Excelsior College review: associates nursing program 22

I am in the process of enrolling in this program and I am hoping some will point out to me what I am missing. This is a distance learning program. Therefore it is self paced- self taught. By definition that means no interaction with faculty.

My community college charges $85 per credit hour and I must attend classes 3 days a week. This the trade off because yes I pay an enrollment fee and an annual fee but 3 credits is a mere $250 dollars. The price of books is universal. The interactive guides are optional but I was clearly told they are $170 per test subject. The practices tests are $65 again I am still not seeing the issue. Due to previous educational expereinces I only have the 8 nursing exams to take. With the Mock clinical my total cost for this program will be $8000 excluding books and travel.

As a self-employeed nurse and mother of three it seems a bargain for the convenience of not having to attend class and secure childcare 3 or more days a week. Then again I prefer a distance learning format. The CPNE sounds very challenging but if you ask any LPN who has been through a traditional program clinicals are very challenging. I agree there is the the test way, the right way and reality. These are not one in the same. Each person going to take a test for nursing clinicals should know how clinical testing differs (right or wrong) from reality. I am also curious the number of people who fail the clinical portion who are LPN's verses other health professions. I am also curious if the area in which you work might impact ones ability to pass this portion. For example a Long term care nurse versus homecare or hospital.

It would seem to me the more versital the expereince of the nurse the more likely she is to pass this portion. HOwever maybe I am missing a bigger picture and am entirely too optimistic.

Judging from the poor grammar and fragmented thought process of the original poster, "RIPD OFF", the only thing Excelsior should be ashamed of is allowing "RIPD OFF" into the program in the first place.

You knew about the degree requirements before you enrolled in the program. You knew it was a distance education program that is primarily self-study. You knew that there would be a pass/fail clinical component at the end. If you did not know these things, then you have failed to properly prepare. If you DID know these things and you're still complaining about them, then you're remarkably stupid.

EC nursing graduates function at or above the level of traditional nursing school grads. This is a fact. You can read the independent studies for yourself. EC nursing students are required to have a clinical background before even entering the program. Most traditional nursing programs do not require any previous medical experience.

YOU did not prepare properly for the program. YOU are not entitled to a degree simply because you paid $$$ into it and did not pass the clinical. Y O U F A I L E D. Don't blame the school for your own failures. Take ownership of your failures and learn from them. If you're unable to do this, then you're going to have a hard time at life. If you're unable to accept personal responsibility, then you don't need to be an RN in any form or fashion.

I successfully completed the program. I passed the CPNE on my first try with no repeats. It can be done and is done every single weekend by EC nursing students.

Donald J:

I am currently trying to decide if I am gong to enroll or not. It all sounds wonderful but I have huge test anxiety! I think I can handle the online testing and self directed learning but the CPNE makes me incredibly nervous... especially after reading the multiple reviews. Any tips you can give me would be greatly appreciated:)

Thanks

ksj: The testing itself is not "online" per se. You will go to a Pearson Vue testing center in your area for the tests. The staff is usually very friendly and you will be put in a cubicle by yourself to take the test free of distractions. You can't bring anything in except your ID, and they watch you from a control booth and from a camera above each testing computer so there's no way anyone could cheat. Not saying that anyone would, but I have heard some people say that you can cheat on Excelsior exams because it's an online exam. Totally NOT the case at all.

Instead of reading the reviews here (which are nothing but negative, based on the nature of the site), head on over to allnurses.com. It's a nursing forum where nurses and nursing students can interact about various topics. There are plenty of positive experiences regarding Excelsior posted there.

The best thing to remember about the clinical exam is that you need to do things the Excelsior way. This is the same with any nursing school. Nursing school does not teach you how to do things in the real world. Nursing school teaches you what the books say, then you learn the real world on your own when you hit the floor. LPN's and medics who have been on the job for years fail only because they don't want to learn how to do things the Excelsior way.

Get study guides for the test off of eBay. DO NOT USE THE COLLEGE NETWORK OR RUE. TCN and RUE are nothing but a scam. Go directly through Excelsior. Two folks on eBay that sell top notch exam study material are Lisa Arends (larends) and studygroup101. Search for them. When you get ready to take your CPNE, go to a workshop a few months beforehand (again, search on allnurses for a good one. The official EC one isn't necessarily the best). Do the workshop, then get Rob's CPNE videos. Those two resources are the biggest resources I used to prepare for the CPNE, and I passed on 9/26 in Mansfield, OH.

Good luck in your endeavors. If you prepare properly and learn things the Excelsior way, you will NOT be on this board crying. As a side note, I actually just ended up on here as a result of a search for info on the Excelsior RN-to-BSN program. ;)

Again, good luck!

I am currently considering going through the Associate Nursing Program at Excelsior. I love the fact that you don't have to spend the time and money traveling back and forth to campus taking classes, especially due to the cost of gasoline these days. However, I am worried about the final clinical but willing to put the effort into what it takes to pass. I would love to get any positive feedback from all who have completed this program or anyone who is currently taking online courses. The previous post from ksj was very helpful, thank you. Sincerely, JNM

How many colleges want you to register/enroll in classes AND pay a loan off before you complete the program. Excelsior did and they are nothing but a SCAM organization!

Excelsior does not have advisors that work with you and check on your progress in the program. Very hands off. I would not advise anyone to enroll there.

Hello All,

My name is Bryan - AASN, RN, CNRN, NIHSS-C and I am a graduate of Excelsior College AASN/05 and current BSN student with Excelsior. I work in one of the top hospitals in PA - Magnet Status designation for the 3rd time this year, in Neuroscience Critical Care. I have presented at the National Conference for Neuroscience Nursing and am also one of the published co- authors of the research for this presentation. I'm stating my credentials and accomplishments for those of you who think that Excelsior College is not a good program to show that there are successful graduates of the program - some of whom work at the very same hospital where I work and also for those of you who are considering this program to show you that you can be a successful nurse as a graduate of this program.

I have to say that I happened on this complaint and upon reading it realize that the person that wrote this complaint obviously does not have what it takes to be in a program such as Excelsior offers. Yes, it is very challenging and you have to be very SELF MOTIVATED to be successful!

Donald J. - I am sooooo glad you have wonderfully articulated the correct information that you have to those who have questions about the college and the nursing program it offers that have come across this posting and it's ludicrous and erroneous claims and I completely agree with your sentiments for RIPD OFF! THANK YOU!

JLJaye - you are incorrect in that there are no advisors. I recently visited the ACTUAL PHYSICAL BUILDING of the college and personally met my advisor. My spouse teaches at Bard College during the summer and we live on campus during that time. When my mom and dad came to visit us this last summer - we took a day trip to Albany to see my alma matter/Excelsior College (something I have been wanting to do since I graduated) and they met my advisor also! She is also the advisor I had during the ADN program. JLJaye - all you have to do is pick up the phone and you will either get your advisor or another advisor that will help you - it's that easy! As for the loan - if you think that there is not a college in this country that will not give you your degree, or your credits for that matter, without paying what is owed first - YOU ARE DELUSIONAL!

RIPD OFF - you need to take a long hard look at yourself and quit blaming your failure on everything but yourself. Just so you know - you say that anyone would be "lucky to graduate and that would be it". Well, I have an IQ above 130, so i am definitely not stupid and I think that my accomplishment show my success and I am a very PROUD graduate of Excelsior College! - and it wasn't by luck! It was by hard work and self motivation - something that I might guess that you might be lacking! Also, the internship that I completed at the hospital that I work at to become a Critical Care Nurse was extremely difficult and demanding and you have to be an extremely smart to complete this internship. What's weird is that, because of how picky the hospital I work at is, most of the interns that I went through with were BSN prepared from a lot of the top schools in PA. But, because they are aware of Excelsior College's reputation for graduating good nurses, was accepted with only my AASN. As for subjective - I really think that you need to review what subjective means. They spell out in very clear detail what you have to do in the CPNE. It's a Pass/Fail because it's a 100% standard that is extremely high so that they are not just handing out Nursing Degrees to just anyone. It's not based on whether or not they like you! You need to realize the failure is yours, not the program!

This is an awesome post! I represent Distance Learning Systems, and we provide the only virtual classroom with a live professor for each of the courses in the Excelsior Program. We provide the structure and the classroom for the person who needs visual lectures, accountability and structure to complete this difficult program successfully.
I talk to nursing departments at some of the top hospital systems in the world, and we are valued as instructors of this highly-reputable degree. Distance Learning Systems TEACHES the only online ASN in the country, the most cost- and time-efficient program to get one's RN. Our Pass Rate is in the mid-90's
My name is Sherry Shaw, Regional Program Administrator in the Great Lakes, toll free [protected] www.dlsii.com
We also have live classrooms that you can attend in Cleveland, Nashville, Fort Lauderdale and New York City.
We have a lab prep in several cities to get you through the CPNE, AND we prepare you for the NCLEX.

OMG, people... WAKE UP !
excelsior RN program is a scam !
high fail rates (and not because the student is not prepared, the CPNE is rigged for failure. every and any mistake you make will fail you no matter how small and everyone errors we are after-all human)
for example... drop your pen on the floor and pick it up = failure!
not accepted in all states ( CA is one).
some companies will not hire you.
none of excelsior credits transfer.
save your money and go to a real school.
excelsior will take your money and waste your time.

also noted that complaintsboard.com has removed previous complaints about excelsior.

and just so you know, Donald J is a paid excelsior representative so ignore anything he says.
I purposely used bad grammar... so Donald can have fun criticizing my comment

Greetings,
I recently failed out of a LPN-RN program at a 'land' based school in TN. Yes I know that Excelsior is expensive and yes anyone with a thought in their head knows that while performing a clinical skill you don't pick up anything you drop... with all that said, online courses are not easy-at all- and thus far I have spoken to my assigned adviser 4 times in the last two weeks and I wont start classes until May 7th. Not sure about loans but Department of Education doesn't issue grants or loans to this ADN program because it is 'self study' so any loans are between you and the entity issuing the loan. All this I knew before signing up. I have research this program for several months and maybe that is the key--- RESEARCHING before you start. Again, nothing I have looked into was difficult to find out about.
I also wanted to talk about the not transferring of credits: No nursing program transfers credit regardless of pass or fail. Once a degree is issued you get credit for that degree, actually a simple concept, which I found out because of research.
The only thing about Excelsior so far that I have found that will 'take' your money is the bookstore- I found all my text books at other sources for alot less then what they were charging- nut again they tell you that on the website as well.

So I guess I am saying all this to state that every program is hard, expensive and not everyone will pass. I know I failed out of one, and it was a HUGE ego crusher! We as LPN's don't have a ton of options as healthcare phases us out and traditional programs eat their young at an even faster rate then LPN-RN programs can churn them out.

Full disclosure: I do not work for Excelsior or any other program assigned with them. I am just a 40 yr old LPN that wants to achieve my RN before turning 41.

Thanks Charles

completely agree and I am looking into a lawsuit at this time. I don't even know where to begin. I failed at Albany for dumb reasons nothing that reflects nursing skills or knowledge. I graduated with the second highest grade from LPN school. After failing CPNE, I decided not to give Excelsior another penny. The thing about the CPNE is that it is ridiculously easy for an intelligent seasoned LPN, but so easy to fail because they judge on minor things that aren't related to nursing knowledge or skills. You basically just have to take CPNE workshop and study study guide and do exactly what they tell you to do. There was a man that passed CPNE that was an army medic twenty years prior and admitted to us that he hadn't had any clinical experience since. There was another young man that worked in an family MD's office as a medical assistant. He answered phones, filed and took vitals...he passed CPNE. I can't believe that some states are allowing these people to become nurses with no clinical experience. California is the only state that sees Excelsior nursing for what it is. Anyway, my first lab was the IV drip. I completed everything and the CE told me she had to get the CA. The CE told CA that I did everything right but my drip calculation was wrong. It just so happens that I have BS degree and had studied math for a while so I was 100% positive that my drip factor was correct. I showed my calculations to CA and she said it appeared correct but they had a different answer. I continued to defend my answer. Finally after about 5 minutes, they realized they were looking at the answer to the wrong question and I passed that lab. I wrote a letter to the dean informing her of what occurred, because I'm sure people have failed CPNE because the CE & CA said drip was wrong. I think a class action lawsuit would be just because there are A LOT of stories out there of shady actions on the part of the CEs and CAs. My friend had a CE that was on her cell phone most of the time during the PCS and looked at her VS and told her that there was no need for her to do a second set! She passed. If I had a CE that did that for me, I would have passed as well. My friend is willing to testify. I have more stories too. Everyone should start talking with lawyers and we should stay in touch. I an also going to protest accreditation of Excelsior nursing because not everyone passing this program has proper clinical experience and it endangers peoples lives.

I will keep everyone updated as we move forward. I want my money back and I don't want RNs out in the field that don't have clinical experience. All traditional nursing schools require a certain number of clinical hours to graduate. I don't understand how some states are allowing people to obtain their RN without documented clinical hours. When I first signed up for Excelsior I thought it was a program just for working LPNs and EMTs and that eventually we would have to show documentation of our clinical hours through our employers. I took the workshop and met people that were not working LPNs or EMTs. Present at the workshop were a CNA, LPN who took ten years off from nursing to pursue other interests, the medical assistant who held up a med cup and asked me what it was and what the markings were ( he passed CPNE...OMG) and a former animal trainer that had failed out of real nursing school due to not passing the math test with 100% accuracy. That's the other thing...why isn't there the math test that must be passed with 100% accuracy as there is at all other nursing schools. As you read in my previous post, the CAs and CEs aren't even competent in basic math. There was a person present in the room during the whole IV drip situation and is willing to testify.
I failed the IV push the first time because although I loosened the syringe it got stuck causing it to jerk forward too fast and I had to stop a few seconds before administering the rest of the med. You're not allowed to stop at all...no big deal...I had a second try. I had passed all my other labs and two PCS by my second try at IV push. I wasn't sure but I may have contaminated the tip of my first flush, so just to be safe, I decided to throw it out and draw up a new one. At my facility, it is a strict policy to only dispose of sharps in sharps containers due to cost and being "green". I automatically put in the regular trash and instantly realized my mistake and was going to remove it after I completed the other elements and put it in sharps as excelsior wants it. The CE stopped me immediately. I argued that there is nothing in the study guide that states we are not allowed to remove a non-contamidated barrel from the garbage. The CA stated that we don't remove things from the garbage...the CE had already taken it out of the garbage and placed it on the table so obviously they do remove things from the garbage. The CA told me to appeal. I did appeal on the grounds of not being allowed to correct my mistake and that there is nothing stating that I couldn't have removed it from the garbage to put in sharps. I received a generic letter from the dean of nursing stating that I failed CPNE and so forth. She did not address the issue of my appeal so now it's on to court and I am going to make a big deal about it. In my former career, I was an editor and reporter in NYC and I still have many friends and contacts in the business. Nurses do, at times, have to remove items from the garbage especially if working with children, the elderly, the developmental disabled, and the mentally handicapped.

I have been a practicing LPN for over 5 years earning great respect from my team members in the pre/post operative surgical pediatric setting. Of the 14 projects I took on in order to improve the patient's safety and experience as well as efficacy of of time management...of the 14, 12 positive outcomes were achieved and adopted as department protocol. I have many acute care certifications, not all required. I have completed my pre-requisites with a 3.0 or better and now ready to forge onward with the nursing component. Many of the traditional programs have waitlists, lotteries, etc. I have done my research on this program and awaiting final approval of my application. Three friends have taken this route and are doing well. My facility has agreed to allow my 200 hours preceptorship to be done there where I remain working. My biggest concern is the clinical scenarios. I can travel where ever is available first. Is there anyone out there who has anything they wish to share about this particular portion of the program. I have heard everything from the horrible waiting times, to "there were 7 of us and only 2 passed". What should be expected from these, how long do the truly last and are any certain areas tending to be better that others (no easier) but a more enriching experience. My bedside manner and communication skills are very good and my clinical assessment usually can't be beat. Traditional programs will not open up until almost a year from now...my employer is chomping at the bit for me to complete this process. This is a second invention of myself...I spend nearly 22 years in dental surgery as a lead CDA on hospital cases before moving to the Pacific NW. Those I have spoke with...it seems a great fit! Just want to know more of what to expect for these scenario/clinicals and what is it that makes them so difficult...any imput would be greatly appreciated and your time and consideration appreciated. Trish the Fish, as the little one's call me.

I was an ARMY medic who challenged the California state boards and passed. I then completed Excelsior College with a BSN in 1982 and immediately was accepted into a masters Psychiatric CNS program in Louisiana. I later was an Associate Professor at this same school. I went on to earn an MBA and then a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner certificate from a top nursing school. I currently work in this role as a military contractor. 37 states now accept Excelsior graduates. They have pass rates equal to other graduates on the NCLEX. Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with Excelsior college except as a graduate. They served me well.

Does anybody know how hard it is to get accepted to Excelsior. What do I need to write on the essay?

So let me get this straight BryanCNRN you graduated from school and have a great job yet you have time and desire to troll complaint boards about Excelsior. Hmmm, strange don't you think. Sounds like you must either work for Excelsior or have been asked by someone who does to make such a long post.

Oh wow! I really FEEL sorry for those of you that have chosen to "Hang Excelsior out to dry" with you negative comments. Why do I genuinely feel sorry for you all. Because you chose the program. You are grown. Just like anything else in life...know the rules before you play the game. Read the instructions...kinda. So to get on here with all of this negative stuff. Actually says alot about each of you individually. What does it say? That you have poor judgment in making major life choices. And you take no responsibility or accountability for your own actions. You choose the school it didn't choose you So if the program is All all you say it is... Then how smart does that make each of you for choosing it?! I'M JUST SAYING!?!?!?!? If worked for ONE person. Then it could HAVE WORKED FOR EACH OF YOU...you just didn't do your part on the Front end! So please TAKE A SEAT!

Why pay all that money, risk losing it all, sacrifice all that time, working your but off for a program that is set up for you to fail anyway, just for an associates degree in nursing, which is pretty much being phased out of every type of health care facility there is except for desperate crappy nursing homes. Go to a real nursing program, which is a bachelor of science nursing program. It will take you less time to get a BSN from a traditional college than it will for you to get your associates from Excelsior. And you will have no problem getting a job afterwards. You can be dumb as a board and have no clinical skills and still get chosen over an associate degree nurse, because hospitals and other facilities now are strictly preferring bachelor's degree. Ask yourself this, is an associates degree nursing program going to offer you job placement afterward with a company who will give you funding towards an RN to BSN bridge program. Right now, those opportunities are second to none. The age of the associate degree nurse is over. I don't really like how it was done either. The change from ADN to BSN requirements could have been done with more support to bridge the RNs to BSNs and with a little more respect for these men and women who have spent the better part of their lives caring for our families and saving lives. Shame on you nursing administration. The nursing profession can be very cruel to nurses. Potential nursing students, please have nothing to do with associate degree programs. Take your general education courses at a local community college for cheaper and transfer them to your bachelors at a local college of 4 year institution. Just a word of advice.

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This program is the absolute worst, call with a question you get nothing but evasive answers. Poorly written test questions, now clinical time is excessive of 1 year wait. The packet for the CPNE changed in the year I was waiting. Found out they have had class action law suit in the past, misleading and deceptive. I had called one time about a test, didn't want the answer just to know if I was following what they were asking since the questions were so poorly written, evasive and never answered my question. Clinical is set up for your failure, used the required text and they rejected my care plan, re-write with a new one? No, failed, . Laboratory skills timed with unreasonable time frames, everyone in my clinical group ran out of time, not just one or two...everyone. Only one person completed the course with a pass. If this deters one person and saves you the time and money because they are definitely for profit even though they list themselves as non-profit (that's nothing but a tax break people). Completed all the nursing course work in little over a year then waited over a year for the clinical, Had to resubmit multiple forms because they expired before my test date. Extremely dis-satisfied. The clinical information you are sent does not prepare the student.