Excelsior questions?

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Hi,

I am really interested in getting my RN through excelsior, but need a little more info. I recently graduated from a Technical program in South Dakota and recevied my license last month. Being I graduated from a technical school will my gen edu transfer. Are there pre reqs you need to have to be accepted. I have taken anatomy and physiology, microbiogy, general math, intro to sociology, comp, and general psychology, along with a few others will those be sufficent or will I need to take more? I also hope to be finished in a 6 -10 month time span-does this sound resonible? I just finished my LPN through an online school as well so I am used to the structure. Also the test that need to be taken are they pretty hard? Multiple choice? and how many questions are they usually? How long is the books that we study from? I have been reading and most say it usually costs about $6000 is this true? Also since I just graduated from the LPN will there be alot of new material that you learn compared to the LPN course. I am really interested, but I just want to make sure its not impossible to pass. I was an average student in my LPN class wasn't the smartest but received As and Bs.

SORRY for the longs post but just want to get some info before I dive head first into this. Thank You in advance for the replies! Any info would be great!!!!!

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Specializes in Surgery, Med/Surg/ICU, OB-Peds, Ophth.
Hi,

I am really interested in getting my RN through excelsior, but need a little more info. I recently graduated from a Technical program in South Dakota and recevied my license last month. Being I graduated from a technical school will my gen edu transfer. Are there pre reqs you need to have to be accepted. I have taken anatomy and physiology, microbiogy, general math, intro to sociology, comp, and general psychology, along with a few others will those be sufficent or will I need to take more? I also hope to be finished in a 6 -10 month time span-does this sound resonible? I just finished my LPN through an online school as well so I am used to the structure. Also the test that need to be taken are they pretty hard? Multiple choice? and how many questions are they usually? How long is the books that we study from? I have been reading and most say it usually costs about $6000 is this true? Also since I just graduated from the LPN will there be alot of new material that you learn compared to the LPN course. I am really interested, but I just want to make sure its not impossible to pass. I was an average student in my LPN class wasn't the smartest but received As and Bs.

SORRY for the longs post but just want to get some info before I dive head first into this. Thank You in advance for the replies! Any info would be great!!!!!

I would contact EC to get concrete info on what will transfer for you and what will not. With Excelsior, you are free to work at your own pace, and there have been students that complete the program in less than a year. The exams are 130-160 and I find them moderately challenging, getting tougher as you go; I will have spent more than $6000 by the time I will be done, but I purchased my base of textbooks from the EC store, which was a waste of money. Go to Ebay, amazon and get used...much cheaper.

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Thanks for the reply!

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Well you are off to a GREAT start! I needed quite a few more pre-req's and I am now only two exams from the BIG ONE with EC, so you should be fine. You can have your schools send EC your transcripts, and EC will let you know what classes you need BEFORE you enroll. Also, I did not realize this, but you can be taking your pre-req's at the SAME TIME you are studying for your EC nurse exams. Yes, if you are determined and disciplined, you can at least get to the CPNE within 10 months. The longest part may be waiting for availability for the CPNE, that can take months. No matter what your time aspect is, it should NOT stop you from starting your program! In 10 months you will either be in the same place you are now, or you will be closer to your RN, even if it takes 12 months to finish.

Also, tests are 130-160 ques, multiple choice, select all that apply, and you have 3 hours (I think) to finish. If your previous science classes are from your LPN curriculum, they will not suffice for ANY schools RN program. You will need to find a local college, or you can study on your own and take an EC exam for those also. Excelsior does not require a math class but you will need to know nursing math for some of your exams. They are all the same math questions as you had in LPN school. Yes, the tests are difficult but obviously any RN program is going to be difficult. You need to study just as hard as you would in a traditional program. Also, I have found that the experience I have gained as a LPN (3 yrs) has REALLY helped me on my exams and understanding the disease process. After LPN graduation, everything was just a concept. My work experience has given me a full picture of the disease process, the person, the patient, the doctor, the rules, and answered the "WHY?" questions I always had as a new nurse. So if you can work while you study, you will benefit.

BTW, peruse the EXCELSIOR COLLEGE sticky on the Distance Learning page. You will find almost all the info you need.

Finally, you don't need to be the smartest, you just have to care. If you really care you will want to know WHY which will lead you to learning.

Good luck and come back with all your questions. We are all here for you!:hug:

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BerryHappy,

Thanks so much for all the info. Im sure I will have more and more questions as I go but I its great to know that I have others on this site to help me out!!!:yeah: If it wasn't for allnurses site I would be totally lost!

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Specializes in Psychiatry, Cardiology, Gerontology, Occ. Health.

I just applied to Excelsior in January and I also completed a technical LPN program. I submitted my transcript anyway and here is what they told me:

"Credits from Arkansas Tech University were not utilized because they were earned as part of a vocational/certificate nursing program which is

not acceptable."

So I basically have to start from the beginning. But, it's still faster than the traditional route. I think if you have taken the NCLEX in the last 2 years, you can also skip one of the nursing tests. This didn't apply to me though, as I took mine in 2003. Good Luck!

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do they have an online program?

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