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@Coolbean Have you gone through Excelsior? I read one of your other posts prior to this one, and you have a some negative things to say about the program. I work at a military hospital and one of the officers I work with completed Excelsior and I work with two enlisted people who just finished the program. Yes I have heard the clinical portion of the program is rigid but that's not a reason to dismiss the entire program. I am currently enrolled in Excelsior's ADN program and despite the challenge I feel blessed to be in this nursing program because at this point in my life I cannot go to a traditional nursing school. Anyways Ahinman, you can you use study group 101, flash card, amongst other things on allnurses.com to help you. Good Luck

Update Excelsior Maryalnd!!!! Update on House Bill 624 – Good NewsBy ExcelsiorColl - February 15, 2013- 0 Comments We have good news to report. On Thursday, February 14, a hearing was held before the Health and Government Operations Committee of the Maryland House of Delegates on House Bill 624. Sponsored by Delegates Joseline Pena-Melnyk (D-21st District) and Nicholaus Kipke (R-31st District), the bill re-opens a means for graduates of Excelsior’s associate degree in nursing program to be licensed by endorsement. Under terms of the bill, Excelsior graduates will be eligible for licensure by endorsement if they have an unencumbered RN license from another state and have had at least 1,000 hours of active nursing practice within the 12-month period prior to applying for a Maryland license. During the hearing, representatives of the College spoke in favor of the bill. Importantly, both the Board of Nursing and the Maryland Nurses Association also spoke in support of the legislation. To put the 1,000 hour requirement into perspective, this is the equivalent of about a half a year’s worth (26 weeks) of full-time practice, assuming a 37.5 hour work week. The next step in the process is for the Committee to move the bill to consideration by the full House of Delegates. Given the bipartisan effort by Delegates Pena-Melnyk and Kipke to introduce the legislation, the endorsement of the Board of Nursing, which worked with the delegates on the bill, and the support of the Maryland Nurses Association, the potential for passage in the House of Delegates is promising. There is a companion bill in the Senate, SB 501, introduced by Senator Joan Carter Conway (D – 43rd District), which will have a hearing February 27. We will keep you informed as these bills move through the Maryland General Assembly. Thanks to your advocacy, this is a significant step forward in our work in the state.

Exactly, "policies based on nothing" that's why I posted the Maryland Advocate for Excelsior College on this website. I'm hoping Excelsior graduates can join the forum to provide facts about the program including how it has helped them professionally, work role, professional activites, etc. We have a small group of Excelsior graduates working with supportive members of the Maryland legislature to remove the barricade Excelsior graduates have to deal with in Maryland.

Yes it's not a right, it's a privilege

Hello fellow Excelsior graduates and students, we are still fighting for our right to have licensure in Maryland. There are many opponents toward Excelsior College, who question our education. Please join our forum, we are taking this up with the Maryland General Assembly. I have also posted a link to a video about an RN who graduated from Excelsior and was given a license by the MBON and then they took it away. Please watch the video. Thanks The links is below. http://md.excelsioradvocate.com/?utm_source=Excelsior+Advocate+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=a7c2343a8f-Advocate_Email_21_18_2013&utm_medium=email http://md.excelsioradvocate.com/current-news/

Hey this message is for RN Luna, I'm not sure if you are still in the DMV last I read you got into the Army Nurse Corps. But I work at Walter Reed Military Medical Center in Bethesda and I have a new Ensign nurse on my unit which is the equivalent to a Second Lieutenant. Anyway he was able to complete Excelsior's ADN program in six months and then he completed Chamberlain College's program in 11 months. He has been a advocate for Excelsior College in Maryland for several years. In fact they let him sit for the boards in Maryland in 2008 because of his combat military experience as a corpsman for 15 years. He is speaking to the Maryland Legislature on December 12, 2012. I think its the house of delegates and a congressman who believes in Excelsior and is sponsoring a Bill supporting Excelsior students in Maryland to sit for the boards. He has four Excelsior graduates speaking about the nursing program, they are all military. I was laughing with him today because he actually said he would rather be in combat then go through the CPNE again. I'm a civilian LPN and I enrolled in September. I've completed one exam so far. Anyways they need voices to speak up about Excelsior and I thought of you. If you are still in the DMV or anyone else who wants to be at this hearing in Maryland please email me and I will pass your email address over to the ENS I work with. Please forgive my typo errors, I'm very tired. [email protected]

Yeah I spoke with Dr.Saxby with the Virginia Board of Nursing a few days ago and she informed me of the news. She said Excelsior is a good program but the Borard of Nursing are sticking to there requirements 400 clinical hours for LPN programs and 500 clinical hours RN programs. She told me that they even consulted with one of the LPN's that sits on the Board and he also felt if he were in a RN program he would want the 500 clinical hours. I explained my experience as a hospital float nurse to her and she acknowledged that is helpful however she said the requirements for clinical hours still stand. She seemed very nice. She said the Board tried to work out a clinical plan with Excelsior but Excelsior refused to compromise. Her advice to me and other VA residents is to set for the NCLEX in DC work the required (I think she said 950 hours) and then apply for a licence in VA. I don't agree with Board on their stance for Excelsior however at least we can still get a license in the state unlike our neighbor to the north. I lived in Maryland and the people at the Maryland Board of Nursing are rude and could use a class in customer service.

Hey does anybody have any updates on Excelsior and VA board of nursing?

Thank you guys for your responses. I've been a LPN for several years and I have worked in several hospitals including two millitary hospitals and in many cases I do have more skills then some of the RN's I work with but I'm getting paid LPN pay. To keep my morale up I will not tell any of the nurses at my job what I am doing anymore, when I'm studying I will just tell them I doing prereqs. When I take my NCLEX in one year (With hard work and by the Grace of God) then I will talk to them about the program.

Hello everyone I'm writing to seek some advice on negative responses to Excelsior College. I work at National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. I'm scheduled to take Transitions August 27 so whenever I have down time at work I study for it. Sometimes the RN's I work ask me what I'm studying and I tell them. The RN's I work with proceed to tell me not to do Excelsior and lecture me about how I should go to a real college and get a real education. Please give me advice on how to respond to such comments. I tell the nurses that an Excelsior graduates have a high NCLEX passing rate and the program is accredited by the NLN but these points are ignored. I don't want to hide the fact that I'm doing distance learning but the negative comments I hear are starting to agitate me.

Congrats on your first victory:balloons:. What did you use to prepare for Transitions and how long did you study before taking the exam. I'm currently reading the College Network Module for Transitions, and I'm struggling to retain what I read. I have registered for the exam but I have not chosen a date yet. I'm right behind ya.

Supposedly the Maryland Nurses Association, MOB, and other organizations stated that they had research and evidence that due to lack of clinical experience graduates of distance learning programs are not safe. I guess the Maryland Legisture got intimidated and withdrew the bill. I wish they would put there research out there cause I would like to see it.

People cheat in traditional nursing schools too. What's the point of that comment. I've worked at several DC hospitals and I"ve never seen any postings asking about clinical requirements from nursing school, so I would like to know what hospitals are doing that. I know most hospitals are requiring BSN's.

Okay I found the link on the right side of MyEC. Thanks to all the people who responded.

Okay I just paid for my first exam Transition To The Professional Nurse Role. It told me I can pick a date in two days. Okay I'm fine with waiting for two days to choose my date. I also registered for the practice exam and I'm logged in to MyEC but how do I access the exam, do I also have to wait two days for that too? This is my first exam. I have the College Network Module and I have study group 101 are those adequate study materials? My last question is when do you think I should schedule my exam, I was thinking 30 days but I'm not sure if that's too soon. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Not turning back now I've already paid. Thank You