Hospital Corpsman needs an advice..

[repsol23]

Hi,

I'm new to this so please bare with me.. Anyways, I just got out of the Navy as a Hospital Corpsman for 5 years. Im looking at taking any good distance learning school. Im looking at Excelsior, is their any corpsman out there that has done excelsior??

[MsPC]

How long it takes depends on how well you teach yourself. There are many methods and tips and tricks all over this site. People have done it in as little as a few months or a few years. When I get the opportunity to test I study for 1-3 weeks (depending on my schedule). Waiting on the CPNE is the longest part which can take months but the study for that from what I have observed is a very time consuming process that takes the months to study for. How long it is going to take you is up to you.

[DocSpocIDC]

Does anyone know if it is better to enroll into Excelsior then take tests or take the classes for free through the military college office first with study material on CD then enroll into Excelsior?

[MsPC]

I personally like the instant gratification of taking the tests at pearson plus the closest base that offers the tests for me is not worth the gas + babysitter. I digress.

I would take all you can before you enroll and then just make it a point to do the rest within one year. If you have your general eds knocked out at the EC (shouldn't take too long) then do the two nursing exams they will let you do without enrolling then enroll. I know my education office does not provide cds of excelsior study material. I had to acquire my own study material. As an IDC you shouldn't have too much of a problem with the material.

Respol for RN to BSN I am going through Thomas Edison State College when I finish Excelsior as it is already approved by the Tuition Assistance and a few of the excelsior exams work to knock out a few of the classes so it won't take as long and I can be finished before it's time to re-up or get out.

[chuckster, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

I'm prior service but Army infantry, so you have to take my advice with a large grain of NaCl.

Regarding on-line programs, as some previous posters have hinted, accreditation could be an issue. Most on-line programs are CCNE and DECT accredited but many lack regional accreditation (don't know if this is the case for EC). This can cause problems and may be a big issue should you decide to pursue a graduate degree. I don't know what Excelsior's tuition is but I have been stunned by the high levels charged by many on-line schools: I've seen some at $500 - $600 per credit (they tend to be the for-profit schools). There are quite a number of programs that are much less expensive, many under $200 per credit - these tend to be offered through state-supported colleges. I'd be hard pressed to justify spending 3 time more for the same education, but that's just me.

You are wise to consider your BSN from the get-go. I don't want to start yet another ADN vs BSN argument - and for the record, I am an ADN-RN - but the growing trend seems to be not just a preference for BSNs but a requirement for the degree. While job postings in the past may have stated "BSN preferred", many now state "BSN required". In my opinion, this is an irreversible trend and you ignore it at your peril. The post ADN RN-BSN route is a viable alternative but again, I'd be mindful of accreditation and cost.

Best of luck to you.

[PMFB-RN, RN]

A corpsman buddy of mine challenged the LVN boards in Ca based on his corpsman experience then did Excelsior LVN to RN in a little less than a year. He is now making $124k/year as the ER nurse manager in a very large hospital/trauma center in Ca (he was grandfathered in).