I strongly support this proposed amendment to restore Virginia's policy of licensing Excelsior College of Nursing graduates by examination and endorsement. 
 
Knowing that Excelsior College School of Nursing graduates have been eligible for licensure in Virginia for 25 years prior to 2008, I have to ask myself, what factual data has been obtained to substantiate denying further acceptance of these graduates? I have been actively involved, and was present at the VA Board of Nursing meeting prior to the 2008 ruling and, to date, there has yet to be any data specific to the Excelsior program produced and made public to support this denial. Without providing factual evidence, it would appear that the 2008 decision was made based on feelings and assumptions. As nurses we are fully aware that in our professional practice we must be objective, rather than subjective, and the appointed board that governs our profession should undoubtedly be held to the same standard when establishing and amending our regulations of practice.
 
I was previously enrolled in the Excelsior College School of Nursing and, sadly, had to withdraw when the VA Board of Nursing made the regulatory changes to deny RN licensure for graduates of Excelsior in 2008. I have been an LPN for 21+ years. I am IV Certified, and I am a nationally Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Licensed Nurse (CHPLN). In my 21+ year nursing career I have worked a total of over 43,680 clinical hours in the following settings: skilled nursing facilities, specialty hospital ICU/CCU step down units, MD offices for GI, ENT/Allergy testing and Family Practice medicine, and for the past 4 years I have been working as a hospice LPN, obtaining my national certification in the process. I have worked on telemetry units, vent units and have mastered far too many hands-on clinical skills to list in this forum. I feel it is important to mention all of this, not for my own glorification, but instead to clarify something that I believe is being profoundly misunderstood. The implication that the Excelsior RN grad has no clinical experience is a fallacy. In reality, the Excelsior nursing student must already have a strong medical background to even be considered for and accepted into Excelsior's rigorous and challenging curriculum. A program which, upon completion of the academic portions, requires a multiple day intense clinical competency exam, performed one on one with a master's level prepared clinical examiner in a hospital setting. For anyone who has made an uninformed opinion and simply assumes that the Excelsior nursing student is not qualified, I am here to tell you that is not the case. I am extremely experienced. I am frequently mistaken for an RN by patients, colleagues and even physicians. During the back and forth process of standing up against the 2008 changes, a comment was made, "I would have no problem with Excelsior if all the students were like you". Well I am here to tell you that I am not unique. I am not "the exception". I am the typical everyday example of the Excelsior Nursing student. Please do not deny us the right to advance our careers. Please support this amendment. Thank you.
 
Nichelle Hudnall, LPN, CHPLN