Indiana state University LPN/BSN or Excelsior College

LadyinScrubs, ASN, RN · May 28, 2011

thank you sooo much ladyinscrubs for taking out time to explain this stuff.. but there is still one part i'm unclear about.
the assessment part.

1. how many weeks of assessment are there?all classes are the same length; i am not sure of the exact weeks. we started in early january and was done the first week in may. there is a huge push to get as many of the projects/papers/tests out of the way before the midterm.. each professor outlines what is required in the syllibus so what i am telling you may change.

2. who will supply the long physical assessment video? because the physical assessment class has a lab, the only way your assessment skills can be graded is for the professor to view the video of you making of the head to toe assessment. you will be the nurse, camerman, announcer, editor, and producer. i suggest you get someone who knows about cameras and taping. you cannot be a nurse concentrating on your assessment if you have to worry about whether your are blocking the camera, whether the camera has shut off, whether the is enough light, etc. it is very helpful to have a camera person other than you. once the video is made it must be put onto a dvd and submit it. this was a problem for me as i had little knowledge in this area; as a result of my errors, i am a semi-expert. make the video in segments. that way if there was a problem, the entire assessmennt does not have to be reshot.

3. once i find a bsn and complete the assessment course, where do i get the paper work to be signed off. the preceptor minimum is a bsn. this is the person who will sign off on the isu provided form that states you practiced the assignment. you can do the assignment at your speed but it must be turned in before you are authorized to video tape.quite honestly, i found this signing off to be just a formality. it proves that you have put in the required 50 +/- hours the clinical requires, but some people need hands on help. this is where the bsn preceptor comes in. the book that is the bible for the course is jarrvis' physical examination & health assessment. jarvis also wrote a study guide, which is somewhat helpful--especially the nclex questoins at the back of each chapter. the publisher is saunders and their website has a free section devoted to this book. there you can also find chapter outlines, definitions, and highlights. the site is free and useful. there you will find each section's assessment requirements/goal,s and the goals/requirements for a complete assessment. btw the assessment you will learn is extensive. much of what is learned will never be used by a bsn in the clinical setting--but it certainly hones your assessment skills.

will isu send me the neccessary documents to take to the bsn to be completed?
one of your first assignments wil be to obtain a preceptor, have the preceptor sign the isu agreement, and return the paperwork to the professor. you cannot take the class without a preceptor.

4. do i submitt them back to isu for grading or do the bsn do a pass /fail type thing than i mail back to isu ? the video taped assessment is pass fail. the grade in the course is based on quizes, exams, papers, and discussion board postings.

5. what does the ati testing consist of ? it has been some time since i took the assessment. go to the ati testing website. they have more info about it as well as a study guide--which i strongly suggest you buy and use. the test is timed. the more comfortable you are with the information on the test, the easier it will be for you.

in the transition class, all students are required to purchase the ati nclex review/remediation program. it is about $525 and it is valid for the entire nursing program. during this class you will be required to take a proctored ati 'critical thinking' exam. it is not graded but you will be given a score; you will take a similar critical thinking exam at the end of the program. the first score will be compared to the 2nd score. the test is useless to the studen. apparently, it is designed to help the nursing program determine who may or may not pass the nclex. the info about the critical thinking test is on the ati website.

again, get a book on nursing critical thinking that has questions. i did not and i had a rude awakening. i had never taken an exam like that one. if i had studied the book, i would have been better prepared. however, you cannot study for the test as it is testing your thinking ability not your knowledge. yet, if you have never been exposed to this type of question, it is helpful to study the book. similar question: if jay is 4" taller than bob and martin 2" shorter than bob but charles grew 5 inches in the year then if the men were lined up according to height, who is the third person in the line starting from shortest to tallest...or something like that. makes you stop and think.

quite honestly, do not worry about the small things. get into the program, follow the directions the professors give you, keep track of your time and the dates things must be done.

LadyinScrubs, ASN, RN · Jun 3, 2011

Another perk of having an AA already is that it fulfills alot of the foundational studies at ISU (history, global/culture, foreign lang, literature, social science and a few others).
I'm getting my AA from Excelsior in Liberal studies and transferring the degree to ISU to satisfy that stuff inaddition to my LPN stuff.

Have you talked to ISU; I didn't know that Excelsoior units transferred to ISU. Best to call ISU and ask.

seasons · Jun 6, 2011

ok , once again thanx for everything.

SoonSurgery-RN-BSN, BSN, RN · Jul 22, 2011

Hi AshSo,

I noticed that you are from Riverside, Ca. I live in Riverside too and will also be starting this Fall 2011 cohort at ISU. I will be taking NURS 208 transition course this Fall. Looking forward to the semester. :yeah:

AshSo · Jul 22, 2011

Hi Soonsurgery

Glad to hear that your starting this fall too!!! Im taking the transition and assessment this fall. I was just going to take the transition, but I decided to take the risk and do both classes...... i hope i can do it, i have heard that it is a lot of work! Well maybe we can keep in touch and help each other out!! Im excited but also nervous to see how this goes! :nurse:

SoonSurgery-RN-BSN, BSN, RN · Jul 22, 2011

Hi AshSo,

Yeah, absolutely keep in touch. I live in Riverside county and hopefully we are in the same NURS 208 class. :yeah:

AshSo · Jul 22, 2011

What is your teachers name. I have Amy L Roy for nur 208... hopefully it is the same class!!

SoonSurgery-RN-BSN, BSN, RN · Jul 22, 2011

Yes, we are in the same class. Yeah!

AshSo · Jul 30, 2011

For the assessment class nur 304... I have a RN with an Associates degree that is willing to be my preceptor. Do you think that they will accept that or does it have to be a RN with a BSN???

LadyinScrubs, ASN, RN · Jul 30, 2011

for the assessment class nur 304... i have a rn with an associates degree that is willing to be my preceptor. do you think that they will accept that or does it have to be a rn with a bsn???[/quote]
contact the isu nursing office and ask. i think that is fine, but i don't make the rules. i had a master's level nurse so i really didn't pay attention to the minimum requirement. quite honestly, the the rn is only there to check of whether you did the assessment. the rn does no teaching. the final dvd assessment, which is to be turned in for a grade, has no preceptor because you have been checked off.

AshSo · Aug 1, 2011

ok so they said no about the RN with AA, they have to have a BSN. I have a MD but she lives 2 hrs away... and the teacher said i have to meet with her about 3 hrs a week so im confused on what i should do. If i should just make the trip.

LadyinScrubs, ASN, RN · Aug 1, 2011

ok so they said no about the rn with aa, they have to have a bsn. i have a md but she lives 2 hrs away... and the teacher said i have to meet with her about 3 hrs a week so im confused on what i should do. if i should just make the trip.

i don't believe they will authoirze a md to be your preceptor. do you work in the field--see if someone at your job could serve a preceptor. they suggested going to a local nursing association and asking for help. i don't know the nursing organizations out in your area, but it worth a try.