As a previous resident of VA who considers VA my home in my heart having lived there over half my life it pained me to essentially make the decision to move out of state to NC when my options for a high quality LPN-RN program were limited by the decision the VABoN made to restrict and eventually terminate the eligibility of graduates from Excelsior College to be able to be licensed by exam in VA. Given Excelsiors increased stringent requirements and being NLN accredited (the true Gold standard in Accredation for Nursing Education across the USA) I was flabbergasted by this decision as many programs in state are NOT NLN accredited but yet those students are eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN. The reality is the program through Excelsior is designed mostly for licensed LPNs or other healthcare professionals who already have extensive backgrounds in healthcare. The average LPN graduate has years of experience already in hands on patient care and clinical experience long before they ever graduate and are eligible for the CPNE.

I myself in my LPN program had over 500hrs of clinical experience which sadly is much more then the standard RN or BSN  clinical rotational experience in most 2 and 4 year programs. If anything I would also suggest that actual hands on clinical experience for RNs and BSN programs be increased because it is amazing to me that many new grad RNs (ADN and BSN) lack basic nursing skills coming out of school that even CNAs and LPNs have and must prove in school so why the apparent concern over lack of hands on clinical component for Excelsior seems to be almost a nonstarter.

If the VA BON had orginally been truly concerned about the clinical aspect or lack thereof as they state then a compromise could have been worked out between Excelsior and the VABoN with respect to clinical oversight by preceptors much as Indiana State Universitys program exists and as has been stipulated by other states who voiced such concerns. Many new grads in 2008 I know of, at least in my class, felt the decision was arbitrary and the decision made without the VABoN having fully and appropriately considered all the facts at hand, especially given the increasing shortage of qualified nurses at all levels. If the BoN had concrete proof that graduates from Excelsior were inferior and unsafe to practice the point would have easily been made but it appears more so that the BoN was in fact questioning the validity and legitimacy of NLN accrediation for their RN program in many eyes.

As the VABoN has chosen to revisit this issue 2 yrs after the fact I can only hope that rational will prevail this time and that fair consideration and concerns be appropriately addressed to allow Excelsior graduates to be once again eligibile for direct license as it will again allow qualified LPNs to remain in the state to further their educations and work to help alleviate the shortage of well qualified professional nurses because if they dont somebodyelse will and they will come from elsewhere the sad absurdity is simply this. Excelsior graduates are eligible for licensure in many other compact states so therefore essentially what is happening is because of the compact system a nurse can go to anotehr state get licensed and then come work as a travel RN in the state or heck in the case of border areas live in their home state and work in VA but yet they arent good enough to be licensed in the state of VA itself which seems a bit contradictory and in fact as it lead me to leave VA for the time being to pursue my educational goals. 

David S Jewel LPN  (Previously licensed in VA #0002078697) (Current NC #73736)