Excelsior Nursing Program?

Editorial Team / Moderator · Oct 11, 2011

I think I should have said this differently. It was not just my experience that got me through the CPNE it was my preparation. Most people who failed had been LPN's for years (one for 30 years) and felt they did not need to prepare.

Yes, it was the "I would never recommend it to someone who did not have great LPN experience" line that tripped me up ... thanks for clarifying.

mena09 · Dec 5, 2011

to tonimoss14: I am a current Excelsior student, just finished my second exam and motivated now more than ever. I am an LPN x 2 years and continue to work FT and spend time with my kids without having as much stress as traditional nursing school. I like EC and think its a great option BUT I would not recommend it to anyone that did not have clinical experience and confidence. If you are self motivated and can teach yourself, EC is a good option.

Hello, I'm in the same spot LPN for 2 yrs. and work fulltime I have a family too... I'm so undecide if I should do the excelsior?? Can you tell me more about the program??? How many hours of studying do you do a night?

thank you

LVHospiceRN · Dec 5, 2011

I completed EC RN program in 2006. I was a certified medical assistant when I entered the RN program (not an LPN). It was hard but I completed the program in one year. Pass the boards the first time. I have been a RN for five years best decision I ever made. Do not let people knock the program down. I out perform many of my local brick and mortar community college and university graduates.

mena09 · Dec 5, 2011

LV HOSPICE RN,

Thank you for your reply.... I figure I start Sept.. i want to get the a&p 1 and 2 , and english done before I start the program I figure it would be easier... I too started as a medical assistant I just want to work my way up... I'm new to this site and glad I found it... Its very helpful... and again thank you....

amanda.tucker07 · Dec 7, 2011

I am 1 week away from graduating the LPN program. There are a few people in my class who are going to goto EC. I have the option of staying at my school for the RN or I can choose to do the RN. I goto an accelerated school. Each term is 10 weeks. LPN was 4 terms and the RN is 6 terms. We have had clinical exp. ever since week 6 of first term LPN and I really like that about my school, that they give you good clinical exp right off the bat. Im hesitant to stay here for my RN, though, because like I said its an accelerated program and I feel like I have missed out on so much in the one year that I have been in school. And now to continue on for another 1 1/2 yrs...ugh. So, this is why I am also considering EC, so I can spend more time with my husband and 3 kids and work. Work is a huge thing, money is tight and I need to Work! LOL. Im just in the middle and I get nervous about taking risks. Should I play it safe and stay at my school for the RN or try EC? That is the question. Oh, my school has been around for years teaching Real Estate, and other legal classes and such. They have only been teaching Nursing for maybe 6 years. So they haven't gotten their NLN yet, but they say they are supposed to get it this Feb. THis also makes me nervous, because Even if I start in Jan and they dont get it until after I enroll, Im not sure if they can grandfather me in. But, on the other hand I can go back after RN and get my BSN online, which is accredited by NLN so it wouldnt matter anyway. So, Im kind of in a tug of war between the two schools. If someone could offer some helpful advice, I'd appreciate it. Sorry this seems so long...I just passed HESI last week, and now preparing for Finals week...so im just scatter brain..LOL:uhoh3:

watersamy · Dec 8, 2011

I'm also interested in Excelsior. I will be taking my LPN exam next month. I do have a question for those of you who have done Excelsior. Do you have to do clinicals? Can you test out of clinicals? I failed the last semester of an RN program and wasn't able to graduate. I'll be taking the LPN exam and want to get my RN online. I would love it if I could just test out of the clinical part because I passted all my clinicals with flying colors, it was just the lecture portion that killed me. I failed by .10. I've read the posts online about Excelsior but nobody mentions anything about clinical hours.

BeachieRN84 · Dec 8, 2011

I'm also interested in Excelsior. I will be taking my LPN exam next month. I do have a question for those of you who have done Excelsior. Do you have to do clinicals? Can you test out of clinicals? I failed the last semester of an RN program and wasn't able to graduate. I'll be taking the LPN exam and want to get my RN online. I would love it if I could just test out of the clinical part because I passted all my clinicals with flying colors, it was just the lecture portion that killed me. I failed by .10. I've read the posts online about Excelsior but nobody mentions anything about clinical hours.

Hi watersamy, your clinical portion is a 3 day exam called the CPNE. They are not teaching you, they are evaluating you. They give you something called patient care scenarios and you are to perform the areas of care they assign you. Everything during this weekend is monitored very closely and it all must be done with 100% accuracy for a minimum of 2 adults and one child. You also must pass 4 lab sims. It is very stressful but with preparation can be done. Good luck to you!

studentinnursing · Apr 10, 2012

Check with both schools....if you have your LPN license, you then will still have to do 3 semesters of an RN program....I almost had to drop last semester and called Excelsior. Even though I learned all the material in an RN program (as they say RN program teaches the "why" of everything to the cell level and LPN was more of a technical nurse) and they told me it did not matter; if I wanted to take the NCLEX-PN I could then come to their school for the 3 semesters to become an RN. My RN program lets us redo one semester, and if you can go back and do one semester, you will be an RN in about 4 months (if you can get right back in; if not, work as an LPN til you can); if you choose to take LPN boards and then go through Excelsior's RN program, it takes about a year-and-a-half, what I was told; I may still have the email if you want to see what it said exactly, but I think just call them or email them for your situation in particular. Also, I'm not sure if this is a state thread, but you have to call your state board of nursing to see if they allow grads from Excelsior's online RN program to sit for boards; my state does, but they said it is the ONLY one they recognize and some states do not let Excelsior grads sit for boards, so check out that too, if you haven't already. I did not read all these pages but was subscribed to this thread and just got your post and the one after it, so I wanted to make sure you knew the deal with 18 months, not just 4 months and/or just doing the clinicals and testing out of that and doing level 4 theory; it's for LPNs transitioning to RN, so it's 18 months long; you only skip one semester of an RN program as an LPN transitional student.

I had to move and all kinds of things to keep going in my program, almost had to drop in level 3 and again in level 4 about 2 weeks ago, but I keep praying and trudging through, and now I have 3 weeks of preceptorship/management and I'll be done, thank God. Anyway, for me, I was not gonna go through 18 more months of childcare/transportation issues/getting 2 kids on 2 different txt plans and meds to doctor every other month, etc., because I could barely get through that one semester, so I figured a way to get through it, moved and made some other arrangements, and I kept going til about 2 weeks ago; something else happened and I thought I had to drop for medical; freaking roller coaster, and I was able to stay in with my documentation from doctor, etc., but if you can take last semester again, waaaaay quicker. Also, I have not been able to work, so in my situation, I was either going back to my old job asap or just hang in, beg, borrow, etc., this last month and God willing I'll get a job, but I never thought it was gonna happen and so far so good. All I'm saying is check out doing last semester at your school, or any other school for that matter; at worst, work as an LPN for 18 months while on a waiting list to just do last semester; see what I mean, make money, get experience, and then go finish RN. I just cannot see doing 18 months of an RN program...even though you can do from home, and I almost had to, just try everything you can....something will work out.

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