Ziptac

Oh also, the TCN books are designed to get you to be better. They don't just give you the answers. PS if you're still a CNA, TCN has a new RRT (respitory therapist)

Until you use, don't judge. One of the TCN books included is the NLN NCLEX prep. It is a huge diagnosing tool used to find your weaknesses and help you study to get better. HMMMM, I wonder why the NLN has teamed up with TCN? Maybe it's because the TCN program works. If it didn't, the NLN wouldn't be hanging around.

Excelsior's method takes too much time and you never have all the answers that you want to have. It takes dedicated people studying multiple hours a day to get through an Excelsior exam. If you use TCN you go 2 to 3 times as fast and have a huge support network. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the whole point the higher pay!? Why go slow when every month you're missing out on approx $1500!? A small investment leads to a greater, easier return. People using TCN materials get A's and B's because of the network. P.S. I'm on Stats right now, using a TCN book. And I hope to get an A like before.

I am in a Regis program, yes. I'm not going MSN though. Does that answer your question? The big seller for me was their program was real and they have a great ranking from US news and world report.

No CPNE. It is done through a preceptor-per the first post of this thread. If ISU isn't approved then Regis is (regis.edu). Just transfer your credit. The college network has the partnership because it makes it cheaper and quicker. Get a hold of a person from the college network and drill them to death and see exactly how it works. It is pretty slick if you're dead set on never going back into a classroom.

Maryland is grandfathering the program. Call them direct. New enrollments are out of luck, but the older ones are grandfathered. I assume that would include all those who graduated out of state by such and such date. They may also allow for other ec grads to come into the state provided they have x months working as an RN.

If you don't care where your degree comes from then pick the cheapest. If you care about the prestige of the degree then consider Regis University (http://www.regis.edu). You also can go directly to a MSN from a ASN/ADN and skip several classes in the process. The college network has books that bring the costs down too. Regis will call and welcome you and I find the staff very good. Regis is a Jesuit school like Georgetown and Loyolla (sp?). Zippy p.s. I am a current student of Regis. I checked them out on US news and world report and they are 20 something in the ranking.

A motivated person can finish EC in 1/4 of the time. There are people who finish in 6 months. There isn't a traditional program that you can do that with. Just schedule the time for the next test and push yourself. For example, you just finished the test for micro, schedule the one for NC1 in 3 weeks. That means actually calling and paying the fee. Now you have your goal set and off you go! If you can stay motivated and goal driven, then ec is the way to go! With the CPNE 6-7 pass the first time (check w/ec). zippy

Hey Rylee, I didn't see your question answered so here ya go! Excelsior college is a good school and will get you to your RN (ASN). The path through Excelsior can be tough if you do not know what you're doing. Honestly, the classroom is where some of us procrastinators need to go into in order to learn. Other of us can do a mighty fine job of just reading and getting all the stuff we need. They are accredited in most states. It is important to call your local board to be sure. Being personally motivated is important though! As for the clinical portion, it is tough. I guess they have to be because it is a one weekend thing. EC publishes a book that gets you all the stuff you can be tested on. That means they give you a book with all the answers. The fee is nasty so you'll want to be ready. The reason nurses fail is because they don't do it per the book. People fail because of not washing their hands enough, or bedrails, or dropping stuff and re-using it. We're talking duuuuuuh. The book is all you need. Which brings me to the next point (answering the title of the thread). My personal experience with the college network has been a good one. Excelsior's study guides ask you to get multiple books and in some cases journal articles. They are also very vague and leave too much up in the air. The college network took that guess work out for me. With all that being said, distance learning isn't for everyone. I had my days of motivation issues. Also, I picked college network over the other ones mentioned earlier because they actually have partnerships with real universities and the NLN. Oh and here is the Maryland quote from the Maryland Board of Nursing: Excelsior is not an approved program and it was bought back for clarification of last months notion. Excelsior College does not meet Maryland nursing program requirements because it does not offer academic or clinical learning experiences. They had a notice saying if you are enrolled before such and such date... I guess if I were to sum all my rambling up, it would be, know your options and pick the one that works best for you. Zippy p.s. I am using the college network for another degree through another university!