Excelsior College and Illinois

CRNI-ICU20 · Mar 14, 2007

The Illinois Dept. of Professional Regulation and Licensing....which licenses everything from poodle clippers to dry wall hangers, has an illustrious division called Board of Nursing...

My experience with them is that since most of the people in that department are 1) not nurses, and never have been practicing nurses at the bedside 2) have some of the poorest memories of anyone I have ever encountered beyond a frontal lobe brain injured patient!

I received my degree and practiced for 15 years on the West Coast....which included California, Oregon, WAshington....my licensure was intially denied to Illinois...eventhough, they passed a law in 1999 that any nurse who had worked in another state after receiving their degree from Excelsior and had passed the NCLEX, could be 'grandfathered' into Illinois for practice as a nurse. Don't hold your breath...

The people in that department are about as concientious as an ice cube.

They lost my paperwork three times....but managed to cash my check each time....go figure...

It cost me $275 and a complaint to the govenor's office to finally get my license fed exed to my door.....apparently, 'there was a grave mixup'....

One of the old crones who sits in that office has a complete dislike and prejudice against nurses who attend schools outside Illinois....she has been there since Hector was a pup, and probably plans on retiring with state employee benefits and truly believes her 'contributions' are helpful...

I found that the only way to really get anyone at that office to HEAR me was to call the govenor's office....somehow, that seemed to get people off their duffs...

I hope you have better luck than I did...

I still remember that one woman's name....if you email me....I'll send it to you... I believe she is still there....ugh.

Take care...and good luck

DoubleblessedRN, ADN, RN, EMT-B, EMT-P · Mar 14, 2007

My understanding is that an Excelsior grad must be licensed w/at least 2 yrs of exp in another state in order for Illinois to grant reciprocity.

OnaTrek · Apr 25, 2007

hi, this is the email i received from il bon yesterday (4-24-07). there is hope for ec students in il!!!

excelsior college (formerly known as the university of the state of new york regents external degree program ) is an unapproved nursing education program in the state of illinois due to the fact that it does not have concurrent theory and clinical components as required by the illinois nursing and advanced practice nursing act. therefore, it is considered to be a correspondence course which is identified by the act as not meeting the requirements for licensure.

there is a provision in the illinois nursing and advanced practice nursing act to allow for individual review of applications from applicants who are graduates of such programs provided the applicant has been licensed in another u.s. jurisdiction as a registered nurse for two full years. the applicant must have an employer complete a ve (verification of employment) form verifying two full years of clinical practice as a registered nurse. this must be submitted with the endorsement application. when the application is complete, it is reviewed by the board of nursing for a determination of eligibility to be rendered.

kittie d. west

board liaison, health services section

division of professional regulation

il dept. of financial and professional regulation

posted by lina.

CRNI-ICU20 · Apr 26, 2007

yup...it was Kittie West!!

the name I remembered....she reminded me of someone from a backwoodsy sort of movie!! She actually said this to me, "What do you mean there's a nursing shortage, there ain't no nursing shortage...why we issue one hundred licenses a day here!"

And this is the person who is the BOARD LIAISON for the Dept. Of Professional Regulation for the State of Illinois....

there isn't a nursing shortage! sheesh!

The only reason the state of Illinois doesn't recognize Excelsior and other colleges like this is ONLY BECAUSE CLINICALS AND THEORY ARE NOT TAUGHT AT THE SAME TIME. (in their humble opinion, a person who is learning cannot retain what they learn unless they put it into practice right away....as opposed to learning the theory, and then performing a clinical test on that theory at some later date...ie, two or three months...

The person who made up this 'STANDARD" is a dyed in the wool stick in the mud who believes that there is only one way to learn....ie, a state of illinois nursing program...all else are held in question....it's pathetic....what is even more pathetic to me, and no offense to foriegn nurses, but I have worked with some foreign nurses here who didn't read or speak the English language well enough to understand doctor's orders, or medications that they were administering....some could not pronounce the medication or read exactly what they were giving or why....seems to me, taking a concurrent theory/clinical would make no difference in this instance, yet Illinois welcomes these nurses in droves and has no problem issuing them a license...

Kinda makes me wonder who is padding their back pocket....after all, hospital associations do love to hire cheap labor, whether they speak the language or not...

(now, don't get mad at me and call me a racist or something....cuz' I am not.,....but, when you work in medicine, where people's lives are at stake, I just don't see how you can call it safe nursing practice to allow someone to administer powerful medications to vulnerable patients without first learning to read and speak the language...) Some of the nurses I work with have such a thick accent, it is nearly impossible to understand them when getting a bedside report, or when delivering messages over the phone...

NEARLY ALL of our practice involves communication....either with a doctor, another nurse, a medical person, or one another....

Apparently the state of Illinois does not believe this is as important as taking your clinicals at the same time as your theory....

I know they like to label the course work as "correspondence" as if to minimize and diminish the learning process as being "less than".....when the reality is, it is much harder to self motivate, self study, and self evaluate....

I would challenge any of them to walk in to a pass or fail clinical and perform....there's no chance for error...you either know it or you don't....

not so in traditional nursing programs where you may have a weak clinical in some area and have opportunity to recoup your weakness in another area...

This program is prejudiced against because it can deliver....and produce well prepared nurses cheaper and faster than traditional schools....and I am sure that would put a crimp in some college budgets around here...

I have observed, taught at the bedside, and actually have followed other nurses who are in traditional schools....

I have to say, there are many gaps that exist that did not exist in my training....

I graduated number two in the state on my boards in 1988....not bad for a self study, self motivated, "correspondence" student....

Kittie needs to get out of Springfield, and recognize the larger picture....as do her compatriots.

crni

OnaTrek · Apr 26, 2007

Hello CRNI, I value your opinion. I wish you could go and tell them (ILBON) in person at Springfield IL!!!

Did you yourself go to Regents college, now Excelsior college ? Where did you test ? How long till you got IL license? Any employment problems? Please share any info... Thanks. Lina.

CRNI-ICU20 · Apr 26, 2007

I did go to Regent's.....I tested at Stanford....and was mentored by Stanford professors in nursing....and adjudicated by stanford PhD's in nursing. This was collaboration with both schools...

I was first licensed in Ore.....then moved to the midwest....Illinois...

They lost my paperwork four times....but cashed all my checks...I finally had to go through the governor's office to get Kittie West and her gang to cough up my license! It was fed-exed the next day to my door step....

It should have happened within the two week period. I had to take a travel position and commute 75 miles one way three times a week in Wisconsin until the ding dongs could get their poop in a group.

I suggest you contact the governor's office....there is a liason there that can get this done for you....

Good luck...and stay in touch...pm me, I can send you more info. if you like...

okay??

meownsmile, BSN, RN · Apr 26, 2007

CRNI---I wholeheartedly agree with your opinions on foreign nurses. Im not saying ALL are in this category, but i have seen some of the ones you have apparently. And of course they just made it easier for foreign nurses to get licensed in Ill, so it WILL get worse before it gets better.

Its not just nurses, we have a lab person at my facility, and when she calls critical high values, its like pulling teeth to understand her. I guess if you cant speak,, send me a email and write it down.