mikez

As an Excelsior ASN grad who is now continuing on to the BSN through them I have to say it is overall pretty good. Just prepare yourself for the CPNE. I thought I was prepared and I got to a point where I almost quit in the middle of it. I was the only one in my group who ended up passing and one woman was on her third, and final, attempt. I thought some of the exams were too easy but the CPNE is a beast that will gobble you up if you do not handle stress well. Read about it. Watch some videos on YouTube about what it entails. Download the CPNE study guide (it's about 400 pages) and make sure it is something you are willing to tackle. It's expensive...about $2k plus travel expenses. It's easy to fail (I think EC says the pass rate is like 60%). And if you fail it 3 times you are kicked out of the program. I posted details about my CPNE experience.

Hello all, I read these forums during my nursing degree pursuit but never actively posted. My graduation status page now says: [TABLE=width: 100%] [TR=bgcolor: #CCCCCC] [TD]Degree[/TD] [TD]Degree Completion Date*[/TD] [TD]Graduation Date**[/TD] [/TR] [TR=bgcolor: #E0E0E0] [TD]ASN - AS (nursing)[/TD] [TD]12/20/2013[/TD] [TD]01/17/2014[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] I used these forums mostly for CPNE preparation. Reading people's stories and tips really helped. My CPNE experience started off horribly but I was able to rebound and pass on the first try. I didn't do any prep courses or practice stations. I watched some videos on YouTube and learned the study guide inside and out. It was encouraging to me to hear other people's stories so I will share how my CPNE went. I live in Texas and was testing in Madison the weekend before Thanksgiving. Since we have family in Chicago we decided to drive up and spend Thanksgiving in Chicago after the test. My wife ended up getting sick on the drive up so I had to drive the entire way. When I got to my Friday night Orientation and Lab Stations I was so tired I could hardly think. I had about an hour of sleep in the last 36 hours. Station 1 - FAIL: At the IV Bolus station I had a bubble in the syringe. The study guide stated that champaign bubbles were acceptable and I still don't believe the bubble was larger than that, but I didn't argue. I did not want to get off on the wrong foot at the first station of a long weekend. Station 2 - FAIL: At the IV Drip I did everything correct but my drip rate that I calculated was incorrect. The CA told me they can't teach me how to do the calculation but I should make sure I review it before the retest. I was baffled. They let me see my paper where I had to show my work and I wrote the calculation down correctly but punched it into the calculator wrong. I could not believe I made such a silly mistake. Station 3 - FAIL: At the IM/SQ Station everything was going well until I stuck the needle in and I realized I forgot to put gloves on. I said "Oh crap, I just screwed up." The CE told me I could start over from the beginning but the ending time is still the same. I start completely over and finish everything within the original time limit. The CE says she needs to consult with the CA. The CA tells me I failed as soon as I stuck the mannequin and I shouldn't have been allowed to start over regardless of the time remaining. Station 4 - PASS: The Wound Management station was the only station that I was nervous about going into the test and it turned out to be the only one I passed on the first day. I was so happy to have this one out of the way because all my mistakes on the other three stations were stupid little things that I could correct easily. PCS 1 - FAIL: My care plan was approved and I got report from the staff nurse. I went into the patient's room and introduced myself, washed my hands, and then started explaining some of the things we were going to do during my time with him. The CE asked me to step out in the hallway and then told me to go take a seat in the waiting area as she needed to consult with the CA. After what felt like an eternity, I was informed I FAILED as I did not identify my patient before discussing things with him. At this point I figured there was no way I could recover. I didn't even get to spend 3 minutes with my first patient and I had only passed one lab station. I was ready to leave. I knew the study guide inside and out but I still couldn't even get five minutes into a scenario. I had to sit and wait for about an hour and a half before another CE became available to start my second PCS. It was a terrible hour and a half wait. From that point on I didn't fail anything. I passed PCS 2, I passed all three of my redo lab stations, and I passed my first two PCS's on Sunday. I was done! It was such a great feeling to be done. The CPNE was the final thing before graduation for me so that began the long wait to see my transcript updated to reflect I was truly done. I still didn't fully believe it until they finally updated it. Needless to say, I'm done! If anyone is in a hiring position or eligible for a referral bonus in SE Texas I'd love to get in touch with you.