Excelsior ADN program vs traditional nursing program

I have brought this up before. Do you think if a person got their ADN degree through Excsleior they are short circuiting their nursing careers. This has come up a lot in allnurses.com Some will argue that the EC nusring program lacks a clinical component, but you have to pass a clinical test(CPNE) in order to graduate. EC used to accept EMT's and CNA's in their program, but they no longer do. As stated before I dont retire for another 10 years from the military. Some people have encouraged me to do the accelerated BSN program since I already have my bachelors but why go through that process when EC has already accpeted me into their nursing program. Most states accept EC grads including the one I will retire in(Texas). EC recieves a lot criticism for their porgram, but people fail to realize that EC is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, and their nursing program is accredited by National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC), which also accredites the traditional nursing program. I spoke with a Dantes counselor in the testing administration at EC, and she said that for military all of the nursing exams are free for military personnel, and they can take all the nursing exams first withou enrolling into the nursing program. I noticed a lot of peopel here have recieved their non-nursing degrees from EC which speakes volumes about this school. I plan to go the EC route after I finish my masters so that I can devote more time to this program, any EC nursing grads want to chime in ? By going this route does this say that I will not be as effective as a nurse that went through a traditional program? Right now EC says that I need to take A&P, Lifespan and development and pass my nursing exams plus the CPNE to graduate.

 

Go for it!

If you are still in the military I am sure you will get some generous discounts on challenging those exams and attending the Excelsior College nursing program.

Go for it!

I think Excelsior nursing graduates are great nurses but I am one so my opinion is biased! Of course, it's what you make of it. Just study hard because apparently they have a 50% failure rate on the clinical performance exam. Don't do the program if you think it is a walk in the park!

Good Luck!

 

By the way.

By the way, I went on to get my MSN and become a family nurse practitioner from a very respected school. So don't think for one minute that Excelsior College Nursing program is inferior in any way, shape or form. Sure, the clinical component is lacking with roughly 20 hours or so but one already has to be in the medical field to get accepted. The assumption is that you already have clinical experience as a Licensed Practical Nurse or in an other clinically oriented profession. Heck, I've known foreign trained medical doctors go this route to get their foot in the door in a high paying profession while they pursue a residency slot or pass their United States licensing exams.

 

The CPNE

Another comment I want to make is that the procedures in the CPNE study guide (about 4 inches thick) must be memorized verbatim in order to pass. If you miss one item, you fail that component. If you fail 2 or 3 components you fail the whole exam.

These performance items provide the new graduate Registered Nurse with a solid foundation on working effectively, competently and most importantly safely! I think this is important to address because so many future employers will be biased towards hiring graduates of "traditional" programs.

I promise you that if you pass the CPNE, you won't be practicing "sloppy nursing." You will still have a lot to learn as a new graduate nurse but you will have a solid foundation and know the basics inside and out.

 

Thank you so much for responding, I hope other people read this thread to see that a nursing professional like yourself gave an great analysis on this program. This is very encouraging.

 

I once worked for a hospital where the director of nursing for the entire ER was an EC graduate. No one ever questioned her ability or credentials.

 

I have had the pleasure of having several EC graduates work for and with me as Unit Supervisors and Department heads.

Fantastic group of male and female Registered nurses.