TCN...Excelsior

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Ok let me put it this way.......Why do Ineed to sign up with one of these publication companies to get my BSN through ISU? Can this be done on my own? OR do I really need them for some reason?

I see that I can buy most of my CLEP study guides from TCN on Ebay and I can go to a local testing facility to test out. So What is the real reason I need them? Do I need them to take some nursing tests? Can you not take the Nursing Concepts on your own? Iam confused. Can someone please clarify?:bugeyes:

Finally!!! Someone who knows what they are talking about and has all the answers!! Wow!! You cleared up about 6 months of confusion for me in this one thread! I know what I am going to do now! I am not going to sign up with TCN, I am going to CLEP the ones that say CLEP on my list, and then the ones that say Excelsior I am going to Pearson and taking them there! Buy all my study guides online!!! Then when Phase one is done I will enroll into ISU! GosH! Your are an angel!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! God Bless you!:w00t::balloons:

lol...you are so welcome! Just start looking for the study guides now since they're hard to find I guess.

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Specializes in Day program consultant DD/MR.
The 4 study guides you can get through TCN but they are like $500 each. People have found them on eBay but I hear it's hard to find them. You can technically do it without them and just get the textbooks but I've already taken one and MANY of the test questions are straight out of the practice test in the back of the TCN guide.

Are you taking about the Phase II modules. I have only seen them once on ebay and the bidding got pretty high. Have you already taken your 1st test of phase II. You work quick....lol So the modules follow along with the phase II test? I may just buy those ones from TCN if I can't find them on ebay by the time I get to that phase...... If they help with passing the test guess they may worth the 2500.....lol

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Are you taking about the Phase II modules. I have only seen them once on ebay and the bidding got pretty high. Have you already taken your 1st test of phase II. You work quick....lol So the modules follow along with the phase II test? I may just buy those ones from TCN if I can't find them on ebay by the time I get to that phase...... If they help with passing the test guess they may worth the 2500.....lol

Yep, I took the mental health one. The written therapeutic communication script isn't part of the test anymore but they get you when you get to psych nursing. Our instructor will be calling us and we have to role play those techniques over the phone with her! :bugeyes:Way scarier!

BTW, you don't have to complete all four before starting phase III. I know they say you do but I'm still working on mine and I'm doing 300 level ISU classes at the same time. The mental health one is a pre-req to the psych nursing class, the nursing care of adults is a pre-req to nursing care of adults 2 and 3. Not sure if the peds and maternity ones are pre-reqs to anything though. Possibly. I'm taking nursing care of adults in the next week or two but finishing the other two and my remaining pre-reqs this summer. They work your tail off in ISU classes so no time right now! It's a good thing to have your tail worked off though. You learn a lot that way. ;) We have the same content as the on campus students.

Right now I'm taking Transition LPN to BSN, Research in Nursing (300 level), Nursing in Mental Illness, and Health Assessment (300 level) at ISU. Starting clinicals for 2 of them hopefully next week or the week after. :cheers:

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Specializes in Day program consultant DD/MR.

Congrats......That is awsome. Right now I am working on info systems,and sociology. I have alg too but that will take me almost a yr to study. Did you have to have your 1yr foriegn language prior to enrolling or is that one that can be concurrent enrollment? How do the actual nursing classes work do they give you assignments and they you type them up and turn them in, write papers? Do you have specific times or hours that you have to log in?

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Congrats......That is awsome. Right now I am working on info systems,and sociology. I have alg too but that will take me almost a yr to study. Did you have to have your 1yr foriegn language prior to enrolling or is that one that can be concurrent enrollment? How do the actual nursing classes work do they give you assignments and they you type them up and turn them in, write papers? Do you have specific times or hours that you have to log in?

I didn't need the foreign language because I had it in high school. I'm still not sure what to do with the Phys Ed requirement. I think they said something about a nutrition class instead or something. I gotta check on that.

The actual nursing classes aren't assigned times. Each week you get a module of activities. The lectures are powerpoints with audio and there's usually one or two that are about 20-30 min long. Sometimes shorter. You have research papers to do...one or two per class per semester. Each week there are 1 or 2 discussion board questions. One class has a quiz each week...open book but still hard...it's like apply what you know so you can't just look up the answer, kwim? Ditto for some of the bigger exams.

We also have ATI tests like other nursing schools. You just have to arrange for a preceptor for those.

Finals are either open book or with a preceptor. You get a big chunk of papers to print out and give to your clinical instructors..check off sheets,etc. The assessment class also has a weekly journal that you fill out about your clinical experience. Oh and for that class you have to videotape yourself doing a head to toe assessment and send it in to the instructor. EEK!

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I'm attaching two screen shots. They aren't clickable so I'm assuming it's ok to post them. I'm sure an admin will let me know if it's not. ;)

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Specializes in Day program consultant DD/MR.

Thanks so much for the info.......And the heads up. Looks like alot of work like you said. I think when it comes time for me I may only take 2 classes a semester.... Not sure I could handle more.....lol

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Ok, not to be a pain in the butt or nothing, but I am throwing this out there to see if anyone can explain this one......when I went to Pearson's site to look at how you register (when I want to) for the Excelsior exam it says I have to have my Excelsior number that is ten digits? And I guess this means I Will HAVE to sign up with them in order to just take a test? Right? I was hoping I can do all this on my own and save money until I get to the part where I apply for ISU........:icon_roll

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No, no, you don't have to enroll with them. You just have to register with them...just establish an account...like you would on a message board or something, kwim? Doesn't cost anything.

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Specializes in Psych, LTC, Acute Care.
Ok, not to be a pain in the butt or nothing, but I am throwing this out there to see if anyone can explain this one......when I went to Pearson's site to look at how you register (when I want to) for the Excelsior exam it says I have to have my Excelsior number that is ten digits? And I guess this means I Will HAVE to sign up with them in order to just take a test? Right? I was hoping I can do all this on my own and save money until I get to the part where I apply for ISU........:icon_roll

You can't register on Pearson Vue until you go on the EC website and set up a username account with EC. Once you do that, then registered for the exam you want on the EC website.If you go a click on the exam icon on the top of EC website it will show all the exams that they offer. Then you have to pay and wait 2 days before the exam pops up on the Pearson vue site. Once it show up on the Pearson vue site, then you can schedule the test. You should call EC if you have any further questions. If you know the classes that you want to take then you don't need to pay the $75 for transcript eval or the $900 to register.Good Luck!

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Specializes in Day program consultant DD/MR.

Off topic but what does "kwim" mean.......I have seen in twice and have no idea.......lol

BTW I registered with EC but I don't remember getting a 10 digit #.Is that assigned once I register for the actual test?

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
Off topic but what does "kwim" mean.......I have seen in twice and have no idea.......lol

kwim = "know what I mean?" :D

BTW I registered with EC but I don't remember getting a 10 digit #.Is that assigned once I register for the actual test?

When I log in to my account on the EC website, it has my student number below my name. For Pearson, I think you have to add a couple of zeros before your number to make it 10 digits. But yeah, the site says, "My Excelsior College," then has my name and "Student ID." It's 8 digits.

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