the 6 credit classes. But, then I work 40 plus hours and have a handicapped child, and am a single mom. I also am very complete with my studies, not so much as it is required, but because I want to learn this stuff. My advise is to go through a couple of classes and to see for yourself, that way you can figure out a time line for yourself.

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So the CPNE courses aren't really worth it? If that's the case, I may save my money! :)

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The CPNE is the end of program three day clinical exam. It is not one of the multiple choice computer format nursing tests. Most people who do not complete the EC program can not successfully pass the CPNE at the end. One is given three tries and then dismissed from the program if they don't pass. And it is easy to fail to pass. But well worth the effort to those who do pass and graduate.

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I did pass the CPNE with no workshops. I did join a study group but I only found them about three weeks before the exam. However, I think that I did take a very large gamble in not going to a workshop. Still, I felt well prepared at the test.

It really depends on you. I am pretty disciplined, had a nursing school background, and I am good at on the fly thinking. There are many YouTube videos and study groups that will show you the proper way to do something. If you don't have the time or money then it is doable on your own. If you do have the time and the money, then I would go ahead and sign up.

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Ok. Thanks you guys. Can I ask how long the hours are for the CPNE? I heard it's 2.5 days. Are those days 8 hours straight? Are they broken up? Are you alone in a room or out with a bunch of other nurses and/or nursing students who are testing along with you? How does that work?

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The CPNE has two parts: the lab simulations and the patient care scenarios. Here was my scedule for the CPNE:

Friday night:

4:30 - 5:30: Introduction and paperwork

5:30 - 6:30: Lab simuations

6:30 - 7:30: Pick up patient for PCS 1 (PCS: patient care scenario)

Saturday morning:

7:30 - 10:00: PCS 1

10:45 - 1:15: PCS 2

2:00 - 4:00 Lab simulation repeat

Sunday:

7:30 - 10:00: PCS 3

10:45 - 1:15: PCS 4 (repeat)

2:00 - 4:30: PCS 5 (repeat)

Each PCS is 2.5 hours. However, it may not take that long. My longest was about two hours, my shortest was 45 minutes. If you plan your time well, 2.5 hours is plenty of time. If you lose time (due to a doctor visit, phone call, etc) the instructor can "give" you back up to 30 minutes.

It is not a straight eight hours, although some of us wished that it were! You are not really alone-- you will wait with the other students but the actual testing is one student, one CE (clinical instructor) and obviously the patient. You work with real patients for the patient care scenarios, you work with dummies for the lab simulations.

It is confusing. It took my friend about three times of explaining before he understood. And he has two degrees!

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Oh wow. Scary, but a little less stressful-sounding since it's not 8 hours straight. So it looks like you have 1 hour increments. Now, is that ENTIRE hour dedicated to you?...or will you be performing tasks along side other students and being graded as CE comes by? Hope my Q makes sense!

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Yes, it is all one-on-one with the CE who will be watching you the entire time. That is one of the reasons that the exam is so pricey!!

Basically you have to pass 3 PCS (patient care scenarios). You can repeat one adult and one peds.

For each of these, you will go to the floor with a CE (clinical examiner). The CE will give you your patient and their chart, orient to the floor, and introduce you to the patient's primary nurse. You have 2.5 hours to construct a care plan, perform required areas of care, and document your findings as well as evaluate your care plan.

You will really only see other students when you are waiting to do things, and you will have quite a lot of contact with them-- but no, you will not be doing tasks with other students. The lab simulations are done with the other students working at different stations, but really it is just you and the instructor, and the patient during the PCS.

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OMG...so is there one CE for all of us? :eek: Will a CE be watching your EVERY little move, every second of the process? What if you finish before the 2.5 hours?

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