Excelsior Grads - Where are they now?

Nursing Students Excelsior

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EC grads,

Post your year of graduation and your specialty/specialties. I'll go first:

I've been a Level II/III Neonatal ICU nurse since graduation in January '06.

Update 5/2018: I've worked for a large NICU since 2009 in bedside and education roles, and I've been a clinical instructor. I finished EC's MS program in nursing education a couple of years ago. I was recently accepted to the Ph.D. program at a state university.

Was anybody a surgical tech before?

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Specializes in ICU, Telemetry, Cardiac/Renal, Ortho,FNP.

Just to provide some encouragement...after EC I was hired at a hospital, day shift, for Cardiac/Renal two years ago. Now, ICU step down/intermediate care. I've completed a MSN bridge and about 98% done with my FNP. I'm also a D.C. so that helped some. Clinicals are where the EC program has fallen short and in my state I had to do some extra clinicals but it was fun, no big deal just time consuming. Everyone at EC was helpful in getting it done. At work nobody cared .02 what school I went to. As long as you can do the job they don't care...and to be honest my background didn't prepare me for nursing so I felt like I was starting from scratch during my probationary period at work so I paid CLOSE attention to EVERYTHING. That's not EC fault, I've seen others with the same problem from traditional programs. You can do whatever you want with the EC degree...it really is up to you. Online programs are very common now so I think any resistance you encounter will be non-existent in a few years.

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

I'm an 2012 ASN grad, 2014 BSN grad and now I'm currently in FNP school through Simmons College. I was previously an LPN from 2006 to 2012. Have worked in home health, podiatry, derm, family care, adult /gero, LTC, acute rehab and case management for both adult and peds. Totally well prepared by EC curriculum and standards!

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Huge milestones right there. Glad to hear EC grads heading somewhere. Conglats.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

I guess it's time for an update! ASN 2008, BSN (Chamberlain) 2010, will complete my MSN in Informatics at EC in December. I had some issues (my own, no fault of the school) getting my capstone completed so I had already transferred into an FNP program (Chamberlain again). I have put patho and pharm on pause to complete this Informatics capstone, but I should finish the FNP in February 2017. :) Was supposed to be December 2016, but I couldn't turn down the opportunity to finish my first MSN, and doing patho and pharm simultaneously with the capstone seemed really stupid! Lol.

Also served four+ years in the Army Nurse Corps, just left active duty last month. Now in the Individual Ready Reserve. Had a great nine-month deployment experience as the ER nurse for a Forward Surgical Team (FST) attached to a Special Forces team.

None of this would have happened without EC allowing paramedics to bridge. :)

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Was a volunteer EMT and paramedic and worked at a motorcycle factory when I graduated EC in 1999 for less than $9K. After getting laid-off, I worked SNF as a nursing supervisor right after graduation. Since then, I have worked for the Department of Defense, Veterans Administration, and now for a local community hospital in the ER as a staff nurse. I am a Certified Emergency Nurse and a Pre-Hospital Registered Nurse. I currently attend Capella University and plan on getting my BSN/MSN as a Nurse Educator by next summer.

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Specializes in Internal and Family Medicine.

Regents ASN 1998, Excelsior BSN 2010. Same school, but the name changed. I worked in several areas: plastic and reconstructive sx, wound care, PACU, pain management, SICU and sometimes float pool to see what I might be missing! I was kind of a wandering soul, looking for experiences, looking to help people, to find myself. I've been a health writer and educator for several years now, and recently (last year), went back to school. I'm in the FNP/CNE dual program at UT Arlington. My plan is to work in a community clinic for a year or two after graduation, then go back for my DNP or PhD. Ultimately, this is all part of my retirement fantasy. When my kids go off to college, I plan to move to Hawaii (it's like a second home to me), work in a community clinic serving the underserved, and teach at the university. Before Regents ASN program, I was a BSN student at Baylor. But, I became very ill and had to take take off. Regents was kind enough to take me in once I was well enough to study again, and allow me to move quickly through their ASN program, giving me credit for my work at Baylor. This was life changing on so many levels. Looking back, I was not in the right place while at Baylor. Not my tribe. Another student and I found out we had the same kind of cancer at about the same point in the program. Stress was a factor. I went back to complete my BSN studies through Excelsior out of loyalty, gratitude, and because I knew the school to be rigorous yet supportive. If Excelsior had an FNP program, I would transfer...right now. Amazing school.

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Specializes in Internal and Family Medicine.

Pixie RN...I want to be you in my next life! Seriously. It all sounds exciting, and I cheer you on as you manage to juggle all of these things, roll with the punches, and keep going toward your goals.

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Specializes in Internal and Family Medicine.

Hi TashaLPN, I am and FNP/CNE student at UT Arlington. I would live to hear about your experiences at Simmons. Please give me the scoop. I sometimes wish I had applied to Simmons. I generally like the smaller, private school experience. Are you happy there?

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
Pixie RN...I want to be you in my next life! Seriously. It all sounds exciting, and I cheer you on as you manage to juggle all of these things, roll with the punches, and keep going toward your goals.

You could come over and be me right now, I need a clone! lol. :D I have switched from my FNP program to the Nurse Educator program at the same school, for a number of reasons. I might go back for FNP someday down the road, but it just isn't my passion right now! Fortunately I only went one class too far into FNP before switching. Oops.

But I finish the Excelsior MSN (Informatics) in 16 days!!! YAY!!!

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Specializes in Emergency Department, ICU.

I figured I would go ahead and post here.

Originally a Paramedic, EC ADN grad November 2015; took NCLEX Jan 5 and passed first attempt. I started working on my BSN at the beginning of January, also at EC. I just accepted an ER nursing job that I start on 3/15.

:)

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Good for you MedicFireRN, you are blessed.

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