Texas

Editorial Team / Moderator · Jun 24, 2016

Doing this program is completely your call, no one can say if it's a smart option just as no one can predict what Texas will do, if anything. This thread might be helpful: https://allnurses.com/excelsior-college-online/excelsior-in-texas-1049171.html

With pending action, they are going to caution you heavily. Personally I have doubts that anything will come of this, but that is purely opinion based on not much of anything.

boneknuckleskin · Jun 24, 2016

As long as I verify that I can get a license in some state and then gain reciprocity through Texas after working as an RN elsewhere I'm going to go ahead and move forward with the Excelsior program. I just had a dropped call after waiting on hold with the BON in Austin for 45 minutes to ask if this very question. I'll call back tomorrow. But maybe some of you nurses know? Thanks for the link Pixie.

Editorial Team / Moderator · Jun 24, 2016

As long as I verify that I can get a license in some state and then gain reciprocity through Texas after working as an RN elsewhere I'm going to go ahead and move forward with the Excelsior program. I just had a dropped call after waiting on hold with the BON in Austin for 45 minutes to ask if this very question. I'll call back tomorrow. But maybe some of you nurses know? Thanks for the link Pixie.

Like I said, we can't predict what will happen. Texas has been Excelsior friendly for a long time, but until they make a change (if any) we don't know what it will look like. It could be anything, like no new EC grads, no EC grads that enrolled after whatever date, EC grads must do a preceptorship, EC grads are still fine, EC grads need 1000 hours of RN time elsewhere, etc.

boneknuckleskin · Jun 26, 2016

In case anybody is browsing this forum and wanted a link to some more information regarding the reasoning behind all this, here is a link: https://www.sunset.texas.gov/public/uploads/files/reports/Board%20of%20Nursing%20SER%20Final_0.pdf

IX. Major Issues

Issue #1: Expiration of 301.157(d)(8-11)A. Brief Description of Issue

The 2009 Legislative statute, HB 3961 included amendments to the Nursing Practice Act addingsections 301.157(d)(8) â€“ (d-11) and section 105.008 of the Health and Safety Code to addressquestions about graduates of professional nursing programs that do not include supervisedclinical learning experiences as part of the program of study. These amendments allowed forapproval for graduates of a clinical competency assessment program operated in another stateand approved by a state board of nursing in another state to be eligible to apply for initiallicensure in Texas provided: (1) that the Texas Board had previously allowed such graduates toapply for licensure during the previous 10 years, (2) the program remained in good standingwith the board of approval, (3) the program did not make any substantial changes to length orcontent of its clinical competency assessment; and (4) the program participated in a researchstudy under Section 105.008 of the Texas Health and Safety Code designed to determine if thegraduates of a clinical competency assessment program are substantially equivalent to thegraduates of supervised clinical learning experiences programs in terms of clinical judgmentsand behaviors. The research study was set to be completed by June 30, 2014. Sections301.157(d-8) â€“ (d-11) will expire December 31, 2015. There was and continues to be only oneprogram in the United States that offers such a program- Excelsior College in New York and noresearch study was completed by the deadline..

B. Discussion

A plan to conduct the research study required in by HB 3961 was implemented shortly afterenactment when a committee appointed by Texas Center for Nursing Workforce met anddeveloped a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the study. The Texas Board of Nursing provided thefunding for this phase of the research with the intention of seeking grant from the NationalCouncil of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) for $300,000. An RFP was released with only 3submissions received. None were acceptable. Several barriers to a successful award wereidentified including language in HB 3961 that precluded schools of nursing in Texas fromconducting the research and the lack of sufficient grant funding to conduct the study. Followingthe RFP process, NCSBN proposed a research design to study the competence of nursegraduates of Excelsior College at a meeting with the committee on August 25, 2011. At thatmeeting and in subsequent discussions, representatives from Excelsior College could not agreeto support the study, therefore, without the support of Excelsior College, NCSBN could notmove forward with funding a study on the competence of their nurse graduates.

The Board has examined the passing rate for first time NCLEX-RN test takers who havegraduated from Excelsior and who took the exam between October 1, 2013 and September 30,2014. These dates represent the normal examination year used in Texas for evaluation of its RN nursing programs. The NCLEX pass rate for the 972 candidates is 74%. This pass rate forExcelsior graduates would fall short of the required 80% for Texas programs. If Texas wereinvolved in the regulation of Excelsior it would ensure that the program underwent extensivereview of the curricula and other applicable strategies that Texas programs implement toensure the program is producing competent graduates.

Possible Solutions and Impact

This is an issue that must be decided by the Texas Legislature. Continuation of the statute afterDecember 31, 2017 would allow graduates of clinical competency assessment programoperated in another state and approved by a state board of nursing in another state to applyfor Texas licensure without required clinical practice during the nursing education program.

------------------

I find it interesting that, "...representatives from Excelsior College could not agree to support the study, therefore, without the support of Excelsior College, NCSBN could not move forward with funding a study on the competence of their nurse graduates."

Because, this flies in the face of what Excelsior said in 2009 when all this first began, "Excelsior College welcomes the opportunity to participate in this research project. We are confident the results will demonstrate that graduates of our "nontraditional" nursing program are as well prepared to practice as RNs as graduates of any other program. The study is to be completed by June 30, 2014, with the results reported to the Legislature and Governor."

Source: https://allnurses.com/excelsior-college-online/excelsior-college-and-453713.html

boneknuckleskin · Jun 26, 2016

Has anybody heard any explanations why exactly Excelsior is losing clinical sites and the backlog is growing? Currently residing in Lubbock, TX - former CPNE clinical site. Have asked around, not gotten any answers. It was *crickets* when I asked the admission counselor to elaborate on the situation. Someone posted here that an email went out to students regarding reducing the wait to four months, but did the letter outline how they were hoping to achieve this goal and by when?

Editorial Team / Moderator · Jun 26, 2016

You have to understand the logistical requirements of the CPNE: for each site, it takes a rather large pool of MSN-prepared nurses to create a successful test site. These MSN-prepared RNs must be willing to give up their weekends to administer the CPNE exam. There is a national faculty shortage, making it even more difficult to staff these sites. If they don't have enough staffing to administer the exam, the site fails. But just as they have lost some, they have added two - one in Alice, TX, and the other in NY â€” I think it's Glen Falls.

boneknuckleskin · Jun 27, 2016

...it takes a rather large pool of MSN-prepared nurses to create a successful test site. These MSN-prepared RNs must be willing to give up their weekends to administer the CPNE exam.

Maybe you could get onbord with Excelsior with some friends and launch a new CPNE site for all of us? :yes:

NotMyProblem MSN, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN · Jun 28, 2016

Maybe you could get onbord with Excelsior with some friends and launch a new CPNE site for all of us?

That is an excellent idea!!! Pixie.RN, you would be totally awesome as a CE!!!! I know boneknuckleskin was talking about establishing a CPNE testing site; but to have an EC ASN (CPNE success story!) grad to become an EC MSN CE....how cool is that?!??! :up: :up: :up:

emtpbill, ASN, RN, EMT-P · Jun 28, 2016

That is an excellent idea!!! Pixie.RN, you would be totally awesome as a CE!!!! I know boneknuckleskin was talking about establishing a CPNE testing site; but to have an EC ASN (CPNE success story!) grad to become an EC MSN CE....how cool is that?!??!:up:

I second this. I know how much you like to help people. And the excelsior community is your Alma Mater. (Nudge Nudge). (Hint Hint). Especially since I would be willing to fly down and test at your facility (cough cough)!!!!

Editorial Team / Moderator · Jun 28, 2016

Who says I haven't applied? But unfortunately I no longer live right near a test site, and I kind of need my weekends while I'm still in school. See why it's difficult to find MSN-prepared RNs to do this? lol.

Nalon1 RN/EMT-P, BSN, RN · Jun 28, 2016

When I did my CPNE, my CA was a Excelsior ASN grad and one of the CE's was a ASN and BSN alum of Excelsior (3 of them had their doctorate).

As for the staff that administer them, when I did mine in Lubbock, only 1 of them (the CA) was from Texas and drove to the site (from the Dallas area IIRC), all the rest were from out of state and had to fly in. So just as the students have to make arrangements for the test weekend, so do the examiners. Plus being an examiner is not easy either. Regardless of what some think, they are doing their job and have strict guidelines they must follow too, and periodically get evaluated and could loose their job too for a small mistake. Each site need to have what, 4-7 examiners (1 CA and then 1 CE per student) per exam weekend, and if some students no show or cancel, some of them won't be needed (my group was supposed to be 5 students, 1 was a no show, so 1 examiner went home Saturday morning). Imagine making the weekend arrangements and then not being needed (or even getting there then sent home, not sure how they get paid, or how much).

For the OP, the link Pixie posted to should answer you question about the statues of Excelsior in Texas. As I posted in that post, the ruling they are talking about is a non-issue IMO. It was a statute that was not funded or done the first time, and per the bill, it must be evaluated again in 2017 to see if it is still needed, and if it was not funded the first time with someone backing the bill, it will not be funded the second time either with nobody backing it. Plus all the bill was was something to evaluate Excelsiors CPNE to make sure it met guidelines for being a legitimate evaluation.