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We are going to computer charting in the next 6 months but right now we are still using the paper oasis. I know the laptop is going to make things faster in some ways but I am not sure about how it is going to work.

That sounds really nice. The rule at my agency is 24 hours whether it is a regular visit or an oasis. They will give you 48 if you are really backed up (one day last week I did 5 oasis in one day) but the policy is 24 hours.

Excelsior College used to be Regents. They changed names about 5 or 6 years ago I think. If you want to work on your program while you are in school I would start with whatever pre-reqs you need. You can only take the first 2 nursing exams before you enroll and you have to be a paramedic or LVN to enroll.

Being a paramedic will definatly help. I just finished the program, passed CPNE March 18-20. The CPNE is a very stressful weekend but having CC transport experience helped keep the stress down. I have been a paramedic for 11 years.

As far as I know (I am going through the program right now...only CPNE left) the only thing that expires is A&P, it must be newer than 10 years. The only other time limit they have is that you have to take a test within one year of paying for it.

Right now I am working on my ADN and I should graduate in May. This is a school I am looking into for after I finish my RN. http://www.nursing.duq.edu/pro.html

I have heard some about Amarillo, and there is a posting about it on http://www.alittlesarcasm.com but they are still scheduling into late April and early May. From what I understand from the EC website they are only scheduling at this site once a month due to not enough examiners. The website says they hope to have enough new examiners trained to go every weekend by May.

I use Chancellor's and I just passed NC1 with an A.

The EC guides tells you what books you need to study and what chapters you need to read for a particular test. Like for NC1 the study guide will say read Ch 16-20 and know the steps of the nursing process. The chancellor's guide will list the info you need to know in short paragraph/sort-of outline format and you don't need to read the textbook just the info in the guide. The guides condense the info. They look at the EC guides and what they say you need to know and find the info from the books and put it in their guides. For me, using the guides is a time/FRUSTRATION saver since all the info is there and I don't have to try to find it all in the book. And, being a paramedic also, it is easier to take the 170 pg study guide to work and study than it is to take the actual text books to work and try to study. Hope this helps. If you need any further help feel free to email me at [email protected]. Kerri

I use the study guides from Chancellor's and I belong to several groups on yahoo and sometimes I use study notes posted in their files sections. There are several Yahoo groups devoted to studying for the Excelsior program and I belong to most of them. They are a good source of encouragement and information. But mostly I use the study guide from Chancellor's.

I personally use Chancellor's and really like them. I know several perople who use ExcelAdvantage from. Academy of Nursing and like them but personally I think they are a crock of sh***t. Right of the bat I noticed that they seem to give the impression that they ARE the school that you get the degree from, then when you dig deeper they seem to lead you to believe that they work with and are sanctioned by EC which is totally false. I looked at their stuff and didn't like it for a couple of reasons. First, all their stuff is online which means that if you are at work and want to study you can't. I work on an ambulance and like to take my stuff to study while I am at the station or on the way back from a call. With AoN you can't do that because you can't pring otu any of their stuff, you get a warning message that all their stuff is copywrited and your ip address has been reported. This means that unless you have the time (and the good eyesight) to sit at the computer and read everything off the monitor you can't study their material. Also their stuff is not organized well and a lot of powerpoint slides. This sux for someone who has a slow internet connection (like dial-up) because it takes FOREVER for the pages and stuff to load. Chancellor's is a spiral bound book that is about 1/2" thick and is easy to take wherever you are going. I read through the NC1 guide 3 times in about 6 days, around work and doing stuff at home, and made a B on the exam, because I was exhausted from a 48 hr shift and being oot on a family emergency ( I wasn't as mentally prepared that day as I should have been ). Chancellor's also has tapes with their guide. Granted they are just someone reading the text but if you travel a lot you can listen to them and it helps reinforce the info.

Chancellor's is an independant publisher and what EC is saying is that you are not REQUIRED to use a 3rd party publisher. They are optional and they streamline the material based on the EC content guide and the recommended texts. Some publishers also send students to take the exams to they can better taylor the guides. I think what EC was warning students about was publishers that tell students they are part of the school. ExcelAdvantage gives the impression that they are actually the school and you get the degree from them. You don't find out until later that you must actually enroll with EC and take the tests from them. I use Chancellor's to study and I like them. They don't tell anyone they are a part of the school or that the degree comes from them. Using their guides makes studying easier and faster and it is better for me but each person is different. Just be sure you check out whatever publisher you decide to use, if any, and don't let them tell you they are part of the school or are in conjunction with the school. None of the publishers are part of the school and if they try to tell you they are I would have serious concerns about the quality of their program.

I have tried RUE, ExcelAdvatage, Chancellor's and The College Network. I have also looked at Dr Fry. Here are my opinions. 1. RUE, Dr. Fry and ExcelAdvantage, from their website and mail-out material, make it sound like they are a part of the school when they aren't. They are independant companies, like College Network and Chancellor's. TCN (The College Network) and Chancellor's are independant but they are upfront about it. 2. I like Chancellor's because all the info is concise and easy to read. The guides are about 10-200 pages long and have chapter quizes and an end of guide test. TCN are about 300 pages and I didn't like the format. If you want to go with a publisher you can usually find Chancellor's or TCN on ebay pretty cheap (in relation to their original cost) and I knwo where you can get TCN for $50. There are a great number of study groups on Yahoo Groups that can provide study help and motivational help. They have files that help with studying and can be a wealth of info. If someone absolutely wants (or feels like they need) to go with a publishing company I recommend Chancellor's. If I am going to use an independant publishing company I at least want one who is honest and let you know up front that they aren't associated with the school, not one that will lie and say they are. But to be fair I do have one good thing to day abour Professional Development Systems (Dr. Fry's) and that is that if you have good credit you can apply for a loan that will not only pay for their guides but will also pay for the costs of the tests and the CPNE. I personally don't have that good a credit but for someone who does and can't afford to pay for the tests and stuff all at once that can be a good point. Like I said this was just my 2 cents.

I have done both RUE and Chancellor's and I like Chancellor's better. RUE is basically a study guide and a text book and like the study guide from EC you still have to look in the book for all the info. If you need more structure and help (like I did) Chancellor's is definitely the way to go. I have also gotten a used copy of The College Network but their guide gives a little too much detail and (I thought) a little harder to read. I definitely recomend Chancellor's.