I aM floored. I just received notice from GA Board of Nursing that they denied the endorsement of my MN RN license because I did not meet clinical practice requirements . When I called the board, they transferred me to a their Legal Nurse Consultant who stated that effective July 1, 2008 GA would no longer endorse RN license from Excelsior College students with no previous RN experience. She suggested that I go to my licensed state and work for a while then try again, but she could not give me a time frame.
Has anyone else experienced this. I thought we should at least have gotten some sort of notice/warning before this type of rule be adopted by the board. I am going to file a motion for reconsideration using an Attorney. Before I entered Excelsiors program I called GA Board to verify acceptance. I had been accepted to a traditional LPN to RN bridge program; I could have been almost finished their too. I am so sad right now. I have been crying for two days. I think I will need to see my doctor for Zoloft.
I have been an LPN for over 13 years doing Med/Surg for at least 10. I work on a hospital unit right now. THIS IS SO UNFAIR!!!:banghead:
HI TOLDYOUSO, I TRULY UNDERSTAND YOUR ANGER AND FRUSTRATION. I DO AGREE WITH YOU ABOUT EC KNOWING SOMETHING, I BELIEVE PEOPLE MONITOR BOARD MOTIONS ARE SOMETHING. RIGHT, I AM UPSET WITH EC AND GBON, WE BOTH KNOW WHY. THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO BUT WRITE,FAX,E-MAIL AND GO TO MACON WHEN THE TIME COMES. ALL OF US ARE NERVOUS ABOUT THE OUTCOME. IN THE MEAN TIME WE MUST BE THINKING ABOUT PLAN B FOR OURSELEVES AND FAMILY, HOPEFULLY NONE OF US WILL HAVE TO EXECUTE B, SO WE HAVE TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER NOT POINT BLAME AT ONE ANOTHER:no:
It just occurred to me that the GA Secretary of State is an elected position.Then why are GBON members appointed? I think it is time the citizens of GA do petition the legislators to open these positions up to elections and voting. It is too easy for appointed officials to be influenced politically as they may be indebted for the appointments. On the other hand elective officials are more likely to listen to the will of the people and not really owe any political favors. This is America.....and that stand for Democracy, doesn't it?
I also wonder why the OP never posted this on the EC EPN as opposed to this site. What lies in the dark must come to light. Whether is is the fault of student(s) lying on their application for endorsement, or EC not disclosing this critical information to the students affected, or EC not incorporating the 250 precepted clinical hours, or the GABON acting without notice, the truth will come to light.
I am not sure if you all have followed this post from the beginning, but the truth is when my wife first posted news on these changes, no one wanted to believe it and basically called her a liar. The spirit of many posters was very insulting. Likewise when she notified Excelsior the reception was even worst; no one wanted to hear the truth. She called the Dean of Nursing, Bridgette Nettleton at Excelsior College several times and left several messages and the Dean NEVER even bothered to return her call (this was a month ago and her letter to the students is dated Aug. 5th). She called the SPAC and GNA and spoke with several officials but Ms. Hatmaker told her that the information she was spreading was not true. When she did attempt to put the information on the Excelsior Web site it was blocked. She WAS attempting to warn others but she was not well received.
As for the reasons that this is happening; it is most likely due to the growing number of unapproved nursing schools that have opened up in the Atlanta area, especially Cobb County, GA....the location where the author of house bill 1041 lives. Recently there was a big expose and write up in the news paper about Advance Medical Institute. They were running an LPN and RN program and charging tens of thousand of dollars only to have their students rejected for licensure or have license revoked after issued. Many were licensed through the state of VA also;thus VA BON too is undergoing changes to reject Excelsior and other distant learning grads. The owner of this school was acting as a satellite office for an accredited institution in Jamaica and managed to bribe an employee there to falsify transcripts for it's graduates. It has been a big to do around metro Atlanta.
I don't think individuals lying on nursing applications would have anything to do with Excelsiors entire student body being denied a license. Maybe that is the reason they will now start fingerprinting candidates. And I think it is only fair.There are a lot of nurses who answer no to questions of arrest and convictions and are lying. I think they should also include it for nurses getting license renewals and the LPN Boards as well. It has long been the practice of GA to only do criminal checks in the state of GA. That means you could be a serious felon in IL, or CA and have a clean record in GA. It made no since to me at all. However they will really need to brace for an even greater nursing shortage after that. People are human and subject to make mistakes...especially in their youth.
It is projected by the US Department of labor that by the year 2020 there will be a shortage of over 800,000 nurses. If the BON and State Governments continue to enact legislation to narrow the number of qualified candidates for nursing. Our healthcare cost will be unaffordable because nursing salaries will go through the roof. It is as simple a concept as supply and demand.
Several days ago when your wife posted about being denied licensure by endorsement I called the BON maybe a day later and was told that EC grads could apply for endorsement and would be evaluated on an individual basis. I wish I had gotten the name of the person I talked to. I don't think I was the only one given that response. At the same time I also checked the BON website for any changes and guess what??? Nothing was there other than the old info about endorsing with either 500 hrs of licensed practice, or graduation from a nursing education program with in 4 months prior, etc. There are so many unanswered questions for both EC and the BON and I now believe that they are dually at fault for the misinformation. The question is will the parties involved make things right for all us, EC grads and students.
I refuse to let anyone have control of my life and I am bound and determined to become an RN. I've come to far to quit.
Thank you for your support. I have to work full time and take care of a disabled family member and a distance learning program is my only option for moving from LPN to RN. I think there are some RN's who think that taking a distance learning program is some sort of shortcut. Not so. I'd rather show up for a class and takes notes any day than to have to study (the same text books that Georgia colleges and universities use, by the way) on my own and go take the exams. In my LPN program I had 700 clinical hours. At work I have to orient BSN students who have graduated from Georgia universities and have had less than 1/3 that many clinical hours. From talking with these graduates, their clinical teachers don't even have enough contact with them to know their students' names. This is not an exaggeration - several state university graduates that I know have had to take the NCLEX more than once, one as many as 4 times, in order to pass. At one of the local state universities there is a clinical teacher for the BSN program who is an Excelsior Graduate.
There is no logic or reason in any of this. It appears there is someone on the BON that has an attitude about this issue and has worked quietly to get this pushed through and have it within their power to interpret this law to suit their own bias and exclude those of us who have no other options from ever being RNs in the State of Georgia (Nurse Grinch). We were given no warning about this, no grace period, and neither was Excelsior. Thank you for being an advocate for us.
I grew up in Cobb County, still live not far from there, and never heard of Advanced Medical Institute. How do you start an "unapproved" nursing school? Somebody who would pay thousands of $$ to a school like that is not too bright. The BON would just shut the school down wouldn't they - they don't need to rewrite the law. Sounds kinda crazy.
Hi I am an Excelsior College student and taking my last test Tuesday and then clinicals. I have worked as a LPN for 30 years, all in specialty areas, in different states, my husband is retired military. I started Excelsior after checking with boards on acceptance of endorsement and was told yes. Now, it has taken me a while to do my courses, I lost my 10 year old son a couple of years ago, was in ICU my self on life support in September, and then lost my mom in January. It has been a rough time and there is no way that I could do this if not done this way. I do not understand why this has come about. I do not think it is fair. I can see having to have so many years experience as a LPN before doing this but to say that we are not qualified to be an RN in Georgia without working in another state first is crazy. What am I really going to experience in clinical practice in a few months than I have already experienced in nursing. I worked the IV team in Spartanburg, SC and was one of the first to be on it, I worked neuro, I have did home care with infants on ventilators, worked ICU, PCU, med surge, pediatrics, and have been an ER nurse, first in Florida, and now in Georgia for 5 years. I could see it if we did not have to take a clinical test to prove our competencies but we do and from what I hear it is very demanding and rigid. I pray that this decision changes. I would like to know when the meeting is in time to ask off from work and be there. Thank you so much for going to bat for us. I know I really appreciate it. Let me know what ever it is that I need to do.
I grew up in Cobb County, still live not far from there, and never heard of Advanced Medical Institute. How do you start an "unapproved" nursing school? Somebody who would pay thousands of $$ to a school like that is not too bright. The BON would just shut the school down wouldn't they - they don't need to rewrite the law. Sounds kinda crazy.
Here is a news article from the Marietta Daily concerning this school. It is located at 20 N Fairground RD in Marietta. They have now since changed their name to Mega Career Institute. This Article is recent (8/9/08 but there were others from several months back in the paper. She was also running a 24 month RN program; I know because my wife's close friend completed this program and applied to CA to get license and was denied. The GA BON is familiar with the school. It has had several complaints which they were investigating. To add insult to injury......to date the only punishment they have given this lady is a $100 fine for representing herself as an RN when she was indeed a LPN. Can they not arrest her for fraud or something? It sounds like she has committed several felony counts of "theft by deception." I am hoping you can read the article if they allow the link. Or you may want to call the Cobb County District Attorneys Office; they are investigating the proprietors.
Unfortunately this is not the only school like this in GA. My wife said that she knows several Nigerian doctors who are running unauthorized schools and allowing students to have "clinical practice" by working in their offices. They too are getting falsified transcripts from real programs back in Africa and students are being represented as foreign educated. They seem to have an easier time getting licensed than you people.
I too am an immigrant from Africa.....though not Nigeria. I can honestly tell you that there is a lot of fraud as far as the schools are concern. I know several people who never completed high school back home but have managed to earn college degrees like masters and PHDs in your country. I have also heard of several nurses who came to this country with falsified transcripts and studied to pass the RN exam and are now working.
I am deeply sadden to say that corruption is common. Especially in third world countries where bribery is the norm and poverty is so wide spread. If people are willing to sell their own children to eat (many foreign adoptions by Americans), how much more willing are they sell to a false transcript. America is being duped by Africa, India and Jamaica for sure but possibly many others countries.
I know this post will offend many people. Especially the foreign nationals from the countries that I just mentioned; please understand that this is not a personal attack. But be honest with yourself because....THE TRUTH IS THE TRUTH!! If this does not apply to you then please do not take offense. I have no problem proving that my transcripts are real. I was fortunate to attend a British Boys Private School back home. In fact I was one of very few blacks who could afford to attend. If the transcripts that are offered by students are legitimate then they should be able to past CLEP exams in the subjects without studying a year for it. I am a math major......there is no math that you can give me for 30 minutes that I can not master. It is what I am trained at. If the "foreign educated" nurses are as good as American Nurses then they should also be up to the test. But I can assure you that the systems are not equal......in fact the healthcare in my country today compares to what it was in America in the 1950s if not the 1930s. I tell my wife all the time that your legislators and BONs need to tour the hospitals where many of the foreign nurses train, they will think twice about making them equal. Even the LPN programs in America are much better than many foreign RN programs (at least where I am from.)
Specializes in Hospice,LTC,Pacu,Regulatory,Operating room.
I grew up in Cobb County, still live not far from there, and never heard of Advanced Medical Institute. How do you start an "unapproved" nursing school? Somebody who would pay thousands of $$ to a school like that is not too bright. The BON would just shut the school down wouldn't they - they don't need to rewrite the law. Sounds kinda crazy.
oh i know about this.. they are getting alot of foriegn people to sign up and giving them nursing degrees from jamaica and then they are transferring them here.
The goal of the meeting should focus on negotiating a compromise for all enrolled not just those near completion. We all have money and time invested in EC.
Sorry, didn't mean for that to sound so mercenary. What I mean is I don't think the GBON can be persuaded to completely reverse their decision although I think that's going to be EC's strategy (all or nothing). I think we (students) should focus on trying to get them to change the effective date or grandfather in students enrolled in EC before this date or come up with some compromise.
Sorry, didn't mean for that to sound so mercenary. What I mean is I don't think the GBON can be persuaded to completely reverse their decision although I think that's going to be EC's strategy (all or nothing). I think we (students) should focus on trying to get them to change the effective date or grandfather in students enrolled in EC before this date or come up with some compromise.
I like the idea of the grandfather clause. I think that the BON should realize that regardless of whether this bill was put into play Jan 1 or July1, there are still those of us that were enrolled prior to Jan 1 and that still affects a huge number of students.
@ITOLDYOUSO--I have no problem believing anything you said about these "fly by night schools" (my words). I'm from "small town" Georgia and something like that could be easily detected and taken care of. I just hate the idea of that phenomena possibly being the root of our troubles with being licensed. I mean, EC has been around a long time and is an actual accredited school in Albany, NY. The most urgent thing at this point is for the state to put an immediate stop and shut down all of those "schools" that you mention.
Specializes in CHPLN- Cert. hospice/palliative care LPN.
]I just want to say you GA nurses ROCK! You have such a fighting spirit! I am one of the EC students effected in VA. The thing that scares me about what's happening in our 2 states is that soon, an RN license from EC won't be worth the paper it's written on. I think this is a fight with many layers. Although I admit that the immediate focus is for ourselves and our right to be licensed, I also believe there is a simultaneous fight that needs to occur for the rights of EC nurses to be recognized on a national level. What good is an RN license if it only "counts" in a few states? Who's to say we'll NEVER MOVE? I spent most of my life in Ohio and never DREAMED I'd move out of state... now I live in VA. Never saw THAT coming! You EARNED that degree and it should count. Period. So while everyone is working together to find the solution to fix the immediate problem, I'd like to ask that you be willing to work together to fix the long term problem.
]I guess the fact that I had nightmares all last night about this terrible injustice that's spreading throughout the states one by one is showing in my post this morning, huh? lol!
Hey, everybody. I haven't had the chance to read all of this thread, but I do want to give my opinion regarding the Georgia BON's decision to no longer give RN licensure by endorsment to Excelsior Grads. Here it is: I am currently a LPN in Georgia. I spent a lot of time working on my RN with Excelsior in the past, and just recently spent about $400 more to start working on microbiology again through excelsior. I had the intentions of getting my RN by means of excelsior. I know several RNs in Georgia who got their RN after utilizing Excelsior's program, so they always inspired me to do it too. When I found out about the GA BON's decision, I wasn't shocked. Let's face it, if they won't let you sit for the NCLEX-RN after completing Excelsior's program, then why should they even give a graduate from that school a license by endorsment either? I am upset about it, but I think that if that's the law, then they need to revoke, yes REVOKE, all of the current RN's who got their license through endorsment after completing excelsior. I think that's truly the only fair thing to do. If the school is not good enough now and "puts the public at risk" as the BON states, then why would it be okay to allow the current RN's from excelsior to practice??? This whole thing is not right to me and the only fair thing to do is begin revoking licenses. The BON does not see it as hurting the nursing field or affecting our shortage, as we're already LPN's. Anything that sounds too good to be true, Usually is. And, that's how excelsior college sounds... too good to be true. All other students interested in Excelsior... BEWARE!!!!
. When I called the board, they transferred me to a their Legal Nurse Consultant who stated that effective July 1, 2008 GA would no longer endorse RN license from Excelsior College students with no previous RN experience. She suggested that I go to my licensed state and work for a while then try again, but she could not give me a time frame.
motivatedlpn
42 Posts
HI TOLDYOUSO, I TRULY UNDERSTAND YOUR ANGER AND FRUSTRATION. I DO AGREE WITH YOU ABOUT EC KNOWING SOMETHING, I BELIEVE PEOPLE MONITOR BOARD MOTIONS ARE SOMETHING. RIGHT, I AM UPSET WITH EC AND GBON, WE BOTH KNOW WHY. THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO BUT WRITE,FAX,E-MAIL AND GO TO MACON WHEN THE TIME COMES. ALL OF US ARE NERVOUS ABOUT THE OUTCOME. IN THE MEAN TIME WE MUST BE THINKING ABOUT PLAN B FOR OURSELEVES AND FAMILY, HOPEFULLY NONE OF US WILL HAVE TO EXECUTE B, SO WE HAVE TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER NOT POINT BLAME AT ONE ANOTHER:no: