Excelsior and Texas

[sweet_n_low]

Oh No!!!! I just received an email from Excelsior that Texas BON said that Excelsior is not "substantially equivalent" to other programs. They want to require traditional clinical training for Excelsior's associate degree nursing graduates. What if they would eradicate it completely??? I am so nervous now, I just started this program.

Here is a copy of the letter...

Your Urgent Help Needed

Contact Your State Legislators Today

I am asking for your help in contacting your state legislators urging them to support bills that have been introduced that will maintain Excelsior's nursing program as a viable option for working adult, health care professionals to become RNs.

During last year's session, the Texas Legislature modified the Nursing Practice Act in an effort to open Texas to innovative nursing programs and provide guidance to the Board of Nursing in approving out-of-state programs by requiring it to approve a program approved by another state if the standards of that state are "substantially equivalent." Unfortunately, the Board of Nursing has indicated that it does not view Excelsior's program as "substantially equivalent" to Texas in-state programs, and it wants to require traditional clinical training for Excelsior's associate degree nursing graduates.

This is despite the following facts and indicators of program quality:

* Excelsior College is approved by regulators in our home state of New York.

* Excelsior is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

* Our School of Nursing is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission - the associate degree program has been continuously accredited since 1975.

* The School has twice been designated as a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education by the National League for Nursing and is one of only 13 such centers nationwide.

* Excelsior's graduates consistently pass the national nurse licensing exam (NCLEX-RN) the first time at a rate equal to or higher than the national average.

Two Legislative Bills are Being Introduced

Two identical bills have been introduced, one each in the Senate and House, that will provide for continued recognition of our School of Nursing as being "substantially equivalent" to Texas in-state programs.

* The Senate bill is SB 1397 (introduced by Senator Deuell)

* The companion bill in the House is HB 3230 (introduced by Representative Pitts)

You may view these bills at this Web address by entering the bill numbers into the "Search Legislation" box at the top of the middle column: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us.

Without the guidance that these bills will provide to the Board of Nursing, Excelsior's nursing pre-licensure program as an alternative, nontraditional means for working adult professionals to become an RN may be in jeopardy.

Send Letters of Support

We need you to send letters and emails to your state Senator and Representative today asking them to support these bills. If they are not members of the Senate Health & Human Services Committee or the House Public Health Committee, ask them to urge their colleagues who are on these committees to support the bills. Hearings on these may take place as early as March 31, so please send your letters and emails right away.

To locate the address for your Senator and Representative go to http://www.capitol.state.tx.us and fill in your address in the "Who Represents Me?" box on the right-hand side of the page.

These letters should be in your own words and should tell the legislators your story:

* Why you want to become an RN and how important it is to you and your family.

* Why you chose Excelsior College to earn your degree.

* How your current and past clinical experiences are helping you to achieve your goal.

* Let them know how rigorous the program is.

Be sure to include the program quality bullet points listed above and to write a letter that is professional in nature. You want to make a good impression of yourself and Excelsior's program.

Please send copies of your letters and emails to [email protected] so we know which legislators have been contacted.

Thank you,

Bridget Nettleton signature

M. Bridget Nettleton, PhD, RN

Dean, School of Nursing

It makes me sick... I just started this and now it may be taken away... ugh....

Mandy

[BBFRN, BSN, PhD]

Thread moved to the Distance Learning forum, as that is its appropriate place.

Good luck to those of you who live in TX.

[chiromed0]

Update...for anyone reading the Texas situation is cleared up and Excelsior is good here for 10 more years. Also they are working on clearing up the clinicals situtation in the future. No details yet.

[pavanneh]

I have a bone to pick with those who say that students with EC don't have clinical experience. As others have said you have to have clinical experience-ALOT to enroll in the school. I have worked with new nurses from conventional programs and find they are not as competent as two of the EC students I worked beside who was a Paramedic and an RT before they enrolled. I was a hospital corpsman, Cardiovascular Tech, Respiratory Therapist, Paramedic, EMT and find it personally offensive that I am continually looked at by the nursing community and nurses that I am inferior to them because I don't have LPN or RN behind my name. Which I was also an LPN for 3years in California. BUt, because I got my nursing degree through the Navy and nontraditional education, I could not practice in Virginia. I have over 24 years of medical experience in more variety of practice and types of practice than many nurses with as much time in the field. I have seen new graduates that couldn't take a proper blood pressure with a manual cuff. They couldn't count the pulse. The machine was broken we were told.

Yet, I am still looked at as "less". I have helped patients with end of life issues, I have talked with families and comforted them when loved ones were ill and dying. I have helped change beds, done IV's, put in Arterial lines, etc, etc. I have a Master's Degree in Healthcare Administration/Provision. Yet, I have so many jobs tell me they want a Nurse. When is what I have done going to really count? I guess when I have RN behind my name.

Please understand, I am not trying to put down nurses. They are wonderful and I admire anyone who does that very difficult job. Just wish what I have accomplished would be valued as highly.

[katherine100, LPN]

As much as I hate to say it....I am glad Texas BON is doing what they are. I live in Texas and am about to graduate from a BSN program here and honestly I would be worried about an new RN who is expected to really know assessment and have clinical judgement who had NO CLINICAL experience in school. I believe that clinicals are essential to developing sound clinical judgement and to just becoming a safe nurse. Even though Excelsior grads may pass the NCLEX like other RN's...answering questions on a test and actually being in a clinical situation are 2 different things in my opinion. If I were you...I would work on transfering to a program that has clinicals and is more respected whether its ADN or BSN. That would probably be the safest route. Good luck to you!

The EC grad I spoke with said she did her clinicals at her work.

[peaparamedic]

I would add that experienced paramedics should also be admitted to the EC program. I had 18 years paramedic of experience when I passed the NCLEX. I'm a CEN and precept new BSN grads occasionally. Clinical "experience" in many programs is often no more than an introduction to safety, assessments and critical thinking geared to teach a 20 year old how to talk to people. It takes a good one six months to lose that "deer in the headlights " look when they come to the real world. EC seeks to educate those with some of that proven real world experience already. It's not perfect but the CPNE weeds out many of the poorly prepared. If not for EC I couldn't have transitioned from medic to RN. I think my hospital would tell you that would have been a big loss.

[jbmarie4]

this is an update from excelsior's website about the whole situation

important information for texas students and graduates important information for texas students and graduates

july 2009

it is my pleasure to be the bearer of good news. legislation has been passed in texas that retains recognition of our nursing programs and its graduates in the state.

earlier this year we informed you of concerns being expressed by the texas board of nursing (board) about the qualifications of our graduates for licensure as rns in the state. we asked for your assistance in contacting state legislators. you responded quickly and with compelling reasons why excelsior's nursing program should be considered "substantially equivalent" to the standards established by the board.

in late may, both houses of the texas legislature passed hb 3961 which includes language guaranteeing licensure of our graduates through at least december 31, 2017. on june 22, 2009 governor perry signed the legislation into law.

between now and the end of 2017, as outlined in the legislation, excelsior college will participate with the board and others in a research project designed to study alternative ways to assure the clinical competency of students graduating from nursing education programs. through this research, texas authorities seek to identify a common set of nursing education outcomes, clinical judgment and behaviors that are expected of graduates of all nursing programs.

this project also seeks to identify standard, reliable, and valid exit tools that can be used to evaluate the clinical competency of individuals graduating from pre-licensure nursing programs. it will further seek to determine any correlations between success rates on these standard exit tools and success on the nclex-rn as well as any correlation with prior health care experience or required hours in supervised clinical learning experiences.

excelsior college welcomes the opportunity to participate in this research project. we are confident the results will demonstrate that graduates of our "nontraditional" nursing program are as well prepared to practice as rns as graduates of any other program. the study is to be completed by june 30, 2014, with the results reported to the legislature and governor.

please accept our sincere appreciation for all the effort you made in contacting your legislators and for your continuing support. clearly, you made a difference, something that excelsior's students and graduates do every day on the job and in their communities.

regards,

m. bridget nettleton, phd, rn

dean, school of nursing

https://www.excelsior.edu/excelsior_college/about/news_and_announcements/important_information_for_texas_students_and_gradu ates

[katherine100, LPN]

Why is it that people wont use excelsior for the courses then transfer to another RN or BSN program. I am sure it can be done. In fact its being done with ISU for some students.

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

Most nursing programs don't accept other nursing programs' nursing classes. Some transfer, but most don't.