Passed FCCA 2016!

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Yep. I'm darn happy about that. :yes: Now, moving forward to the CPNE at some point. I'm very nervous about it but I've come this far and there is no turning back. I started EC in August 2014 and I am ready for school to be over with!! I work full time Mon-Fri 8-5pm and have spent every single evening reviewing or studying material because I couldn't afford the time/money for retake exams. And I passed them all. It has been hard, I swear. I can't believe I made it this far. My eyeballs are falling out but I almost feel like I'm getting somewhere. I'm going to find me a workshop and I pray it helps. To all who passed this month...congratulations.

Study group 101 was very helpful now awaiting to register for the CPNE, booked a workshop in GA

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Where can you find study group 101 I need that!

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
Where can you find study group 101 I need that!

MyStudyGroup101 LLC

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JUNE 2017 FCCA UPDATE INFO!

For those of you currently registered as a student with Excelsior College (EC) and express interest in the FCCA process….sit down and listen. These are two (2) phase three classes the college added a few years ago. Mostly because they want your money and here is why. The college fully discloses that these classes are NOT TO TEACH you anything. In fact, they are theory” based tests and you can study all the resources you want but in the end, you find yourself reading a question and asking yourself…what would I do if? There are now 75 questions NOT 60 as prior posts have suggested and you need a 70% to pass.

The take away point here is there is no point to the FCCA classes and it only delays your ability to become eligible for the CPNE exam. Every time you fail, you must re-register, pay the fee and wait another LONG 8-weeks. OH and that's another issue for those of you so anxious to take the CPNE clinical. The waiting period as of today (2017) is approx. 13-14 months after passing your FCCA classes. NO, I DID NOT STUTTER. You get to sit back and waste your time away until EC reaches out to you with your test date or a cancellation date from someone who could not attend their testing date!

Are you sitting down still? Good, because even after you pass the CPNE its not over yet. The college YET AGAIN added another mandatory 12-week class that you must go home and register for which cost $500 dollars. The cost is apparently being waived and the goal of this course is to prepare you for your state's NCLEX-RN exam. EC WILL NOT send any information to your home state that you are eligible to take the NCLEX until you get a green light” on the Virtual on-line class. That email and requirement was sent to students on or about Dec. 2016. Make sure you read it. So if your fee is waived the first time and you fail to get a so called green light” does that mean you can continue to have the fee waived again and again and again??? Good question because EC fails to address this matter!

This college was SUED in 2014 with a very rapid settlement in 2015 under a Class Action and several existing students, including myself are in contact with the prior Class Action Attorney. Very soon an Injunction” will be filed against this college to prevent the entry of any additional students until this program is FIXED. Good luck to each of you.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
The college YET AGAIN added another mandatory 12-week class that you must go home and register for which cost $500 dollars. The cost is apparently being waived and the goal of this course is to prepare you for your state's NCLEX-RN exam. EC WILL NOT send any information to your home state that you are eligible to take the NCLEX until you get a green light” on the Virtual on-line class. That email and requirement was sent to students on or about Dec. 2016. Make sure you read it. So if your fee is waived the first time and you fail to get a so called green light” does that mean you can continue to have the fee waived again and again and again??? Good question because EC fails to address this matter!

There is no charge for the ATI NCLEX prep — it's free from the school, and has been for a while. They are requiring it now, and it is my understanding (I could be wrong) that you either do it until you get the "green light" (which is when you finish 50%) or until the 12 weeks of access is up. Either way, students have access to it 30 days prior to their graduation date. Most students I know get to that green light in far less than 30 days.

Did you retake your FCCA or have you stopped attending for now? I do hope you find a satisfactory way forward to your RN.

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I am retesting at the end of this month. I have exhausted my resources to review. Thank you for the additional clarification and posting for the ATI NCLEX prep.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
I am retesting at the end of this month. I have exhausted my resources to review. Thank you for the additional clarification and posting for the ATI NCLEX prep.

You're welcome! Best of luck on the FCCA, please let us know how it goes.

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Specializes in Cardiac/Psych/Holistic Health.

... two (2) phase three classes the college added a few years ago. Mostly because they want your money ....

The FCCA's have been part of the programs for more than several years. They used to be on paper and you had to complete them and send them in by mail and wait for them to be graded.

...a 70% to pass.

You need a 70% to pass any and all college courses - I don't know of any college that gives credit for less.

...The take away point here is there is no point to the FCCA classes and it only delays your ability to become eligible for the CPNE exam...

Opinion noted.

....OH and that's another issue for those of you so anxious to take the CPNE clinical. The waiting period as of today (2017) is approx. 13-14 months after passing your FCCA classes. ...

EC must compete with other programs for hospital clinical spots. You can be certain they are always trying to find additional hospitals - the more people who do clinicals the more they make, right? But, they can't force hospitals to take their clinical students. If you are affiliated with a hospital, you should approach management about adding EC clinicals. With more testing sites, the wait will be shorter. The EC website and nursing catalog contain all this information so you shouldn't be surprised.

...Are you sitting down still? Good, because even after you pass the CPNE its not over yet. The college YET AGAIN added another mandatory 12-week class that you must go home and register for which cost $500 dollars...

The ATI is free through EC. Yes, this was recently added, but EC was one of very few programs that didn't already utilize the ATI or HESI exams. You should be grateful that it is not HESI. It is my understanding that ATI has helped to develop the NCLEX questions, so getting it free to review for NCLEX is a plus. It also prepares you to pass and will bring overall NCLEX pass rate percentage for the college up. Just like any other college, EC actually cares if you pass - the pass rates reflect on their program.

...This college was SUED in 2014 with a very rapid settlement in 2015 under a Class Action...

The items the students complained about are all available through the EC website and always have been. The suit was settled because, I believe, EC thought it would be cheaper to pay 11 students $250 each than to pay a lawyer to proved them all wrong - Yes, $250 each is what they got.

... Very soon an Injunction” will be filed against this college to prevent the entry of any additional students until this program is FIXED...

Over 40,000 RN's have graduated from this program, I'm still not certain what it is you consider broken.

There you are, my 2 cents. EC is a nursing program - like any other nursing program, there are issues, annoyances, frustration. But for the cost and convenience, it is an excellent program. EC is also one of few nursing programs to receive a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education designation from the NLN. The program is accredited by the ACEN and has been in existence for over 30 years and as mentioned, they have graduated over 40,000 nurses - that would average over 1000 per year.

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Specializes in Adult Medicine; OB/GYN.

Congrats! All of your hard work is paying off!

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Specializes in Peds, MS, DIDD, Corrections, HH, LTC, School Nurse.

Just completed both FCCA courses and passed!!! Now awaiting the CPNE.

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On ‎12‎/‎17‎/‎2018 at 2:05 PM, Feral.Cat.Herder said:

Just completed both FCCA courses and passed!!! Now awaiting the CPNE.

Congratulations!!! on making it to cpne eligibility. Just curious, how long after your last uexcel exam is it for you to start the fcca?

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