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Excelsior College ~ Associate of Science in Nursing Sounds like a pretty impressive title, right? What's even more impressive is the road you must travel to reach that destination. When you start the process, it's a scary and confusing thing. You may even wonder, "What on Earth did I do to myself? What was I thinking? I'll NEVER be able to do this! "Wrong! You CAN and you WILL if you want it bad enough. My story isn't very different from any other student enrolled at Excelsior. Here's a little bit of information about me... I have an Associate of Applied Science in Medical Assisting, with Certification (a CMA - our equivalent of state boards, only it's at a national level). That is the equivalent of a "nurse" in a Doctor's Office or Clinic (except we get paid very little for having that 2-year healthcare degree). I am also an Emergency Medical Technician (an EMT). I have been in the healthcare field since 1993; specialties include Family/General Practice, Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU), and Emergency Department/Emergency Medical Services. I also completed a year of an Associate Degree level RN program at local college. However, a month before the end of the 2nd semester I had to drop the program, not continuing into the 2nd year (I got really sick and went over the allowed time to miss). When I heard about Excelsior's program I thought I'd give it a try. After my transcripts had been received by Excelsior, here is what I had left to take:
At first glance this seemed overwhelming to me. I had a "knee-jerk" reaction and panicked. I put things off for a LONG time after the initial enrollment. In fact, it was almost a year before I did anything. I took a look at everything and realized that I could have really gotten focused and conceivably finished this program before any of my other "traditional" classmates had finished. So, I "sucked it up" and created my plan of attack. My plan was SIMPLE. Using the Study Guides that Excelsior College provides, I would study for and take ONE test at a time, not thinking of everything else that was required. Thinking of it as "one test" makes it easier. Before you even go to take the exam you know a few things for sure.
I paid for exams NC 1-7, Micro, and Lifespan Psych. I really buckled down and became "proactive" about my education. After all, you have to earn the degree, they won't simply hand it to you. I buckled down and went in completely "gung-ho". So, I took and passed NC 1-4, 6, and 7 within a month and a half. I had also taken NC 5 - but halfway through the exam I got VERY sick. The room started spinning, I felt as though I was going to be sick, and kept blacking out. I knew that I would loose the exam fee if I left, so I just started getting "click happy" in order to finish and get out. I thought I'd at least have a chance of getting some of the answers right. Needless to say, I didn't pass. This really scared me. I'm just like everyone else and do NOT like failing anything. Regardless of the fact I had gotten sick. The reason did not matter. I failed and now I was paranoid. I was so paranoid that I had put off the Micro exam and as a result, lost the exam fee. Again, I let a lot of time lapse, so I had to pay that yearly re-enrollment fee. I got the courage to try again. However, at this point in my life, I was going through some major life changes. I was getting divorced, I was selling the house, and I had to find a new apartment for my children and I. Because of the divorce and change in living conditions, I also had to change my work status from part-time to full-time. I still had all the obligations to fulfill with my volunteer EMS duties as well. I was SO close to being done, yet so far away!
Now that I was a single mom, it was hard for me to save the money needed for my last few exams. Somehow I managed it! I paid for NC 5, Psych, and Micro, and started to study in my spare time (which you know is difficult to find if you have a full-time job, family, and pets - LOL). I chose to take NC5 next because I was so scared of failing again. I wanted to take it and pass, in order to calm my rising fears about failing again. I was being my own worst enemy! Failing an exam does NOT make you a failure. You are a success for having tried in the first place. I took and passed NC5. Now that my NC exams were done I became eligible for the CPNE. I sent in the CPNE fee, and continued on in the testing, successfully passing Lifespan Psych and Micro. Because of my irrational fears of failure after the first NC5 attempt, and wasting SO much time, I had to pay another re-enrollment fee. Now I am waiting for my test date to arrive for the CPNE. I am scheduled for the first weekend in August ('04). I have decided that I have come this far, and I am sick of the fear that has held me back this long. The CPNE is the ONLY thing that stands between me and State Boards (the NCLEX). I have read the study guide, I have viewed the video that you can purchase along with a workbook, and I have studied the "critical elements" from flashcards (also available for purchase). I have also made my own audio CD - of each critical element from each area of care. This way I can "study" on the go, or listen to it at home while I'm doing chores, or relaxing and wasting time online. In order to control my rising fear of the CPNE (they say the pass rate for first time testers is around 68%), I have broken the whole 3 day event down into these thoughts:
I hope this has helped you in some small way. I just remember how hard it has been for me to find other students in the same situation. I know I spend very little time at the EPN website. Most of what I read was NEGATIVE, and "whiney"... I wanted to find other students that could HELP me, that had a positive outlook on the Excelsior Experience, and wouldn't make my fear any worse by saying how horrible things have been. I'm sick of hearing people blame their failure on the school, or instructors. The instructors are not there to make us pass, WE are there to make ourselves pass. The instructors are not there to fail us either; only we can make ourselves fail. The instructors are simply there to verify we HAVE the skills we are PROVING; and to ensure patient safety from those that don't have the skills. It doesn't matter how many years of experience you have, or what your credentials are. In fact the study guide even says not to rely on that experience to get you through the CPNE (paraphrasing here - but that's the concept in a nutshell). I intend on going in like I have no prior experience or education. I plan on performing the same way a first day RN who had graduated from Excelsior College would perform. With dignity, confidence, and professionalism. Our situations do not matter; who cares what else is going on in our lives? Yes, we all have bad things happening in our lives from time to time, so what else is new? Change the bad to good and move on! We are there for the patient and that needs to be our focus. As long as you keep that the focus, everything else will fall into place. Best of luck to you all, and wish me luck as I head into the CPNE! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. I promise I'll try to give you a POSITIVE answer. Andrea Howard |