Warning - excelsior students

it's hot in phoenix · Mar 14, 2009

Sorry to hear bout your wife's issue with finding a job:banghead::banghead:. Was she working in a healthcare facility while she was in school? I did the excelsior program and it worked out for me:up: :up: :up:. I knew when I started, that because I started after their deadline, I was unable to relocate to Cali, unless I wanted to work at a VA or Corrections. Is possible for you guys to relocate? Goodluck to both of you :bow: :bow: :bow:

caliotter3 · Mar 14, 2009

Strange. Never heard of anyone in Cali unable to get a job because of graduating from Excelsior. But employers never talk to me about where I went to school. They only verify that my license is unencumbered.

Mandylpn · Mar 15, 2009

That really bites! Exactly why I did not go with Excelsior, way too expensive, they don't offer federal student loans. Is there any chance she can move to a state where it is accepted?

featherzRN, MSN · Mar 15, 2009

Wow, I am an excelsior grad and NEVER had a problem getting a job in California. And I always told them I was an excelsior grad. I even worked for Kaiser for the last six years and they are one of the biggest complainers. It's harder lately for new grads to get positions, so I am assuming it's the excelsior PLUS new grad status.

I've just moved to NY and didn't have a problem there either, but that's to be expected considering it's the base of the excelsior program.

Tell her to keep cracking, I think she can find something.

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Mar 15, 2009

CA's BON has not accepted EC for years, except under certain circumstances. Your girlfriend should have done her homework.

featherzRN, MSN · Mar 15, 2009

OP's GF has her RN, so she must have enrolled before 2003. I am wondering why it took her six years, tho? (it took me six months, even working FT, but I was young and crazy at the time :) :)).

OP, read some of the other excelsior threads. Assuming I read your post correctly and she's got her RN, she'll find a job somewhere. And once she's got experience under her belt, the education won't matter much anymore. I worked all over SoCal with my Excelsior degree and no one even mentioned it, but then again I have a few years experience. :)

BabyLady, BSN, RN · Mar 15, 2009

warning to all excelsior students - i want all potential and current students to know what happened to my girlfriend. take it for what its worth. my girlfriend was a california excelsior student for 6 long yrs (worked full time, supported and took care of her 3 kids) . she spent thousands & thousands of dollars for very expensive books, tests (about $200 per test). skills bags ($150), dvd ($130) , flashcards ($25), audio cd ($25), workshop ($700), and the outrageously expensive and outrageously easy to fail cpne (the 3 day clinical examination that must be passed to receive your rn degree). she failed the first cpne (as way more than half do). that meant another $1800 to retake that. of course, there were airline tickets (about $500 per trip x 2), hotels (about $450 per cpne) and car rentals ($250 per trip). all together she spent close to $20,000 to obtain what is essentially a worthless degree. not one of the 14 hospitals she contacted would hire her when she told them she was an excelsior graduate. are you hearing me? not one. so, when they tell you they're accredited, yada,yada,yada - remember it doesn't mean you can get a job. she tried to enroll in 3 regular, legit college programs. they all refused her because she already had her degree and rn license. so now, she can't even do that. excelsior knew years ago there was a problem. they had the opportunity to work with the ca board of registered nursing. they didn't. if you don't believe me - go to their site. type in 'excelsior' and see for yourself. also, go to georgia's nursing website. see the problems there. nurses are being denied jobs because they're excelsior graduates!!! don't let this happen to you. go to a respected and accepted college.

hang on...you are not telling the full story.

i have personally called excelsior recently when things weren't going so hot last semester and i thought i may have to drop out, but things turned out ok in the end.

the first thing that they said, "what state do you live in, because our excelsior graduates are not accepted in all states."

so, had your friend lived in georgia at the time, they would have informed her of the change in that state. but she didn't live there, so excelsior did nothing wrong.

i don't think your friend is telling you the full truth...are they specifically telling her that they don't accept excelsior grads or is it more along the lines of she can't get an interview because some hospitals are laying off, not accepting new grads or want nurses with experience.

there is a huge difference.

Jules A, MSN · Mar 15, 2009

I don't think your friend is telling you the full truth...are they specifically telling her that they don't accept Excelsior grads or is it more along the lines of she can't get an interview because some hospitals are laying off, not accepting new grads or want nurses with experience.
There is A HUGE difference.

Yeah and I'm always kind of weirded out when it is the husband/boyfriend rather than the nurse herself writing. :confused: My husband would never think to come here on my behalf in fact he doesn't even go with me when I buy a new car, lol.

DaFreak71 · Mar 16, 2009

Don't be so quick to beat up on the OP. :crying2:

He said that she got her degree (and license I'm guessing because she was applying for a R.N. job at several facilities). The problem he identified was that even though she is a RN, the hospitals are not wanting to hire graduates of Excelsior. She cannot go back to a more acceptable program because she has already earned her RN. Makes sense to me.

I've seen this "We're not getting the full story" line in many many posts here on allnurses. That's rather presumptuous and if you're not understanding the OP's point of view, ask directly instead of insinuating that he is holding back pertinent information purposely. People in general are pretty skeptical around here. As to why he might be the OP instead of his girlfriend? This is just a wild guess, but if I were her I'd be feeling pretty depressed and might want to distance myself from the whole situation. Significant others often take up for their loved ones and his posting (instead of her) seems like an act of love for her, anger at the situation (understandable) and just simply letting people know that there is an issue in some states with the Excelsior program.

Oh, and questioning why it took his girlfriend 6 years to get her degree....that's her business. Some people don't have the luxury to go full time (finances, hectic life, kids, whatever). Who cares how long it took her...she did it and her perseverence paid off (she got her degree) but is having a heck of a time getting a job in Cali based on where she attended school.

It might be that when she enrolled in the program (six years ago) that Cali allowed Excelsior degrees but during that time they changed it. Who knows? Not I! And it's not like a FOR PROFIT school is necessarily going to give the student a heads up about the change either.

So why am "I" taking up for the OP? I feel for him (and her). Also, back in the early 90's I attended a legal assisting program that lied about their accreditation and ended up closing their doors before I finished my program. Credits could not be transferred, had to pay back federal student loans a few years later, no job as a result. I was 19 years old (the word "accredited" wasn't in my vocabulary). I was told by the school that they were legit. As it turned out, the school re-opened a year later, pulled the same stunt (collecting a bunch of fees) and closing their doors again. This time, my home state of Oregon investigated, found out it was the same married couple who kept pulling this stunt and they were barred from ever opening a school in Oregon again. Sucks that I still had to pay back the Federal student loan but oh well.

To the OP--I feel for you and your girlfriend. I wonder if she got "Grandfathere'd" in by the state of CA and that's why she got her degree, but the hospitals she is interviewing with don't realize that she got Grandfathere'd in and they are going off of the most current info (that Cali doesn't recognize Excelsior as an accredited school of nursing). Either have her clue them in or simply don't mention where she graduated during an interview unless specifically asked. Failing all of that...explore options that other posters have suggested (VA, corrections, etc). And worst case scenario....relocate to a state that is cool with Excelsior.

Best of luck to you! And for those who gave the whole "we're not getting the whole story" line and being like "WHY did it take her SIX years get her degree"? That's just plain rude and shows an absolute lack of compassion.

Jules A, MSN · Mar 17, 2009

Don't be so quick to beat up on the OP.
He said that she got her degree (and license I'm guessing because she was applying for a R.N. job at several facilities). The problem he identified was that even though she is a RN, the hospitals are not wanting to hire graduates of Excelsior. She cannot go back to a more acceptable program because she has already earned her RN. Makes sense to me.
I've seen this "We're not getting the full story" line in many many posts here on allnurses. That's rather presumptuous and if you're not understanding the OP's point of view, ask directly instead of insinuating that he is holding back pertinent information purposely. People in general are pretty skeptical around here. As to why he might be the OP instead of his girlfriend? This is just a wild guess, but if I were her I'd be feeling pretty depressed and might want to distance myself from the whole situation. Significant others often take up for their loved ones and his posting (instead of her) seems like an act of love for her, anger at the situation (understandable) and just simply letting people know that there is an issue in some states with the Excelsior program.
Oh, and questioning why it took his girlfriend 6 years to get her degree....that's her business. Some people don't have the luxury to go full time (finances, hectic life, kids, whatever). Who cares how long it took her...she did it and her perseverence paid off (she got her degree) but is having a heck of a time getting a job in Cali based on where she attended school.
It might be that when she enrolled in the program (six years ago) that Cali allowed Excelsior degrees but during that time they changed it. Who knows? Not I! And it's not like a FOR PROFIT school is necessarily going to give the student a heads up about the change either.
So why am "I" taking up for the OP? I feel for him (and her). Also, back in the early 90's I attended a legal assisting program that lied about their accreditation and ended up closing their doors before I finished my program. Credits could not be transferred, had to pay back federal student loans a few years later, no job as a result. I was 19 years old (the word "accredited" wasn't in my vocabulary). I was told by the school that they were legit. As it turned out, the school re-opened a year later, pulled the same stunt (collecting a bunch of fees) and closing their doors again. This time, my home state of Oregon investigated, found out it was the same married couple who kept pulling this stunt and they were barred from ever opening a school in Oregon again. Sucks that I still had to pay back the Federal student loan but oh well.
To the OP--I feel for you and your girlfriend. I wonder if she got "Grandfathere'd" in by the state of CA and that's why she got her degree, but the hospitals she is interviewing with don't realize that she got Grandfathere'd in and they are going off of the most current info (that Cali doesn't recognize Excelsior as an accredited school of nursing). Either have her clue them in or simply don't mention where she graduated during an interview unless specifically asked. Failing all of that...explore options that other posters have suggested (VA, corrections, etc). And worst case scenario....relocate to a state that is cool with Excelsior.
Best of luck to you! And for those who gave the whole "we're not getting the whole story" line and being like "WHY did it take her SIX years get her degree"? That's just plain rude and shows an absolute lack of compassion.

Thank you for posting this. I normally won't even read something this long but you have made some excellent points and hearing more sides to each story is why I love open forums. That said I'm standing by my post. As a grown woman, Mother and nursing professional I doubt she needs boyfriend to "take up for her" here. Just my two cents though.

NC Girl BSN · Mar 17, 2009

Sorry that this is happening but that is not the norm kinda situation. EC is an accreditaded program and they have a great reputation in most states. I live in NC and just graduated from EC and all three hospitals that I interviewed with has given me a full-time job offer. They love EC and give me alot respect for passing their rigourous program. Sadly, you live in the most controversal state(CA) that will not bend for EC. EC is not a worthless degree! They are well known all over the country. You have managers who love them or hate them. I have yet to be questioned about their worthiness. I hope she keeps trying and get a job. The recession may have something to do with alot of jobs scaling back. EC was the best thing that has every happened to me. The degree is priceless and worth all the blood sweat and tears it took me to get it.

I think future students that look into the EC program should definetly do their homework. EC is not accepted in a few states and some states require additional hours. Keep us posted on her progress. I really hope it all works out in the end.