Dear members of the Virginia State Board of Nursing,

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. I would like to voice my support toward withdrawing the limitations on licensure eligibility for Excelsior College (EC) Associate Degree in Nursing graduates.

I graduated from EC School of Nursing in 2008 after passing the intense Clinical Performance in Nursing Examination (CPNE). I went on to take my state board exam, the NCLEX, and passed the test on my first attempt. I was interviewed and hired very shortly thereafter by a respected health care organization. My past health care experience was working as a certified nursing assistant for a few years then as a Licensed practical nurse for several more years. EC’s requirement for prior clinical experience differentiates students from other traditional nursing schools that can be admitted to a program without hospital or health care experience at all. Distance learning and online education is growing rapidly. Excelsior’s program allows its students to fit education and advancement into their lives.

The fundamental nursing classes offered from Excelsior College do transfer and are implemented in numerous colleges and universities in the United States. To pass the CPNE, which is considered to be the capstone clinical requirement for the associate degree, the demands include but are not limited to: independence, self motivation, self discipline and clinical skills. The nursing faculty that assess the student during the CPNE hold Master’s and doctoral degrees and are completely intolerant of any student that does not appear to be efficient and knowledgeable. It is NOT an exam that nurses will pass if they lack the competency to apply the nursing process to solve patient problems and especially not if the student is lacking the ability to accurately and confidently perform selected nursing skills.

The studies I have read online show that Excelsior College ADN graduates are as well prepared, and often better prepared than graduates from a traditional ADN program. For this reason and from personal experience with EC graduates and Registered nurses that started from EC's program, I have a very difficult time understanding the lack of acceptance.

In closing, in solidarity with other nurses and supporters that have posted here, please reconsider your view on Excelsior College’s nursing program and accept and honor the graduates for the determination we have put into studying nursing to complete our Associate degree and our previous experience in the health care field. Thanks again for your reconsideration.

S. Maki, RN ADN