In a jam

[tater.jake]

I am in a pickle. At Idaho State University, they make you get your LPN before you can apply to the associate-degree RN program. So I jumped through that hoop, got the LPN, and decided (for various, valid reasons) that ISU's college of technology is not worthy to continue recieving my tuition dollars. Though I could go academic and complete ISU's baccalaureate-RN program, (which has a great reputation), I don't want to be in school for that amount of time. I would like to have a BSN someday, but for now I'm shooting for the associates.

So I have an LPN, but I want an RN. Heres the problem: My wife is a teacher, so with her being in contracts and all, I can't just float to any old RN program on the globe. So it seems that the excelsior college is my best option. I work with a lot of excelsior grads, and I'm confident that they are good nurses. But I worry about the accreditation and reputation of excelsior. I'm worried that it will become a trend for state BON's to place restrictions on excelsior grads, such as Colorado's "you have to do more clinical hours" or California's "your degree is no good here." Another thing that worries me is the realistic time frame and expense of excelsior college. So, considering this information, does anyone have any advice for me? Any comparable alternatives to excelsior? Or should I just lower my standards, bite the bullet and finish at the circus of a college I began with?