Excelsior College School of Nursing: Nation's Largest Nursing School

One in 10 students pursuing an associate degree in nursing in the U.S. in 2007-2008 was enrolled in the Excelsior College School of Nursing, which is ranked as the largest nursing school in the nation in a recent industry survey.

The National League for Nursing (NLN) reviewed data from nursing education schools across the U.S. for the 2007-2008 academic year and placed Excelsior at the top with 20,689 enrolled students. Most (18,098) were candidates for associate degrees in nursing, the preferred path to becoming a registered nurse. According to the report, 170,651 students were enrolled in associate degree nursing programs nationwide during the period.

"Excelsior College is contributing immensely to the education of future registered nurses at a critical time, as the nation’s nursing ranks are shrinking," said M. Bridget Nettleton, dean of the School of Nursing. "Aspiring registered nurses face a number of challenges, the most important of which is finding a top-notch, flexible nursing education path that fits the lifestyle of the professional working adult."

“For more than 30 years Excelsior College School of Nursing has been focused on helping experienced adults advance their careers by removing barriers that would otherwise prevent them from achieving their educational and professional goals,” said Dr. Bridget Nettleton, dean of the School of Nursing. “This is especially important at a time when the nation is facing a critical shortage of registered nurses. Health care professionals who aspire to become RNs face challenges in finding an accredited, flexible nursing education path that fits the lifestyle of the working adult. This is why Excelsior’s program has been successful and has been particularly effective in attracting minority students and men.”

Approximately 36 percent of Excelsior’s nursing students self-report as minorities and 21 percent are male. In 2006 and 2007, Excelsior’s School of Nursing was named the Best School for Men in Nursing by the American Assembly for Men in Nursing.

Excelsior College School of Nursing admits only mature, adult students with prior clinical experience as licensed practical nurses, paramedics, and certain classes of military corpsmen to its associate degree program. The nursing education curriculum is designed to help these adult students build upon their existing health care experience, to gain new knowledge, and to integrate this learning into the role of a registered nurse.

The typical Excelsior associate degree nursing student has an average of 10 years of clinical on-the-job experience. Research has shown that 98 percent of Excelsior graduates are still working as registered nurses three years after graduation while, in general, one in five RNs leaves the profession after one year of practice.

1 in 10 Nursing Students Nationwide Studies at
Excelsior College                           

This accredited associate degree program combines academic assessment with a comprehensive and rigorous capstone clinical competency examination. Excelsior’s nursing theory examinations are the only such exams recognized by the American Council on Education for the award of college-level credit.

Excelsior’s graduates consistently pass the national nurse licensing exam, the NCLEX-RN, on the first attempt at a rate equal to or above the national average.

The NLN’s rankings, which measured Excelsior alongside traditional nursing programs, were reported in the April 13 issue of Modern Healthcare.

In May, Excelsior was also named by U.S. News & World Report among the largest online master’s degree programs for nurses. Master’s level nurses are in short supply nationwide, especially as educators, and Excelsior is helping to fill that gap.

According to the NLN, more than one-third (36%) of all nursing schools nationwide were affected by the nursing faculty shortage in 2007-2008, with 1,900 full-time faculty positions reported as unfilled. Faculty recruitment was said to be “difficult” or “very difficult” at 79% of nursing schools reviewed.

Excelsior College’s School of Nursing, which includes degree programs at the associate, bachelor’s and master’s levels, is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission. It has been twice designated a Center of Excellence by the National League for Nursing in a peer review process and is one of only 13 such Centers nationwide.

Source:  Excelsior College website