lpn to rn college network

[jeanetteva]

Hi

Anyone out there that has taken the college network route from LPN to RN?

I would love to hear your thoughts on the college network.

I know taht one has to transfer to a university, in my case Excelsior, but I am concerned not to have to do any clinicals and to pass the 2 day clinical test at a hospital at the end of the course.

Does anybody know the % of the passing rate?

I am not working in a clincal setting, and there is not a hsopital in my area that hires LPN's anymore, so how can you possibly pass the test with no real experience in the clinical area.

Is the college network a good option from any stand point of view.

I do not have the time to travel to a school and study and work at the same time. So home study would be the best and only option for me.

Any Advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Jeanette:uhoh21:

[elkpark]

Welcome to allnurses! :balloons: You can find lots of information and support/encouragement here.

I have moved your question to the Distance Learning forum, since that's the topic of your questions.

There are lots of older threads here about The College Network (TCN) and Excelsior College (EC), in which people discuss their experiences and opinions with both, pro and con, and I encourage you to use the "search" feature in the upper right hand of the screen to search and find them, and review them before you make a decision.

I hope you're already aware that TCN is not a college or school; it is a publishing company that sells you stuff to help you get through EC's program. Many people will tell you that the services and materials TCN offers are not necessary, you can complete the EC program with just the material EC provides and EC encourages people not to sign contracts with publishing companies like TCN. Also, you can often buy the TCN materials at a steep discount on eBay!

There are other people who are happy with their experience with TCN; it is a very personal, individual choice.

However, please be aware that you will be signing a legally binding contract with TCN -- it's a lot of $$$, and, if you decide later you are unhappy with what they're selling you, or you just don't need or want their materials after all, you will still be obligated to them for the full amount you initially agreed to pay.

Your other concerns, about how you can get the clinical experience necessary to be able to pass the CPNE, are good ones. The original point of the EC program was to give people who had become clinically proficient through experience and "on the job training" an opportunity to validate and get credit for that experience. But the program is designed in such a way that it is clearly the responsibility of the student to seek out and cevelop that clinical expertise -- the program doesn't provide it, like conventional nursing schools do.

I encourage you to do some reading here while thinking about what your best option might be. The Distance Learning forum is a pretty lively one here, and I'm sure some of the other "regulars" will be along before long to share their thoughts! :)

Best wishes --