Hello everyone! I am in information OVERLOAD!! I am from Nebraska, had all my pre-req's done for my LPN-RN program and then recently moved to MN for my hubby's job. I have checked into several CC's and most start LPN-RN bridge programs in May, IF you are lucky enough to be one of the 20 applicants that they accept. So, here I am, with a year to wait and the doubts of being one of the 20 to be so fortunate to get in...so I am looking at other options.
Anyhoo, one of my co-workers recommended that I check into Rue. She had checked into it a couple years ago but after getting the info...never did anything with it. I called them and was ECSTATIC once hearing that I only needed 7 classes to finish...UNTIL I ran into this site and read all about what RUE really is/does:banghead:. Thank goodness I hadn't signed up yet (I had planned on signing up tomorrow when I got paid).
So, now I am looking at going straight through EC. They are sending me some info, but in the meantime I have been reading this site for 2 days straight and here are a couple of EC questions that I am tired of searching for and would greatly appreciate some clarifying...
1. So after paying the $895 enroll fee and $75 app fee, I just download study guides from EC for FREE and then pay $235/test when I am ready as opposed to RUE which was going to charge $500/class for materials, right?
2. Can you use just the free study guides, or do you need to buy additional texts?
3. What are EC test formats like...multiple choice? How many questions, etc... and what percent do you need to pass with and how many times can you retake?
4. How many shots do you get to try and pass the CPNE?
5. I am a Honor roll student and VERY serious about getting my RN done...how fast can I breeze through the 7 NC courses?
6. While I am waiting to be accepted, can I be starting on anything?
7. Finally, what is the cost for EC? I cannot get their "what will this cost me" link to work. Again, I only have the 7 NC left to take and then the CPNE.
Thanks ahead for any help/comments/suggestions offered. I know that many of you are informed and willing to help! I have been giving myself a migraine trying to search 100 forums for each of these answers! I just want to be informed before jumping into this program. It still seems to good to be true! In the meantime...I will keep reading away:typing
1. That's right- don't forget the CPNE fee and most people have to take a 1 credit information literacy class
2. Can you use just the free study guides, or do you need to buy additional texts? I used the study guides and paid extra for the practice exams ($60 for 2). I only bought 2 textbooks (the recent copy of med-surg and an older edition of the psych), I had other books like maternity from my LPN class. I used the same chapters and made an A on the childbearing section. I also found that my library had the recent copies of most of the texts so I checked them out for free:D I used notes I gathered from yahoo groups too.
3. What are EC test formats like...multiple choice? How many questions, etc... and what percent do you need to pass with and how many times can you retake? Multiple choice- about 130 questions- I think some had 160? The percent changes per class, it's graded weird and I'm not sure how. You can take it up to 3 times.
4. How many shots do you get to try and pass the CPNE? 3
5. I am a Honor roll student and VERY serious about getting my RN done...how fast can I breeze through the 7 NC courses? I think it's possible in as little as 4 months. I was serious too but then I started pushing off studying to do other things like vacations, work extra ect.. it took me about 8 months to complete the exams and I failed 1 and had to retake it in this timeframe.
6. While I am waiting to be accepted, can I be starting on anything? You can take one of the 1st ones (you can skip one if already an LPN but I forget which one)
7. Finally, what is the cost for EC? I cannot get their "what will this cost me" link to work. Again, I only have the 7 NC left to take and then the CPNE.
NC tests 235x7=1645
CPNE= 1900 not including hotel stay, airplane, cab ect...
Practice exams= 420 if you take all of them for all 7
Let me just add some food for thought ... yeah, it'll probably cost about $5K, not including CPNE workshops, books, etc. However, I can say that going from being an ER tech to an ER RN gave me an increase of more than three times that $5K per year. Besides the moola, that RN opens so many doors ... it's so worth it!
Under the new curriculum, there are 8 exams, the Focused Clinical Competencies Assessment (there are three parts to it), and the CPNE. Here is a quick look at the nursing portion, not including any general education or science classes (A&P, Micro):
General Fees:
Enrollment Fee...........$ 895
Student Services Annual Fee.....$440 x however many years
Program Completion and Graduation Fee ........ $ 495
Nursing Component:
Essentials of Nursing Care: Health Safety ........ $235
Essentials of Nursing Care: Health Differences ........ $235
Essentials of Nursing Care: Chronicity ........ $235
Essentials of Nursing Care: Reproductive Health ........ $235
Health Differences Across the Life Span 1 ........ $235
Health Differences Across the Life Span 2 ........ $235
Health Differences Across the Life Span 3 ........ $235
Transition to the Registered Professional Nursing Role ........ $235
Clinical Performance in Nursing Examination (CPNE) ........ $1,900
Those are from the latest "how much" PDF file from EC's website, and the prices are through 06/30/2009.
You can take Essentials of Nursing Care: Health Safety before enrolling, and LPNs usually get to waive Essentials of Nursing Care: Health Differences. You can also do any general ed. stuff before enrolling, too. But you'll have to enroll before taking Essentials of Nursing Care: Chronicity and anything beyond that.
The reason to put off your enrollment would be because that enrollment date starts your clock ticking toward the due date of that $440 student services annual fee.
235.00 is on the pdf file, but when you go to register it shows they are 270.00. You can just go to exams and act like you are going to register. Click on any exam and follow directions and the fee will pop up. I decided to go back and check because I know Lunah knows her stuff. I also knew this amt. 0f 270.00 was deducted from my checking acct. I don't know why two different prices are on the EC web site, but for some strange reason I guess it was not updated. I think the exams went up the same time that the CPNE went up, but I am not sure. Please check into this. Like I said I from experience that I had to fork over an additional 35.00...BTW Thanks to Sue, Lunah, Txspadequeen , melinurse, and others for being such inspirational models. You ladies rock!
The exams are probably $270 under the old curriculum -- those are 4-credit exams. The new curriculum exams are 3 credits, so they're a little less (but there's one more exam). You're under the old curriculum, right?
The exams are probably $270 under the old curriculum -- those are 4-credit exams. The new curriculum exams are 3 credits, so they're a little less (but there's one more exam). You're under the old curriculum, right?
Lunah...
Yes. I am. Thank you! Just Shoot Me. LOL! Duh:banghead:
You are always very helpful. I knew I could count on you to keep me in line. Thank Goodness...I only had to pay that amt. for the last one.
And Jennifer...Sorry to have confused you! just read Lunahs post. Welcome! I think it is time for me to go to sleep. Traci:confused:
Besides the moola, that RN opens so many doors ... it's so worth it!
Lunah, MSN, RN
14 Articles; 13,773 Posts
That was hilarious!!!!!!!!