Starting AAS in nursing in jan 15

Nursing Students Excelsior

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I will begin this adventure open minded and eager to learn. I am enrolled for the multicourse option credit by exam. A coworker recommended me to this way due to less expensive route. i have to start with A&P and microbiology since it has been so long since i have taken them. I have my study guide and textbook ready. I have been an LPN for 5 years and am ready to move on out of my current job working in long term care. I would appreciate any positive encouragement and friendly advise along the way. Thank you.

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You will do great!!! :yes:

I worked M-F 7:30 - 3:30 and completed the program just a couple months shy of 2 years. I had all my pre-req's and took a nursing exam every other month until I was done. The longest wait is for the CPNE.

Good Luck!! :saint:

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Welcome!!!!!! Best of luck

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I'll be looking to start the program soon too. I've taken all of the science classes already though. I'm sure you'll do great! We can encourage each other along the way!

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Awesome! I'm gearing up to start as well! I just got my copy of microbiology Demystified the other day! I took A&P in lpn school so that's accounted for. I'm excited but nervous too! I've been an LPN for a little over 2 years now. I worked 10 months in a nursing home in the subacute rehab and the rest of the time at my current job in a major trauma hospital in Western New York. Can't wait to start my new journey!! :)

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To all the new EC peeps: I'm a paramedic bridging to RN with Excelsior and I love it. I am CPNE eligible as of now, so I'm almost finished. I started Jan 6th of this year and I have quickly sailed through the program. My advice is to be very self-motivated and disciplined. It will be tempting to put your studies off a bit (especially if your doing exams vs. online courses) but remember to keep your eye on the prize and keep moving forward. When you register for an exam, go ahead and schedule a date to take it at the same time so that you have a deadline. I took two nursing theory exams every two weeks and it literally took me 6 weeks to complete all 8 nursing theory exams. MyStudyGroup101 (a.k.a. SG101) is a fantastic resource to study for the exams. I used SG101 exclusively and did great on all 8 nursing theory exams. I also recommend YouTube videos for subjects you need help with. YouTube has some excellent lectures that will help with your studies. You can CLEP several exams to cover some of the gen eds (cheap), and there are also several EC exams that are only $95. CLEP is pass/fail but the EC exams are a letter grade and better for your overall GPA. A very EASY CLEP exam that will cover 6 humanities credits is Analyzing & Interpreting Literature, that was by far the easiest exam I've ever had and I could not believe it was worth 6 credits. Another great resource for study is Vangonotes. Vangonotes is audio, so you can download it for the subject you're studying and just hit play and listen to it while you drive or clean the house or whatever. SG101 also has audio files as well as tons of practice tests. You will want to spend the extra money when registering for your EC exams and GET THE PRACTICE TESTS! The are very helpful. You do not have to score highly on those practice tests to pass the real EC exams, so don't freak out if you never score more than a 60 or 70 on them. The EC practice tests give you the rational behind every right and wrong answer. EC's bookstore can be very expensive compared to other sources. Most of the time the most affordable way to get your books will be to search the internet for used books and even rent them. The advisors at EC are very helpful and don't hesitate to call them anytime you need them. If you take the online course for Developmental Psychology instead of the exam be prepared to write a ridiculous amount of papers. Lastly.... allnurses is one of the best resources you have at your fingertips. If you have a question about EC, don't be shy, ask away. Lots of EC grads and students on here to help you along the way :yes: Good luck with the programs guys, and just remember to stay focused and disciplined and you'll be fine.

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thank you you are very helpful. i can't believe that it took you 6 weeks to finish all the theory exams!!!WOW. Are the exams tough? how many questions are there on each exam?

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Did you work a full- time job throughout the duration of completely your classes in those 8 weeks? I plan to go the CLEP exam route. I'm very determined to get this done, however, I want to be realistic about what I can accomplish while working. No kids, soon to be full-time LPN (I went part-time due to low census), my husband is deployed, and I would love to be completely done with everything within a year. I may have two pre-reqs to take along with nursing theory, fcca, and the cpne. Hopefully, you could tell me if that's doable. Congratulations, in advance on passing your CPNE.

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thank you you are very helpful. i can't believe that it took you 6 weeks to finish all the theory exams!!!WOW. Are the exams tough? how many questions are there on each exam?

The exams are tough and should not be underestimated. I have many years in as a paramedic and my background helped me out quite a bit. I also do not get text anxiety, so that helps too. Just relax when taking the tests and if you do not know the answer use the process of elimination to widdle down to the right answer. The exams usually have around 130 questions on them.

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Did you work a full- time job throughout the duration of completely your classes in those 8 weeks? I plan to go the CLEP exam route. I'm very determined to get this done, however, I want to be realistic about what I can accomplish while working. No kids, soon to be full-time LPN (I went part-time due to low census), my husband is deployed, and I would love to be completely done with everything within a year. I may have two pre-reqs to take along with nursing theory, fcca, and the cpne. Hopefully, you could tell me if that's doable. Congratulations, in advance on passing your CPNE.[/quote

Yes I work and have 5 kids. I have had to do all of my school at night after everyone goes to bed, so needless to say, not very much sleep this year:banghead:. With you only having 2 pre-reqs to complete you should able to complete all your exams in a year, even with returning to full time. I had to take all of the required pre-reqs. The FCCA takes 2 months to complete, and the CPNE wait can take anywhere from a couple of months to several months according to what I have been reading so far. So you have a very realistic goal as far as taking everything within a year, excluding the CPNE. You may be able to squeeze the CPNE in that timeframe but I would not count on it because the wait time is unpredictable. Thank you for your husband's service and God bless him!

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@ brutus00...... Microbiology demystified is a really good study source for that micro exam. It breaks all the info down for you and makes it soooo much easier to take in. You do not have to buy the book because you can view it for FREE in Excelsior's library ;)

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@ ll_palmer...... What two pre-reqs do you need?

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