drgraden

Okay everyone, This is my last attempt to clear things up here. 1. I had the website changed to clearly state that we are an "alternative" to traditional nursing schools, as I felt that your points in this area were valid. 2. Most of the concerns/questions presented in the above threads are clearly covered on our website. Taking a few minutes to read it first would save everyone a lot of time. 3. As far as fees go, all you have to do is come in for a free evaluation and "EVERY PENNY" is disclosed. Not just our fees, but what you would expect to pay for books, exams, CPNE, NCLEX and Excelsior College Fees. We frequently offer sales and area employers often pay or reimburse for our program, so it's just too complicated to get into on a forum such as this. Also, I believe the moderators would find it to be advertising, which they charge for. That's why I don't give the website URL here either, but we are easy to find on the web. Good luck to you all!

@Michael55 I'm not going to rehash this with you. All this information is readily available should you choose to come in for an appointment.

@DonaldJ: You make some valid points. I really don't mean to be misleading, but here is what I'm faced with. 1. In this day and age, a website is one of the most important tools in any businesses marketing orificenal. There are a lot of factors to consider when building a website, but one we all struggle with is what content to include that not only explains what we do, but let's Google know that the site is relevant for those searching certain keywords. Frankly, most of the people looking for a program like ours search terms like "Nursing School" or "RN Bridge Programs". For Google to list us in their search results, we have to use these terms about 2% - 3% of the time in our content, as well as in the headings, titles, etc. No one is searching for a "Test Prep Center", so using that term buries us in the search results and no one would ever find our website. Since most of our students come from visiting the website, we simply can't afford to ignore this. 2. While it is indeed cheaper not to use a prep program, the sad truth is that most who do never finish their degrees. Excelsior does not publish their pass rates on purpose, but the military does and their Excelsior students only pass these tests 26% of the time. And they get some extra help with tutoring. Our pass rate is closer to 94%. In 6 years, none of our students have failed the NCLEX and only 2 had to repeat the CPNE. Big difference! Plus we let our students who do fail take the class over for free. Try finding that in a traditional college. Also, while there are additional expenses, many employers reimburse our students for our program. One area hospital sent us 16 of their LPNs last Nov/Dec and are paying their way for them. 3. As our website states, all of our instructors hold Masters or Doctoral degrees. Our nursing instructors are solid clinically and do a great job. Finally, about half of our students tried College Network, Rue or Chancellors in the past unsuccessfully. Where they failed there, they are succeeding here. Thanks for your insights. I hope that clears things up and if Google ever changes how they rank websites, I'll be the first to change those terms.

Wow, where to begin. Don't you just love rumors and innuendo? 1. Of course we are a for profit business. As we are not a charity or owned by a religious organization, how could we qualify to be a non-profit? 2. I'm not going to be baited into discussing rumors. Enough said... 3. We don't disclose prices over the web or phone. The reason is that we offer bulk discounts and sales that complicate such a conversation. Also, when a prospective student meets with our admissions director, they leave with a written breakdown of ALL fees - not just tuition to pay us. There is nothing ambiguous about it at all and no one signs up during that first meeting. If a prospective student is not committed to finishing their degree, we don't want them. And our tuition is no where near $10,000. However someone needing an entire 2 year associates degree (in other words, they have no general education classes before entering the program) may spend that much when other fees are included. Again, all that is disclosed to the penny during the first admissions meeting. 4. We do not, and never have, charged for a practice test. However, some of our students choose to take the practice test offered by Excelsior College and Excelsior College does charge for that (not us). We offer plenty of practice throughout our courses and taking the Excelsior practice test is not necessary. 5. As far as no longer being associated with Excelsior College, we never were, nor had we ever claimed to be. While Excelsior College had such a program years ago, their application process was cumbersome and few chose to pursue it. They discontinued the program altogether a couple of years ago, so no one can legitimately claim to be associated with them. What we have found to be the case is that is is pointless to spend a lot of time on the phone with people "kicking the tires". What we do is effective and unique. It takes about 90 minutes to go over how our program works. That's why we require an appointment to disclose all of this. Otherwise, it just leads to more rumors. Michael, you are welcome to come by for such an appointment anytime. Check us out with the BBB - you will find a perfect record and a score of "A". Very few businesses have that. Also, most area employers reimburse our tuition for their employees and we have lenders ready and willing to help those who need such help. That doesn't happen for businesses who are not credible and stable. I appreciate your suspicion. There are so many scams out there, especially in this field. All I ask is that you get the facts. BTW: Finding out that my wife was CFO was easy - it's publicly available information that we make no attempt to hide. We are very forthcoming about our business and programs. I even have a publicly available Google Profile. In a couple of aspects, I wish we did qualify to be a non-profit. Especially now that it's tax season! Michael, there is so much reward in what we do. Just last month I was with a friend in the ER and ran into 2 of our graduates. One was recently promoted to Nurse Supervisor of the whole ER! Another graduate contacted me last month and thanked me for offering such a program. You see, she had just landed her dream job with a local hospital and took time to think of us. Yes, it does cost money, but just a fraction of a traditional nursing college. And the rewards are so great... BTW: just saw your latest post. Of course we are a test preparation program. Again, we go over all of that when you come in. I hope you stop by soon. I'd love to meet you. Given your research skills, you should be very successful in a program like ours.

No problem. Give me a call and I'd be glad to discuss it with you.

I'm not quite sure what you expected. If you need all of your General Ed classes and all the nursing classes - then add in the CPNE lab and NCLEX lab - then add in your books and Excelsior fees - all that totals less than 1 year's tuition at a traditional nursing school!We pride ourselves on doing everything possible to make our program affordable and flexible enough to accommodate any work schedule. Plus we have a pass guarantee second to none.

Agreed! Please do check with the TN Board of Nursing. One of my instructor's DON is a member of the TN Nursing Board. Also, check with the Better Business Bureau. You will find zero complaints in the 5 years we have been in operation.

Actually, I am the President of ALC. We have been in TN for 5 years now. We provide Masters and Doctoral level instruction focused on the Excelsior College exams. We also provide a CPNE Lab, as well as a NCLEX Lab. Classes are one day per week, for 4 hours. There are both morning and evening classes available, including Saturdays. This means that you can maintain a full-time pace and still keep your job. For those of you who know Lynn Frederick, you may want to ask her about us. She has visited me at my office in Nashville, TN and seen our operation for herself. StateBoardFacts: Excelsior no longer runs that partnership program. I wish they did. As far as fwardlaw147's concern about not disclosing rates, there was no point since she was not qualified for Excelsior's program. Although our rates have not changed in 2 years, who knows if they will or not once she graduates from LPN school? As a matter of policy, we do not sign up a new student until they have our rates, as well as any they will take for EC, exams, clinicals, books, etc. in writing. I don't believe in "surprises" of this nature. Anyway, hope that clears things up. BTW: I may be wrong about this, but I believe that we are the only non-traditional nursing program allowed to speak to Tennessee Tech's LPN classes on site, prior to their graduation.

Excelsior College's program is essentially a "test out". However, as most know, it is so difficult to self-study and tutorial publishers abound looking for a quick buck while not really vested in your success. Also, the pass rate is pretty low. The good news is that that some communities offer group tutoring. Our local facility in Nashville, Accelerated Learning Center, boasts a 92% pass rate and offers help with both the clinical and NCLEX. You might want to see if a tutoring center is available in your local area.