jonathanjse

I'm in the second semester of an online A&P class at Cayuga Community College. It's a SUNY (NY state) college. I just looked at the schedule, and they have an accelerated A&P 1 class that started 6/30, and ends 8/4. You may still be able to get in if you're interested. http://www.cayuga-cc.edu/academics/schedule/schedule.php?sem=24&location=Online&dept=BIOL&submit.x=113&submit.y=13 I like having a transcript from a SUNY college since I live in NY. I don't know if the transcript says "online" or not.

I've started to use a book called the "Saunders Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN Examination", along with my other textbooks. It's basically a condensed presentation of what you need to know to pass the NCLEX exam. I'm studying cardiology with it right now, and it really helps establish a conceptual framework of the subject, so you don't feel like you're drowning in a sea of unrelated little facts. Read the reviews on Amazon. It's a popular study book for nursing students in school, and also for NCLEX preparation. I would be interested to hear if other EC students are using this book. http://www.amazon.com/Saunders-Comprehensive-NCLEX-RN%C2%AE-Examination-Nclex-Rn/dp/141603708X/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206502911&sr=1-1

It sounds to me like you're making the decision to do your entire RN education at a community college because you are having trouble with the pre-reqs. There's nothing wrong with that, of course, but it's pretty common for EC students to do their prerequisite courses at a community college, and then do their NC courses with EC. I'm doing A+P as an online course through a community college - it's just too large a subject for me to study without a structured class. If you think the whole EC thing just isn't your bag, that's fine, but if it's just because of the pre-reqs, there are other options than to drop out of Excelsior. Also, about the labs - Yes, you can do labs with an online science course, but not all Brick and Mortar nursing schools will accept them ( EC will, but you should always check with them 1st anyway).

Just be glad your not in Proctology School.:uhoh21:

Chris, One of the benefits for me of reading this book is that my house is cleaner now than it's ever been, because almost anything is more fun than getting through this. Keep at it, and think of how good you'll feel when you're done. I gotta get back to my reading now (but first, I think I see some lint under the refrigerator...)

" ...EC students should not be getting a introduction to nursing while attending this program. That is the whole point is that you have a good theory base and good clinical skills in which to build upon. " txs, I don't know what you mean by a good "theory base". I know that the NC-1 exam deals largely with the basics of nursing, such as the nursing process. Or, as stated by Excelsior in their NC-1 study guide : "The Excelsior College examination in Nursing Concepts measures knowledge and understanding of basic concepts of nursing care and nursing actions..." I consider material relating to basic concepts to be an "introduction", but maybe that's just semantics. The study guide also says you will have to "apply knowledge of the theoretical framework for each content area when using the nursing process." If they're giving an exam about basics and applications of theory, it sounds like they're assuming that you don't already know this stuff. Otherwise, why test us on it? So if Excelsior lists the Fundamentals of Nursing as recommended reading, and recommends specific chapters to read in order to learn these basics, then what is wrong with actually reading them? This is nursing school - if we're supposed to know everything already, then what are we doing in this program? And txs, if you happen to already know all this stuff, that's great, but you're not actually saying that you have a problem with others doing the recommended reading, are you? I don't know about you, but for me, this about much more than just tweaking things here and there - this is a huge amount of stuff to learn, and a huge shift in my thinking, and I only really started gaining ground when I cleared my mind, put all my preconceptions on hold, and just started reading the book. Maybe everyone else is just sailing through this program because of their highly developed "theory base", but I feel like I need more than a few study notes to prep me for these tests. Maybe you feel that's an indication of being unqualified for the Excelsior program, but I don't.

Hey Spooky, I agree with what the others are saying, but only to a point. I've tried the study notes, and found that they were not giving me a very solid introduction to nursing. I was constantly looking at the EC study guides and checking them against the notes I got from ebay, and it wasn't working for me - I felt like it was all just a bunch of unrelated facts. I decided that I was going change strategy, and use Fundamentals of Nursing as my primary study source, and maybe use study notes to help solidify the info. So I'm reading FON from cover to cover (about 1500 pages) and it's slow going, but I'm glad I'm doing it. I'm getting sort of immersed in it, and feel that the material now has a logic and a sense of context that I was missing from the notes. It's a well written book. I think the extra effort might pay off, and maybe even save time in the end. Everyone is different. If some people can get by concentrating on mostly the notes that's great. I suspect most people use a combination of books and notes, and will put more emphasis on one or the other according to personal preference. (I don't plan on reading every book on the EC list from cover to cover, but it's important for me to do it with this one). And it's also about more than just passing the tests - it's about really KNOWING and OWNING the material. I just wanted to write this to say that there's no right or wrong way, and slogging through that book may be the best approach for you, or maybe not - only you can decide.

Hi, A friend who is considering a career change to Nursing asked me for advice about his education options. I am studying with the EC program right now (I am a Paramedic), and I told him that he could enroll in a traditional Nursing program at a local college, or he might consider becoming an LPN first, and then enroll in Excelsior College - an approach which I believe would give him more flexibility to work while he's studying. Are there any LPN's out there who became an LPN with the INTENTION of then going on to study for your RN with Excelsior? How has it worked out for you? Would you advise others to do the same? I imagine there are probably good and bad points to that approach (as opposed to doing a traditional 2 year program). Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.