To RN's Who Completed Excelsior

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Jul 17, 2009

The best advice is to listen to your advisor's advice. She's helped a lot of people through the program.

I would suggest leaving *a* gen ed until the end, that you can finish while waiting for the CPNE date.

One class at a time.

:)

NC Girl BSN · Jul 17, 2009

:wlcmhnds:to Allnurses!!!!!

Try to finish your general eds first. Once your enroll with Excelsior,the one yr clock starts ticking.That means you have to pay an annual fee of $440 every yr that it takes you to complete the program. You really want to enroll when all you have left is the nursing classes to take. Good Luck! You can do this program just like many of us have with hard work and dedication.

Raggedy Ann · Jul 17, 2009

Welcome!!! ~Best Wishes on this new adventure~ Traci

NurseKitten, MSN, RN · Jul 17, 2009

Unless you have prior experience with the subject matter, consider taking A&P and Micro at the community college level. Those are hard subjects to get on your own, and if you pursue graduate study some day, it'll come back to bite you.

Please believe me on that. Personal experience - my own and several others I know.

If you're like me and need a little more structure to your study, consider doing some of the study guides published by third-party vendors. I don't work for them, nor do I get anything from them for saying this, let me start by saying.

Rue Educational Publishers was who I went through, and their material is excellent. Used them for my ADN, and some of my BSN, both through Excelsior.

There are others out there, but I've seen some of their material with friends going through Excelsior as well, and IMHO, Rue's is the better value - they're not cheap, but if used as intended, they are worth it.

Good luck. I like the suggestion of leaving a gen ed class for while you're waiting on your CPNE.

And once you get to that CPNE, memorize your critical elements cold. Then when you go in for the pre-scenario prep, determine which ones you'll need, and write them out, so you don't forget it. Mine was in 1997, and I still remember doing that, and it helping SO MUCH!!!

Good luck!

Editorial Team / Moderator · Jul 17, 2009

RNLuna I've been trying to send you a message but I don't know how because I wanted some advice from you too because I know that you completed this program in one year, I live in Alexandria VA.

You can't send a private message until you've made 15 posts. Are you planning on moving outside of Virginia so you can endorse in later, if that amendment even passes? Otherwise you only have until 12/31/09 at this point to complete the program if you want to sit for boards in Virginia. I'm hoping the advisor at EC mentioned this to you. EC might not be the best way for you to get your RN, to be totally honest. Unless you work for the VA or something!

MauraRN · Jul 17, 2009

I don't know what you do for work. Currently practicing Paramedics and sub-acute care LPN's are more likely to get the nursing courses done in one year. Lots of the content in the nsg exams are things we do daily, assessments of all sorts, careplanning, meds, etc. The 2 weeks that I was studying the cardiac sections I actually had 3 new admits straight from CCU to my facility for cardiac rehab. I had lots of stroke pts at that time as well. Point is that if you do that kind of work daily, you are actually studying content without sitting at your desk with your textbooks.

Also, pay attn to what LunahRN told you about the Virginia BON, you don't want to be caught up in that without a plan to get around it.

Maureen F., RN, BS

Editorial Team / Moderator · Jul 17, 2009

Maureen, I love your Nurse Diesel avatar!! LOL!

ltsgnn · Jul 17, 2009

I work at a federal facility so it doesn't matter which state I'm in. I want to complete Excelsior in one year. I've worked on a med-surg unit in a hospital for over three years and I'm tired of being disrespected by RN's who don't think I'm a nurse. I just wanted some encouragement and a resource. I will try to CLEP as many preqs as I can in the next three months and then I will study for Excelsior's A&P. I can not sit in a class room because of my work schedule so right now excelsior is my only option. LunahRN I thought the 960 clinical hour endorsement was already inacted into law, I didn't know it was an amendment that is currently being voted on. Well if the Virginia BON doesn't have any oposition the amendment will not pass like Maryland but if Virginia Excelsior grads come together like the nurses in Texas maybe it will pass. Virginia is not accepting Excelsior based on lack of clinical hours and deemed the program unsafe for patient care. Based on the threads I've read it sounds like the CPNE takes just as much time and skill as traditional clinicals. As far as 1500 clinical hours how many hours do you spend studying for the CPNE. In my opinion this is something that should be brought up to the state legislature. Anyways, thank you all for your advice it is greatly appreciated.