How long did Excelsior take you start to finish?

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Just curious how long it took everyone to complete the program. I have started my first general ed class and want to get an estimate of when I should finish. Thanks!!!

Yeah, I tested every couple of weeks. I ended up getting 2 C's (Lifespan 2 and Chronicity); but at the end of the day, it didn't matter much. The biggest challenge was the CPNE. I had only 32 days to prepare for it. Extremely stressful! I do not recommend rushing as I did. I was in a terrible financial situation, and I could not find a descent paying job (in driving distance) as an LPN. We were barely getting by. Now that Nclex is over and I start my new job, maybe things will start to look up.

Do you feel that 32 days was adequate studying time for the CPNE? Did you pass the first time? Did you attend workshops or was this all on your own? Congratulations :).:nurse:

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Do you feel that 32 days was adequate studying time for the CPNE? Did you pass the first time? Did you attend workshops or was this all on your own? Congratulations :).:nurse:

Yes...I passed the first time (lol). I took it Feb 26th-28th. Graduation day was April 16th. Just passed Nclex. Just got my first RN job. No workshops. I simply could not afford one. 32 days was adequate for me b/c I learned the study guide/critical elements like the back of my hand. I chose to learn all of the lab skills first and master...and I do mean master them. I followed each critical element r/t the labs to the letter. Take in mind, I spent at least 6 hours per day practicing with a lab set up in my garage; and I did not work while preparing for the CPNE...although I did work fulltime during the theory exams. I spent the 3rd week practicing the Areas of care. The last week was spent completely on documentation. Each day I would try to do at least 2 careplans and send them in to the Excelsior staff for review. I asked a lot of questions from EC advisors. I did watch a lot of videos to get ideas of how others were doing it (EC, Rob's, Sherri Taylor's, etc...) BUT I only used techniques/procedures that were in the Excelsior study guide. I purchased the actual wound used for the cpne from Excelsior. I think it's around 40.00. That was the hardest skill for me to conquer. During my cpne, I talked loudly and clearly, so that the clinical examiners knew I had a sound understanding of what was suppose to be done.

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Tha's great, what did you use to study for the exams? Did you do any of the practice test? I'm trying to finish as soon as possible also, I'm sick and tired of the "RNs" telling me I'm not a real nurse because I'm an LPN.

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Tha's great, what did you use to study for the exams? Did you do any of the practice test? I'm trying to finish as soon as possible also, I'm sick and tired of the "RNs" telling me I'm not a real nurse because I'm an LPN.

It sounds like you work with a group of idiots. Anyway...I took every single practice exam excelsior offered. They were really helpful. I used the SG101 study guides, and a Mosby's (LPN) nclex book. I also had a few old college network study modules. Of course I did not use College Network; I just bought their study guides second hand from someone else.

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Antonia, I am so sorry that you are dealing with those sour egos! That's all they are, though, nothing more :).

West, thank you for the plethora of information. I feel so lucky to have come into contact with so many wonderful Excelsior grads.

I found this on eBay:

Excelsior College NURSING EXAMS 1-8 CD Study Guides - eBay (item 320543483376 end time Jun-07-10 08:09:46 PDT)

However, StudyGroup101 sells something similar for double the price:

Excelsior College NURSING EXAMS 1-8 StudyGroup101 - eBay (item 380176109446 end time Jun-07-10 04:44:29 PDT)

Any thoughts? I'm not sure why one is so much more affordable. At a time like this, I'm trying to penny-pinch.:twocents:

Additionally, I was thinking of buying this, for CPNE/FCCA practice:

This one is from StudyGroup101: CARE PLAN ASSESSMENT REVIEW FCCA CPNE Excelsior - eBay (item 260449387379 end time Jun-14-10 03:15:33 PDT)

and this one is from another seller, at a little more cost:

Excelsior College NURSING CLINICAL CPNE CD Study Guide - eBay (item 230300816331 end time Jun-07-10 12:20:01 PDT)

I would love to know what any of you Excelsior Alum think! :nurse:

I am not currently enrolled @ Excelsior, but I will be, soon enough. I'm assuming it's possible for me to start studying NOW, this way, I can knock all these exams out one after another once I am enrolled. Have any of you ever heard of people practicing/studying for Excelsior nursing exams before being enrolled in the school or finishing at their current programs? I would just think that's a way for them to save a LOT of time and potentially graduate with their RN ASAP. That's my aim/focus/idea! ;)

:redpinkhe

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Antonia, I am so sorry that you are dealing with those sour egos! That's all they are, though, nothing more :).

West, thank you for the plethora of information. I feel so lucky to have come into contact with so many wonderful Excelsior grads.

I found this on eBay:

Excelsior College NURSING EXAMS 1-8 CD Study Guides - eBay (item 320543483376 end time Jun-07-10 08:09:46 PDT)

However, StudyGroup101 sells something similar for double the price:

Excelsior College NURSING EXAMS 1-8 StudyGroup101 - eBay (item 380176109446 end time Jun-07-10 04:44:29 PDT)

Any thoughts? I'm not sure why one is so much more affordable. At a time like this, I'm trying to penny-pinch.:twocents:

Additionally, I was thinking of buying this, for CPNE/FCCA practice:

This one is from StudyGroup101: CARE PLAN ASSESSMENT REVIEW FCCA CPNE Excelsior - eBay (item 260449387379 end time Jun-14-10 03:15:33 PDT)

and this one is from another seller, at a little more cost:

Excelsior College NURSING CLINICAL CPNE CD Study Guide - eBay (item 230300816331 end time Jun-07-10 12:20:01 PDT)

I would love to know what any of you Excelsior Alum think! :nurse:

I am not currently enrolled @ Excelsior, but I will be, soon enough. I'm assuming it's possible for me to start studying NOW, this way, I can knock all these exams out one after another once I am enrolled. Have any of you ever heard of people practicing/studying for Excelsior nursing exams before being enrolled in the school or finishing at their current programs? I would just think that's a way for them to save a LOT of time and potentially graduate with their RN ASAP. That's my aim/focus/idea! ;)

:redpinkhe

I'll be honest, I have never heard of those discs in your first listing. I understand that SG101 is double the price; but they are a bit more reputable and the price is nothing compared to the 900.00 you would spend if you were buying the actual textbooks for each course. I would not buy the fcca.cpne disc from sg101 though. These 2 exams are not question-based. The only material you will need for the FCCA is a MOSBY'S GUIDE TO NURSING DIAGNOSIS 2ND EDITION and maybe your computer.

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Specializes in Home Health, Podiatry, Neurology, Case Mgmt.

Just a heads up though, i am finding that recommended textbooks on ebay, half.com, alibris.com and textbooks.com for only $5 to $10 each with shipping! The most i paid was 12.95 + 3.95 shipping for the nsg dx book because i wanted the correct edition for that one. I have ONLY been using the recommended textbooks, it just makes more sense to me as i'm going through the content guides from EC because the chapters/sections are listed for those books. I've gone 2 editions back on some and only 1 edition back and have not found any discrepencies either. Just another avenue for you!

ps...only used the recommended text and got an A on Health & Safety so if that is any help...and i do feel like i'd rather spend my money on the practice tests than someone elses notes or booiks any day! just my 2 cents though...

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That is of help! :) Thanks a lot. Well, I guess I'll purchase the books then. I cannot believe that they are only $5-10, including shipping. That's nothing!

So you would definitely say that you are able to pass these exams with A grades without buying anything extra other than the text? Do you mind me asking how big the gap is between your LPN schooling and this RN program?

I am fresh out of LPN school, but I am a little worried as my education did not seem thorough. Therefore, I am not sure if texts, alone, will be enough for me. Many people have said they should be :).

I will not be in the Excelsior RN program for another 4-5 months, but do you guys think it would be impossible for me to start studying now? Do I really need to wait until I am officially accepted as an RN student to start my studying?

My idea was to start studying now, as everything is being wrapped up, and this way, I can apply for exams immediately upon official enrollment in the RN.

Thanks everyone! :) I wish we had our own exclusive tab/forum within allnurses. It seems like there are a solid group of us and I really appreciate the support.

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Specializes in Pediatrics/Adult Float Pool.

i enrolled in august '09 and will do my cpne in august '10...i bought every one of the recommended books off amazon or ebay and spent about $500. some were new, some were used, just depended on how i got the best deal. and i have a girl at work that will pay me $400 for the whole kit and kaboodle--so i don't feel bad about that at all! i also used sg101 notes. loved all the quizzes and reviews that came with those, easy to pack back and forth to work every day! passed all of my nursing exams in about 8 months, fcca in april and cpne date was granted about 3 weeks after i submitted my app. my ready date was 7/27 and will actually test in mpac on 8/13. good luck in whatever you choose to study with!

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Specializes in Home Health, Podiatry, Neurology, Case Mgmt.

You can take any Gen Ed exams that you need, i do not believe you can take the nursing exams until you are finished with LPN school and have your license. But that would at least get you started! Since you have the time i'd shop around on the internet and look for your best deals on the books...if i have time this week i'll try to do a post with all the ISBN numbers of the editions i had.

I have been an LPN for 4yrs, however, I have only had 1 yr in LTC, 1 year home health, 1 yr doctor's office and now 1 yr teaching C.N.A classes, so i do not have "alot" of nursing care under my belt. I have never written a care plan (other than in nursing school) in any of my jobs, but have implemented and evaluated care. I've worked in Ohio, TX and KY and each state has different rules/regulations. I'm trying now to get into an acute long term hospital which will give me a little more hands on, however, i'm really going to miss teaching. Seriously thinking of doing EC's Master's in Education since i really do like teaching the best now! =)

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Specializes in Home Health, Podiatry, Neurology, Case Mgmt.

Oh and Jules said it! the recommended textbooks CAN be enough, and i'm sure there are plenty of other people whom used just the recommended texts to do this program! I learn better reading textbooks and doing my own notes over using someone elses notes =)

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That's awesome you guys :). I would definitely love to know what the recommended books are. This time around, I'm not going to overdo it on buying books. In nursing school, I noticed that I really went all out with "suggested material", etc. and we never ended up using half of our required text books...and let me tell you, they were NOT cheap! I simply overwhelmed myself and put a dent in my bookshelf and wallet. I'm going to try to stick to the basics this time around....$500 seems VERY reasonable for the entire program.

If any of you have a chance, I would be ever so grateful for an email with the ISBNs. I definitely want to start studying in advance :D

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