Seriously, this waitlist thing has to stop...

1Tulip · May 29, 2005

I've posted this several times in other threads, but this seems to be a recurring issue. (Please stop reading if you've heard this before.) In our state (the one with the worst nurse shortage) waiting lists are exceedingly long. My daughter wanted to be a nurse but had a terrible GPA from her first two years in college (where she majored in boys and minored in sorority). She became an EMT, got a good hospital position, and then enrolled in Excelsior College (formerly Regents College run by NY State Board of Regents). If you are unfamiliar with the program, it's been in existence for over 30 yrs. It is a distance ed program. They send you materials, tell you which texts to buy. You study at your own pace. At the end of a given unit (there are 8 units, I think for the ADN) you take an exam. After you've passed the book work, you go to a hospital testing center and spend the weekend with an Excelsior examiner who gives you a pass/fail on your clinical competencies.

Here's what's important. I'm an RN, MSN, PhD and I looked at the materials. They're solid... as good as anything you'd get at a brick and mortar school. My daughter sailed through her boards on the first try. She's working ER now. When she oriented with other new RN-grads, they were turning to her for help and advice.

Excelsior requires that you be employed in a clinical setting under RN supervision so that you get appropriate mentoring while you are getting your book-work done.

There is a good on-line network of Excelsior grads who support one another. I'll bet if you checked around, there are some working in your local hospitals.

It's a legitimate way to circumvent the wait-lists. Maybe worth looking into.

Best of luck to you!

Reigen · Jun 29, 2005

Years ago ( 1987 to be exact) I, too, was tired of the Colorado waiting lists, so I did enroll in The University of the State of New York now known as Exclesior. I would add my support to see if this program would be best for you. I learned how to research, organize my time, and how to schedule myself for everything, which was a huge benefit in the long run.

I know of several RNs that have graduated from this program and are working through the State of Colorado. With more people becomming interested in nursing in the rural areas of our state, this program is an excellant way to them to get their nursing degree.

Good luck to you in which ever program you choose,

Reigen

There is a good on-line network of Excelsior grads who support one another. I'll bet if you checked around, there are some working in your local hospitals.

It's a legitimate way to circumvent the wait-lists. Maybe worth looking into.

thej · Jun 29, 2005

Hi everyone.

saw all of the threads concerning "concerns" :rolleyes: about waiting lists.

something i am fearful of. I plan on attending CC in the fall. i have been putting off my ASSET test (only math required). i haven't done math since,.....ih...approx. 10 years ago!!! scared that when i take the assessment test, i will be put into grade school math and then NEVER get into my LVN program.... :angryfire

anyway, heard of 1tulips daughter that did hospital work and used Excelsior to get her nursing degree. Interesting.

How did she get into a hospital?

I have 55 wpm typing skills, prior history working as receptionist at outpatient therapy depts. and cannot get into a hospital. What's the trick?

would that help me as an alternative to CC?

work in a hospital, and then try Excels.?

i have my CNA certificate, but hate retirement homes, and never got my license........should i get it for possible hospital experience?

help!!!

:crying2:

thanks guys

glad there's awesome nurses to talk to!!

jt

kbclary4 · Jun 29, 2005

Is this only for people in New York...Sorry, I'm a bit confused. I live in Georgia and also majored in boys and sorority a few years back. Now it's coming back to bite me in the you know what. I have a 2.5 (had less than a 1.0 from the previous university) :chair: and don't know how much I can bring it up. I'm sure I can get at least a 3.0, but I really think that short of a miracle, that's as high as I'm going to get. Still holding out for that miracle though!! My advisor told me the lowest GPA they took last fall was a 2.7 which suprised me because I thought you had to have much higher to get in. That gives me hope, but I want to get this over with as quickly as possible while still actually learning the stuff. Most people I see on this site are trying to figure out how to bring up their 3.8 GPA and that discourages me. Any advice?

Nemhain · Jun 29, 2005

Is this only for people in New York...Sorry, I'm a bit confused. I live in Georgia and also majored in boys and sorority a few years back. Now it's coming back to bite me in the you know what. I have a 2.5 (had less than a 1.0 from the previous university) :chair: and don't know how much I can bring it up. I'm sure I can get at least a 3.0, but I really think that short of a miracle, that's as high as I'm going to get. Still holding out for that miracle though!! My advisor told me the lowest GPA they took last fall was a 2.7 which suprised me because I thought you had to have much higher to get in. That gives me hope, but I want to get this over with as quickly as possible while still actually learning the stuff. Most people I see on this site are trying to figure out how to bring up their 3.8 GPA and that discourages me. Any advice?

I don't know what kind of school you are going to, but are there any other schools in your area that just require a minimum GPA to be on a waiting list? My school had a 2.25 minimum GPA to get on the waiting list...which was 2-3 years. This made a lot of people freak so they applied elsewhere and got in. My 2-3 year wait went down to just a few months!!! Don't forget lots of people put themselves on multiple lists! Definitely get yourself on a few.

By the way. I know many of great nurses who went to school 6 or 7 years ago when there was a shortage of students and nursing departments were desperate and admitted anyone, well a few of them graduated with GPAs of less than 2.5 and they are great nurses! If you only have schools around your area that have competitive admissions, I say the fastest way to boost your GPA is to take a few of your classes over. Just for the record, I think it's ridiculous that someone would have to have over a 3.0 to be admitted to a nursing program and I feel for anyone who is being driven nuts by all of these waitlists and competition. My heart feels for all of you.

-good luck

suzanne4, RN · Jun 29, 2005

Hi everyone.
saw all of the threads concerning "concerns" about waiting lists.
something i am fearful of. I plan on attending CC in the fall. i have been putting off my ASSET test (only math required). i haven't done math since,.....ih...approx. 10 years ago!!! scared that when i take the assessment test, i will be put into grade school math and then NEVER get into my LVN program.... :angryfire
anyway, heard of 1tulips daughter that did hospital work and used Excelsior to get her nursing degree. Interesting.
How did she get into a hospital?
I have 55 wpm typing skills, prior history working as receptionist at outpatient therapy depts. and cannot get into a hospital. What's the trick?
would that help me as an alternative to CC?
work in a hospital, and then try Excels.?
i have my CNA certificate, but hate retirement homes, and never got my license........should i get it for possible hospital experience?
help!!!

thanks guys
glad there's awesome nurses to talk to!!
jt

Excelsior only works if you already have some type of program in a health care profession. You cannot use it to begin from scratch. LPN or paramedic would meet the requirements, but CNA does not. Sorry.

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · Jun 29, 2005

Is this only for people in New York...Sorry, I'm a bit confused. I live in Georgia and also majored in boys and sorority a few years back. Now it's coming back to bite me in the you know what. I have a 2.5 (had less than a 1.0 from the previous university) :chair: and don't know how much I can bring it up. I'm sure I can get at least a 3.0, but I really think that short of a miracle, that's as high as I'm going to get. Still holding out for that miracle though!! My advisor told me the lowest GPA they took last fall was a 2.7 which suprised me because I thought you had to have much higher to get in. That gives me hope, but I want to get this over with as quickly as possible while still actually learning the stuff. Most people I see on this site are trying to figure out how to bring up their 3.8 GPA and that discourages me. Any advice?

http://www.excelsior.edu

And nope, not just for New Yorkers.

That's where my bachelor's came from. I had left traditional schools in the mid-90s because of money. I graduated from Excelsior in 2002, after they took all my college credits and told me what I needed to finish (four upper level exams, while a university wanted me to take TWENTY ADDITIONAL HOURS in residence when I already had 116 hours of credits). WONDERFUL people, wonderful opportunity. My husband is currently testing his entire US bachelor's degree (he's a Brit). I was just as proud walking across that stage in Albany as I would have been anywhere else.

I graduated with honors. I have so many credits because I changed majors and had to change schools TWICE due to money. All of my grades were A's and B's, with the exception of a C in Calculus. All I lacked was 12 hours of upper-level credit.

Everyone in their advising offices is VERY VERY helpful. And as for it being "just as good" as a brick and mortar school - they use the same textbooks as a BAM school. It's the EXACT same material.

What it does is it proves to me that universities aren't what they're cracked up to be. I'm more proud of the 12 hours I earned from Excelsior than I am of the 116 hours I got at regular college - because I got those credits MYSELF. I read the books, studied the material, and tested it on my own, not guided by some TA who's so bored they shouldn't be teaching anyway.

Also, they've been around since the 1970s - they know what they're doing.

GET ON THEIR website and call them - they have a toll-free number listed. I guarantee you won't be sorry. And keep us posted!!!

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · Jun 29, 2005

Excelsior only works if you already have some type of program in a health care profession. You cannot use it to begin from scratch. LPN or paramedic would meet the requirements, but CNA does not. Sorry.

HOWEVER, if she needs prereqs, she can test them - they have Pathophysiology (which I've taken), Life Span Psychology (which I'm studying for now), Abnormal Psych (took that one to complete my degree)...I'm testing some of the prereqs that I didn't take the first time around through them to cut down on the length of time I have in school. Thanks to them, I only have one or two classes left - depending on which program I get into for next fall. (One requires Micro, one does not.)

You don't have to be enrolled in the school to take these exams - you buy the books, study the material, and register for the test.

I still say she should call them.