Help me build a degree program - Excelsior/WGU

[namwen]

I am looking to do the ADN program at Excelsior. Right not I have the Study.com guardian scholarship and plan to use as much of that as possible. After I do the ADN program I'd like to pursue my BSN from WGU. Any input and help would be greatly appreciated.

Excelsior ADN courses needed:

Information Lit. - 1cr - I'm not sure about this one because I have a bunch of credits from everywhere. Best Study.com courses for this one?
Lifespan Psychology - 3cr - this one is obvious
Anatomy and Physiology - 4cr (probably SL for this one)
Microbiology 3cr - this course is also obvious but I'm considering doing Intro to Biology for a foundation as I need to take the TEAS eventually. Thoughts?

WGU BSN courses needed:

This is not as clear cut because their transfer policy isn't as open but I'd appreciate the best guess that you have.

Anatomy and Physiology - ?cr (probably SL along w/the ADN requirements)
Survey of United States Constitution and Government - 3cr
Biochemistry - 3cr
Clinical Microbiology - 3cr - I'm wondering if the Study.com course will cover this or of I need to take this at Clovis CC to make sure I'm good to cover both?

Sorry to be complicated, I just want to use my Study.com scholarship the best possible way.

[sanantone]

WGU - College of Health Professions Course Equivalency Guide | StraighterLine
Alternative Sources, Specific Requirements for B.S. Nursing (Prelicensure)

I commend you for going after your passion. I thought about going down the path to become a nurse practitioner by doing Percom, Excelsior, etc., but I'm in my early 30s and didn't want to spend so much time on school to start a new career. Good luck.

[namwen]

WGU - College of Health Professions Course Equivalency Guide | StraighterLine
Alternative Sources, Specific Requirements for B.S. Nursing (Prelicensure)

I commend you for going after your passion. I thought about going down the path to become a nurse practitioner by doing Percom, Excelsior, etc., but I'm in my early 30s and didn't want to spend so much time on school to start a new career. Good luck.

Thanks! I don't know why I didn't see this anywhere. Since it isn't published I wonder what they would accept from Study.com.

I appreciate the complement, I am 41 and have 6 kids. Lol, I think I'm crazy but I'm just tired of what I'm doing and want to finish my life doing something that means something to me.. I'm pretty nervous and hopeful that my passion will keep my focus. The paramedic program will be a great indication of how this goes. Thankfully I will be able to do most of it and work at the same time.

[namwen]

Hmm, I'm curious if I'm wasting my time with Study.com since WGU doesn't have a clear policy on transfer credit with the.

[rowan555]

Hmm, I'm curious if I'm wasting my time with Study.com since WGU doesn't have a clear policy on transfer credit with the.

This is how we handled it - I went ahead and had my son do the application, which resulted in him being assigned an enrollment advisor. We just email her with the course info from Study, Ed4Credit, etc, and then the advisor confirms if the course will be accepted. It's not 100% foolproof, but at least we have something in writing to appeal if the transfer department doesn't accept something. So far they've accepted everything we've inquired about except for Shmoop, because their finals are not proctored.

[namwen]

This is how we handled it - I went ahead and had my son do the application, which resulted in him being assigned an enrollment advisor. We just email her with the course info from Study, Ed4Credit, etc, and then the advisor confirms if the course will be accepted. It's not 100% foolproof, but at least we have something in writing to appeal if the transfer department doesn't accept something. So far they've accepted everything we've inquired about except for Shmoop, because their finals are not proctored.

Maybe that is what I'll do. I applied to the MBA program a few weeks ago via free application. Maybe I will see of I can switch over to the BSN program and go from there.

[heinzmoleman]

Not sure how much you're counting on that timeline in your signature but plan on altering it a bit if you're doing the excelsior method. First your sig says you haven't even graduated Paramedic school, this is required and mandatory unless you're an LPN. Second you need verified Paramedic experience and a passing score on the entrance exam before they will grant admittance into the program. Lastly the time it takes to complete Excelsior will depend on you. They have three ways of working towards completing the program as of right now. First is by Exam, which is exactly like it sounds. You study and then take an exam. There's a lot of content to master and the questions on the exams can be super specific to a topic you might have just grazed over so if you choose this method make sure to put in the work, Second is by Nursing conferences, where you listen to audio lectures and then take the same exam as if you studied in your own. Lastly they have actual courses now where you're assigned homework and all that jazz. Regardless of the method you choose the end always culminates with the FCCA's (two exams) and the CPNE (an intensive clinical test). Currently the wait time for the CPNE is 7-12 months to receive a clinical date. The FCCA's are always 8 weeks. Right there is 14 months, this is not taking into account any of the exams. I accelerated through the exams quickly and finished in about 5 months. Im currently waiting for a clinical date but predict that all in all it would've taken me around the same time as a B&M school. Excelsior is tough and definitely not for the faint of heart, you really have to know your stuff. This is why the program is targeted at those who have extensive experience in their respective medical fields.

[sanantone]

I think they require 200 hours of experience in the past year.

The biggest issue will be whether or not Texas will still recognize Excelsior's program. The state is still in the process of deciding.

[namwen]

Not sure how much you're counting on that timeline in your signature but plan on altering it a bit if you're doing the excelsior method. First your sig says you haven't even graduated Paramedic school, this is required and mandatory unless you're an LPN. Second you need verified Paramedic experience and a passing score on the entrance exam before they will grant admittance into the program. Lastly the time it takes to complete Excelsior will depend on you. They have three ways of working towards completing the program as of right now. First is by Exam, which is exactly like it sounds. You study and then take an exam. There's a lot of content to master and the questions on the exams can be super specific to a topic you might have just grazed over so if you choose this method make sure to put in the work, Second is by Nursing conferences, where you listen to audio lectures and then take the same exam as if you studied in your own. Lastly they have actual courses now where you're assigned homework and all that jazz. Regardless of the method you choose the end always culminates with the FCCA's (two exams) and the CPNE (an intensive clinical test). Currently the wait time for the CPNE is 7-12 months to receive a clinical date. The FCCA's are always 8 weeks. Right there is 14 months, this is not taking into account any of the exams. I accelerated through the exams quickly and finished in about 5 months. Im currently waiting for a clinical date but predict that all in all it would've taken me around the same time as a B&M school. Excelsior is tough and definitely not for the faint of heart, you really have to know your stuff. This is why the program is targeted at those who have extensive experience in their respective medical fields.

You know, I've been looking into EC for a long long time but really haven't done in depth research in the last few years. This is news to me as far as the wait time. I appreciate the heads up, though. I've been around degree boards for at least 15 years and continue to be amazed at how much collective knowledge there is.

[heinzmoleman]

I think they require 200 hours of experience in the past year.

The biggest issue will be whether or not Texas will still recognize Excelsior's program. The state is still in the process of deciding.

For texas it really is up in the air. The comission is supposed to decide this year whether or not they believe the program still meets competency standards. Most Texas students I've talked to said their BON told them the most likely decision will be to either continue licensure as normal, to make a post grad preceptorship mandatory, or to only accept Excelsior grads via endorsement. From what I've seen with other students there is almost always a work around to enable licensure in your state it just might take a lot of leg work. California is the most strict qhen it comes to Excelsior but as of late students have been able to endorse in with experience. Im in NY and for right now we have no additional requirements thankfully.