EDTEd

Well I have a few choices... I did work towards my degree through my local tech college but when the clinicals came up, it would not work due to my military schedule. This is how I found Excelsior. They took all of my credits and I just had to work on a few gen ed stuff and the NC stuff. I got in to the Excelsor program as an EMT basic. Now I can reapply to Excelsior but I would have to earn my EMTP first. I was told to write the Excelsior College ombudsman and ask to a reinstatement. Hey they can only say yes or no right. :) But I am afraid even if I get in I will not have time to get NC5-6 and the CPNE done by October 2009. Now that I am retired from my military, there is a more flexible schedule. I work in a busy Ed in Milwaukee and could adjust my schedule for clinicals. Time will tell Luna... Oh yea nice job RN.

Greetings all! Well, I am just talking out loud. I am out of time and out of money so I will not be finishing my Excelsior College RN. I could not afford to pay my annual fee on time and was dropped. I really expire anyway in October 2009. I still needed NC5 and NC6 and the CPNE. Even if I was in probably not enough time to get the CPNE in. Now that the governor of Wisconsin has offered 120 free credits at a tech college, I will probably start all over with the traditional program. Thank you to all that have given me advice and support during my time. I wish you all well. Ed

Folks, My budget now is running too dang tight :) Does anybody know what financial aid may be available? I know my hospital pays 5000 per year but not for "credit for fee exams." I just have NC5 and 6 and then the CPNE. but my time and cash are running out. Thanks in advance.

Folks, Ed here is a soon to be GN! As a retired military man I would like to relocate to Washington and work at MAMC. I would love if someone there could PM with details on their ER/ED. I have already spoke to the nurse recruiter there about a position. I am really interested in words from a civilian or military RN already working at MAMC. Items likes pt load, working environment, etc. Thanks in advance.

Like others have said just check with the different services before you make your decision. I too am enrolled in Excelsior and am almost done (6 months). I retired from the military one year ago and am now working at a level one trauma center. I plan on finishing and working at Madigan Army Medical Center at Ft. Lewis. The Excelsior program works and it is accepted by Wisconsin, where I live now. Next month I start training some medic from the AF that have not had any real experience. They will be working in our ER/Trauma for a couple of weekends. They will learn IVs, and other items in a live ER. Maybe help them a little bit when they deploy to the desert. Stay safe there, and thanks for caring for our troops. I love them all! Ed

I worked full time in the military fire service and as a ER tech at the local hospital. The ER manager knew that I worked hard and was working towards my RN degree. Because of this she offered me a nurse intern position for 6 months. I worked 2 - 12 hour shifts each week to obtain my clincal experience. It paid off for me as I know so much more now. I was also blessed with an excellent nurse as a preceptor. Call around and see what works.

Some interesting reading on one of the college preps companies. Excelsior College Awarded $7.8M in Copyright Lawsuit Award by Jury Includes Punitive Damages and Defendant Profits ALBANY NY (November 29, 2006) – Excelsior College, an accredited, nonprofit institution, has been awarded $7.8 million against defendants who were accused of infringing on the College’s copyrights and for misappropriating its trade secrets. The jury verdict rendered on November 14, was the culmination of a more than three-year long litigation involving defendants Professional Development Systems School of Health Sciences, a California corporation, and its owner, Charles M. Frye. Defendant Frye was found to have willfully infringed on Excelsior's federally registered copyrights in three of its examination content guides. The jury also found that both defendants Frye and Professional Development Systems had infringed copyrighted questions and answers on several of Excelsior's credit-bearing examinations. In addition, the jury found that the test questions and answers at issue were legally protected trade secrets of Excelsior College and that the defendants had misappropriated this material for their own benefit. “This is both a victory for Excelsior College and recognition of the diligence with which we protect our intellectual property,” said John F. Ebersole, Excelsior’s president. “As an accredited educational institution it is both our duty and responsibility to ensure the validity of our assessment processes and to take all appropriate action to prevent the unauthorized use of our intellectual property. “When we learned that our examination questions had been misappropriated we took swift and deliberate action to replace the compromised exams with entirely new ones to ensure the continued integrity of our underlying academic program,” added Ebersole. Earlier this year, the United States District Court for the Southern District of California determined that Charles M. Frye had violated Excelsior’s copyrights in three of its examination content guides. At the ensuing trial, the jury found that the infringement had been “willful” and assessed the maximum financial penalty permitted by law against Mr. Frye. The jury also determined that defendants Charles M. Frye and Professional Development Systems infringed Excelsior’s copyrights in questions and answers found on several of the College’s nursing examinations, and had profited from the use of this material. Having made this determination, the jury awarded Excelsior College the cost to replace the federally copyrighted examinations that had been infringed as well as the total profits generated by defendant Frye as a result of this infringement. In addition, the defendants’ were assessed punitive damages in excess of $2.5 million. “This should serve as a warning to all who may seek to improperly and unjustly enrich themselves by trading on the College’s name and copyrighted materials,” said Joseph B. Porter, Excelsior’s vice president and general counsel. “Litigation is the last step we want to take but it is one which we are not afraid to pursue when necessary.” Excelsior College, established 35 years ago to help working adults and those not well served by traditional higher education, is a leader in the area of assessing student learning for college credit. Excelsior College was represented in this litigation by David P. Miranda, Esq. and Alana M. Fuierer, Esq. of Heslin Rothenberg Farley & Mesiti P.C. an Intellectual Property law firm based in Albany, New York

Congrats to you! Thanks for sharing your experience, it will help others.

Try to find a job as a ED Tech in a local hospital. I got one as an EMT. Now working in the ED, this allows me to do a lot of things I could not do otherwise. Like, IVs, foleys, wound preps, etc. Also allows me to assist with other procedures. I was able to work very hard and impress my boss. They then gave me a nurse intern job for one year. Working towards my RN through Excelsior this was perfect. Now I could do a lot more as a nurse intern. I am almost done and am very happy how things went. Some say look at the military for some type of assistance. My hospital because of the RN needs, they pay 5K per year tuiton, books, etc. and will pay upfront as well!

Folks, Forgive me if this is in the wrong forum. I have been working to relocate to WA and the area around Ft. Lewis. I am sure with the PCS of military nurses that Madigan would indeed have civilian positions. Does Madigan have any folks assigned to recruit nurses or nursing students? Thanks in advance. Ed

Greetings, I am looking for someone what lives in Washington state and is working on their RN through Excelsior. My wife and I are trying to relocate there but I am not done with the program yet. Are there going to be special rules to finish my Excelsior degree once I move to Washington state? Thanks, Ed

Nice work, job well done. Enjoy using your skills on those in need.

Folks, I retired from the military as a fire chief and am looking to break in to federal service in some form. I currently work as an emergency department technician in the level one trauma center in Milwaukee, WI. I recently saw a job posting for a "Public Safety Dispatcher" at Madigan. I am interested in if they only dispatch medical or if they dispatch all like fire, police, etc. Also wondering if the ED at Madigan employes techs for basic care , IVs, foleys, etc. Thanks for responding with any and all thoughts! Ed

Never too much info :) I am still working towards my EC I have NC5-7 left. But I do want to move to WA in the future and figured I will have to get my RN issued by Wisconsin and work some time then move to WA. Thanks again.

Folks, I expect ot be an RN in the Spring of 2007 and am interested in how it is in the Longview WA area. My wife and I want to move from Wisconsin to Washington. We are looking around at town and cities and we want to find out more about Longview WA area. Thanks, Ed