BeachieRN84

I deleted my post. I don't want to argue with anyone. I found the post to be rather insulting but that is neither here nor there--I am a RN and I passed the boards like every other RN out there. EC grads work hard for our degrees and bad and good nurses come from everywhere.

Hey Nervous 1, how did you like English 2 and Stats through Straighterline? I am going to use them for the pre-reqs for the BSN program and I was just wondering if you liked the format. Thanks !!! :-)

Changed mind. Not defending. Proud to be an Excelsior RN and would be proud to have one taking care of me !!!!! :-)

Boston nurse, you pick a region (in your case you are going to the NPAC) and you can select one, some or all of the sites in the area. The NY sites are now two in Albany, and then Syracuse, Utica, Queens, and two in Pennsylvania, York and Chambersburg. The more flexible you are the quicker you will get your date, and you can always sign up to be called with a cancellation.

So excited for you Tasha !!!! Good luck girl, very proud of you !! Are you going to Grady ?

Can you send me a private message on here? I am always happy to talk to someone coming up on the CPNE. It was an experience I will remember for the rest of my days, that's for sure, but it had a very happy ending for me and it is doable. If you are on Sheri's workshop Facebook page, my journal is also posted as a note there. I tested in Syracuse, NY last sept.

I never did post mine on the Excelsior website because I included a ton of details and even the names of my examiners, and I wasn't sure how that would fly with them (even though there was nothing negative). I would be happy to share mine with anyone interested, let me know your email and I will send it :-)

I stayed at the EC recommended hotel the Genessee Grande. It's like a $400 a night hotel but with the Excelsior discount it ended up being $109 per night, it was beautiful. It was within walking distance to the hospital and to Syracuse University and the downtown scene. You can pick Albany and Syracuse and see which one ya get assigned to :-) Lmk if I can answer any questions about Upstate for you!

Idk about Albany, but Syracuse is amazing. I have nothing but nice things to say. I can send you a copy of my CPNE journal if you like. I passed there back in September, along with a group of 8 other people I met online (my study buddy, another local friend, an LPN from work, an LPN from here at AN and a few other friends I made from networking online), we all tested from the end of August til the end of Sept and came out victorious :-). The hospital is beautiful and so modern, the staff was helpful, the CA was instantly calming, the CE's were very kind and down to earth and the downtown Syracuse scene was great, kinda wish I got to stay another day and hang out!!

I am also in Florida but I am on the eastern coast... about 50ish miles north of West Palm Beach :-)

Guys in retrospect, if you look over the Taylor's Fundamentals books that EC recommends for the H&S exam, you might see some very familiar things... ie every single critical element for the CPNE. The way things are explained and demonstrated in that book is pretty much word for word how they got the assessments for the PCS's. I got the book and the DVD's on Amazon.com, one edition early, for like $30. I didn't even open it until a week before I left for New York, and good Lord I wish I had done it sooner. It's all right there. I'm just sayin.

Yep it's just one exam for 6 credits. It's pretty much a fancy literacy test. I didn't study for it. I think Loops used the REA book when she took it though. You can check on the College Board website to see where you can take the CLEP exam, it cost me $77 plus a proctor fee, so it was like $115 for 6 credits, not bad at all :-)

If you need Humanities take the Analyzing & Interpreting Literature CLEP. Easy easy 6 credits and it's only one exam, so you'd just have to do two exams. I used the REA book for Sociology and passed, it's not too bad at all. Good luck :-)

I tested in Syracuse, NY at Upstate University Hospital. I would recommend it to anyone, had an amazing weekend there, the CA was just wonderful and all my CE's were great too. You can do it this year. You can take the FCCA and the CPNE when you are within 10 credits of your gen ed's being done. I had A&P and Micro to do when I applied for mine, and I took them over the summer before I took the CPNE.

studying for tests wasn't bad once i got into the swing of it. the first one i took i passed after a month, and then i got addicted and started testing every two weeks. not saying i recommend doing it that way, but i was in a hurry. i also had to do almost all of the gen-ed's so i did many clep exams and the rest through excelsior. i used saunders nclex-rn and a few times study group 101 but that was about it. i bought a couple of the texts but the only one i really ever opened was the med-surg one and then the fundamentals one for the cpne. i started in january 2011 and completed the cpne sept 2011. i graduated nov 2011 (because ec makes you wait forever for your diploma) and passed the nclex-rn dec 1st. the cpne really in retrospect is not a difficult exam. it is a doable exam with preparation and practice. they are not asking you to do anything hard except to keep yourself under control and do things their way. that being said, the weekend is brutal, mainly in part to stress, nerves, emotions. the only time i was ever more terrified was when i went in to be induced with my son. it is a rollercoaster but you are also the one controlling the gears. they tell you exactly what they expect of you, let you use any mind cues you want and you can ever bring your care plan and drug book. you have to be able to show them how you can prioritize and care for patients as a nurse under an incredible amount of pressure. the areas of care are basic and simple. overcoming yourself is the nightmare. i was a lpn yes. i have friends though who have also completed the program who were paramedics and 50/50 students and they did great throughout the whole program too. just have to be determined and self motivated and push yourself. excelsior will make you bring out more in yourself than you ever knew existed. good luck!