Excelsior Pass Rate?

Sheri257 · Jun 21, 2004

Oops. Refer to next post.

Sheri257 · Jun 22, 2004

I have seen much, much higher quotes of students' costs to attend California nursing schools, in published material (not just someone's say-so).

I was just using my school as an example. And, you don't have to take my word for it. Here's a link to my CC's estimated program costs. You'll see the tuition costs under "enrollment fees." I was wrong about the $1,000. It's actually cheaper, about $865 ... total.

http://www.vvc.edu/academic/nursing/COSTS.htm

And here's an article which mentions the two-year state grant of $100,000 which allowed the school to take an extra 10 students per year. If they need an extra $100,000 to take only ten extra students per year, it's pretty obvious that the tuition doesn't begin to cover the costs.

http://www.vvdailypress.com/cgi-bin/newspro/viewnews.cgi?newsid1084195438,34096,,

You guys are always talking about the money. What money? If state schools are flooded with extra students because EC is not accepted here, the state actually loses a ton of money. Assuming, of course, the state is able to pay for additional subsidies to take more students, which is unlikely.

:smokin:

Sheri257 · Jun 22, 2004

As for the CPNE, on the labs you only have to get 50% (you can retake all four stations if necessary, which sounds like 4 out of 8 to me), and on the PCS's, you only have to get 60% (three out of five). What more could you want? If you still can't get it, maybe you need to practice and prepare a little more or better.
In my traditional school, anything under 69 was failing academically, and for anything under 85%, you failed a skills lab and were required to personally put in four hours of solid practicing under supervision in the skills lab.

This is another thing I don't understand. You guys are always saying that CPNE is tough. But here, it sounds like you're saying it's easier since, apparently, the percentage requirements to pass are lower than a traditional program. Is this a good thing?

:confused:

Spazzy Nurse, RN · Jun 22, 2004

This is another thing I don't understand. You guys are always saying that CPNE is tough. But here, it sounds like you're saying it's easier since, apparently, the percentage requirements to pass are lower than a traditional program. Is this a good thing?

Lizz-- Chris was just pointing out that people are given plenty of chances to pass. She wasn't comparing the CPNE to a traditional nursing program, since there really is no way to compare the two.

kimlpn · Jun 22, 2004

Spazzy and Chris--

No matter what you say to Liz about Excelsior...she will continue to argue over it!!! I say just have your KUDOS Liz mmmhmmm great glad traditional school is working for you so wonderfully, excellent job with your academic success, and above all you go girl!!!! I truly mean this too!

My goal is to NOT always be right (because I am human not divine)...but to try to accomplish my goals in a way that is well rounded for myself and family!!! It is not that I CAN'T go to a traditional school but rather I have made the choice not to. I was accepted locally at the nursing program where I took all of my generals and have maintained a 4.0 on the president's list every semester--but i prefer to NOT put my 3 year old in daycare--my own personal choice. If one sets their mind to it they can accomplish many things including the CPNE. Guess the old saying of before judging walk in another's shoes is pretty fitting! There will be and has been good and bad nurses graduating from both traditional and non traditional schools!!! So to those traditional students glad it works and those non traditional glad that works too--diversity makes the world colorful.

Kim

chris_at_lucas_RN, RN · Jun 22, 2004

kimlpn, I'm guessing you are an EC student. Yea!!! Applause for your little one too! What a lucky child!

I didn't go to EC because I wasn't smart enough for trad school, far from it. I took the PSB cold with a friend who wanted to go to nursing school and my scores were so high, they recruited me. Since I already have a master's degree and am Phi Beta Kappa, I know something about what makes for quality education and the experience of being a successful student, in addition to being successful "in the world." It is actually more important for the student to have the necessary personality attributes than for a particular program to have certain attributes (within limits, of course). Kind of like when the student is ready, the teacher (or program) appears.

I don't worry too much about what lizz says. No offense meant here, so please nobody chew me up for this, but my understanding is, lizz isn't an EC student, may not be a nursing student, may not be a nurse. Not sure what lizz's background is, because it's not available in her profile. However, one need not have credentials to have a legitimate opinion, if one bothers to read and think, and if you want to add spice to a discussion, lizz is who you want. I haven't ever unsub'd a thread she was active in for reasons of boredom, I can assure you.

As to whether the CPNE is "easy" or not, my experience is that, educationally, what I know is easy and what I don't know is hard. I've been that way since I was a child. It took me years to realize that it was a function of my own competence and not an intrinsic quality of the task. (I used to make A's on exams and think, "that was an easy test," not "wow, I'm smart." For some reason, it didn't work that way when I did poorly--I always thought I wasn't very smart.) I think that is just human experience.

I am just so lovin' this thread!!!

Sheri257 · Jun 22, 2004

I think it's pretty obvious I'm a student, since a lot of you have read and responded to my posts about classmates, etc. in the student forum. I've never said I was anything else but a student.

:coollook:

BBFRN, BSN, PhD · Jun 22, 2004

The CPNE is tough. Imagine your clinical instructor telling you that they're going to follow you around on the floor, and you have to do everything perfectly within a 2.5 hr time frame or you will fail- even in the area of showing how much you care about the pt. That's a lot of pressure! But, if you have failed twice before in the same area (I think the poster said it was the Eval Phase area), it's a given that you're going to have to change the way you're doing some things, or you'll fail again. You can fail 1 adult & 1 peds PCS, and retake those at the same CPNE date, as well as any labs stations failed. I think that's more than fair, honestly. EC makes no bones about letting us know that we are already expected to know this stuff before we take this exam. And it can be hard to keep your focus when other testers are dropping like flies all around you.

As far as EC's didactic pass rates, their grade ratings are like any other school's- except we don't get A+ or -, just a flat letter grade. I'd say half the people I know have failed 1 didactic course, at least. I haven't failed any, but I did get a C on one of the exams- not EC's fault- it was all on me. They didn't "scam" or "trick" me- I didn't study the psych nursing portion enough, as I'd had plenty of psych courses...but they weren't psych nursing courses.

I think EC has people that pass all the didactic courses, and fail at the clinical portion, just like any other nursing program. You can have all the nursing knowledge in the world, but if you can't apply that knowledge in the pt care setting, then it's pretty much worthless.

Those of us who have passed the CPNE on the first try might have a problem with someone saying it's EC's fault that they failed 3 times, as we know how hard we studied to pass the exam. It wasn't fate that I passed...I did the work, and I did it how they wanted me to do it.

As for Cali and EC, I have given up on any conspiracy theories about that. I don't live there, and I figure EC and Californian students can take up for themselves in that arena. Cali does have very cheap tuition rates for in-state students, but most areas also have a relatively high cost of living (probably in part to help subsidize things like this). That may account for the high number of EC students there- people can't afford to quit working full time to go to school.

BBFRN, BSN, PhD · Jun 22, 2004

Lol...Yes, Lizz- who are you REALLY? I've become quite fond of Lizz myself.

Sheri257 · Jun 22, 2004

Lol...Yes, Lizz- who are you REALLY? I've become quite fond of Lizz myself.

As I've said many times on other threads, I'm a 43 year old student working on another career. What else is there to know? I've previously worked in a bunch of other jobs, but I won't bore you with my resume.

I realize that you guys don't always like my posts and, in the interest of peace, I've tried to back off by not responding to some comments I read.

But when some things are repeatedly stated like the tuition argument, which just doesn't make much sense, I do feel compelled to respond. And, of course, I always enjoy a good debate.

BBFRN, BSN, PhD · Jun 22, 2004

LMAO- Lizz, I was kidding.

Sheri257 · Jun 22, 2004

BTW Kim, it's not that I think conventional schools are all that great. They're not. Traditional schools churn out their fair share of problem grads. I just happen to think the risks are greater with the way the EC program is set up, along the lines of the EMT examples that Spazzy cited.