Excelsior Nursing exams for nonnursing upperlevel credit

Hi,
Excelsior has three nursing exams that are 8U, upper level credit that cost $80 each. Interestingly, all the exams do not apply to the Excelsior nursing degree. Does anyone think a non-nursing student could pass these? What would one study?

The exams are:

Adult Nursing

Maternal & Child Nursing

Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing

Thank you!

 

I don't think non-healthcare can pass

These exams may be offered for CEU credit that is required to renew nursing license. You have to know medications and diseases relevant to each section. Do you know what DMSR is? What is anencephaly? Normal and abnormal blood sugar readings?

 

LapuLapu,

Starting to study for those exams from square 1 is a huge undertaking. They are designed to represent all the material studied in the nursing classes of an RN program in nursing school that can be tested in a written exam. (For Excelsior's actual nursing program there are also several practical exams with actual patients and demonstration of technical skills in addition to the written exams)

There are several primary sources I would recommend if you want to give it a shot. (No pun intended.) Sources of study material:
1. A couple of good basic NCLEX review texts. NCLEX is the exam a qualified graduate nurse sits for to become an RN.
2. A book about the Nursing Process with lots of examples

Those are the ABSOLUTE MINIMUM, however, I would also recommend:

3. A Med/Surg Text describing the most common diseases, treatments, medications, and lab values
4. A Pediatric Text describing the most common diseases, treatments, medications, and lab values
5. An OB/GYN Text describing normal and abnormal pregnancy, labor & delivery, GYN diseases, treatments, medications, and lab values
6. A Psychiatric Nursing Text describing the most common diseases, treatments, medications, and lab values.
7. A Nutrition Text describing the most common disease states and specialty diets.
8. Medications and Pharmacodynamics
9. Educational and licensing differences among the different levels of nursing practice - Nursing Assistant, LPN, RN, BSN

I can think of much easier ways to earn credits. Nursing Professionals function at a much higher level than is commonly believed.

Deborah Tormey, RN, BSN, MPH, CCRC

P.S. - Be sure to check with your advisor first, as those credits may not be acceptable for any of the distribution requirements you need.

 

Thank you both, your responses are very helpful.

 

I did

I took the Excelsior Psych Nursing exam and got 8 upper level credits toward by psych bachelors at COSC. It was great. It was really, really not that difficult and mostly common sense.
So, yeah, you can.

 

OK, I'm going to look into this. Thanks