12 Secrets That the Nursing Schools and
Distance Learning Gurus Don’t Want You to Know

By Paul M. Graden, Ph.D.
CEO/President, Accelerateed Learning Center
www.acceleratedlearningctr.com
www.RNsooner.com

If you will just give me six minutes of your time and read this entire web page, I expect it will be the most profitable six minutes of your life.

We’re not big, established, famous, or prestigious. But because we’re small and innovative, we’re more flexible. We’ll work harder for your success. Your hard-earned dollar will go a lot farther with us. We’ll care more about you; and your concerns won’t be handled out of a phone bank in Pakistan. You’ll be dealing everyday with the head of this company, who has more than 20 years experience in this industry and we guarantee your success in writing.

A couple of years ago, one of my favorite LPN to RN program students told me, “I have never been more upset with myself than when I started classes here. That’s because I now know I have wasted half of my working life pursuing a completely wrong approach to my RN degree.  But the good news is it was not too late to change my approach.” 

Today, that student is a board certified RN earning twice as much money than when I first met her.  Our once a week classes, Clinical Lab (CPNE) prep and NCLEX Practice Labs** helped her soar toward her goal quickly, efficiently and inexpensively.  Not only that, but she was given a significant signing bonus (thousands) and works the shifts she chooses. 

There is an old axiom that says “experience is the best teacher”.  As you might imagine, my decades of educational experience have taught me much about what works and what does not.  Here are some of the proven “secrets” that worked for the aforementioned student and I’m certain will bring you success earning your RN degree:

Secret 1:  Most people won’t succeed without STRUCTURE.

Imagine driving home from a hard day at work.  You feel good about yourself, your patients, your supervisor… you’re ready to tackle more.  As you are driving home, you remember the tutorials you bought from one of those persuasive salespeople (who convinced you that you could do this yourself), or perhaps the dozens of books and hundreds of journal articles you bought for Excelsior College preparation*.  “Tonight”, you tell yourself, “I’ll get them out of the closet and get started; I’m not going to waste all that money!  I’m going to finish that RN Degree if it kills me!”  

You pull in the driveway all set to go.  “Just let me get past dinner and get the kids to bed…” you think.  As you walk in the door, the phone rings.  Your spouse has to work late.  You have to take your daughter to dance class yourself – after you cook dinner and clean up.  By the time you get back home, it’s too late to study.

This scenario happens to us everyday.  The next thing you know, six months have passed and you still haven’t cracked open that book.  It’s just human nature.  You need structure…

“I have been a paramedic for 11 years and in EMS for 15 years…Having 5 children at home makes scheduling time for traditional college courses next to impossible…The length of time…would be very discouraging and the cost…impossible to budget…I like this RN Bridge Program because it gives me the information I need to succeed and keeps me on schedule without an excuse to procrastinate…I am just finishing my fourth class at this time and passed all so far. The time has gone by so quickly and I can see that this program really works…This is a wonderful way to advance in my career and earn my ASN Degree.  I would encourage anyone who would like the same opportunity to begin class.  It’s fast and very do-able.”

Johanna Selvidge

Secret 2:  A working adult can make full-time progress with a part-time effort.

Imagine taking a class just 1 day per week.  Mornings, evenings, weekends – you choose.  Imagine finishing a course after just 4 weeks and earning credit for a full semester.  Many of our classes are just that short.  How do we do this?  First of all, test preparation is all about knowing what is on the examination.  Do you know that the average college professor only tests you on 40% of what he/she teaches?  Wouldn’t it give you an edge to know what areas to study?

Well, at Accelerated Learning Center that’s just what we provide.  You will use tutorials written by college professors who take the same examinations you will take – but they take them every 6 months.  Also, our instructors are well versed in the content and know what is on the exams.  What an advantage.  We call this “Blended Learning” and it is as effective a learning tool as there is.  Listen to one of our graduates, Kim Boshers, RN:

“I’ve been a LPN for 17 years.  I’ve thought several times about going back to school to obtain my RN degree. Something that talked me out of it most of the time was the dreaded thought of sitting in a traditional college classroom several days a week for a whole semester. I was invited to a seminar at Accelerated Learning Center, went and listened…thinking it was impossible to condense what we need to know into one small tutorial. I tried to study at home by myself, but was unsuccessful. So, I thought I had nothing to lose by at least trying it. The classes are once per week with an instructor always available by phone or email for questions. The tutorials actually do provide all you need to pass your tests. I highly recommend this for anyone...”       

Kim Boshers, RN    

Barbara has something important to add to this as well:

“I started my quest to earn a RN degree 21+ years ago…When I received the advertisement for Accelerated Learning Center, I was naturally hesitant because…it sounds too good to be true. I have researched different colleges, learning institutions and LPN to RN Programs and found that there were so many pre-reqs and the waiting list would have me receiving Social Security before getting my ASN degree. After listening to the admissions rep, looking at the statistics, and the cost, there was really no way you could refuse. I love the small class size. I appreciate the schedule where you are able to plan 1 day a week…to finish all of the courses. I do recommend Accelerated Learning Center to my co-workers, some of whom have already started the program.”  

Barbara Wortham

Secret 3:  Qualified, experienced instructors will send your test scores soaring! 

When I first went to college, I earned a business degree.  Two things struck me as funny: (1) most of the professors wrote their own textbooks and (2) none of my professors ever ran a business of their own. When I went in the business world, I was armed with THEORY that didn’t work well in the real world.

Nursing is no different.  At Accelerated Learning Center, we consider an instructor qualified when he/she holds a graduate degree and significant clinical experience.  Our nursing instructors are some of the strongest clinical nurses I have ever met. 

I don’t know about you, but most of our newer students are nervous about the clinicals required by Excelsior College* at the back end of the program.  Can you imagine going through all the classes and not passing the clinicals? 

Almost every Sunday afternoon, my cell phone rings.  One of our students just can’t wait to tell me he/she passed the clinical lab (CPNE) and normally excitedly tells me only 2 out of the 7 students that weekend passed.  However, we have only seen 1 student fail in the last 3 years.  Why?  Because we have proven, experienced instructors who know what is required for the clinicals. 

Included with every program are both a Clinical Lab (CPNE) prep course and a NCLEX practice lab.  BTW:  at the time I am writing this, we boast a 100% pass rate on the NCLEX!**

“I am a LPN, currently working as a supervisor/skilled nurse…I tried many times before to earn my RN degree, but I have 6 small children, no extra money, so I decided to wait…Dr. Paul Graden and the instructors make you feel comfortable and positive that you can do it…The instructors at Accelerated Learning Center are dynamite…the convenience of the one-day a week classes and the fact I can still work…the flexibility makes me feel great… Payments are made easy for you and I’m constantly talking about the program and how great it is.”            


Bettye Pilot                                                

Secret 4:  Positive attitude and habits are necessary to get your RN degree sooner

While it is not necessary, every student is capable of making straight A’s in nursing school. Yes, even you!  It’s simple…the three ingredients include:

1. Have a can-do positive attitude

2. An understanding of “how-to do it”

and…

3. The fortitude and persistence to try – just one class per week

“I’ve been a paramedic for 17 years.  I am currently employed at the Monroe Carol Children’s Hospital ER at Vanderbilt University Hospital, where I have worked for the past 7 years. Over the past several years I’ve made a number of attempts to move on to obtaining my RN degree, but never seemed to be able to accomplish that goal on my own.  It was a major undertaking for me to actually, ‘sign on the dotted line’ with Accelerated Learning Center, though I can already see that I have made HUGE changes, without realizing it, toward being more dedicated to the cause at hand.”                                                


Thomas Shanteau

Secret 5: Legally use other people's knowledge to earn straight "A's" on your exams

Participate in study groups!  Study groups have many benefits. If done right, they will almost guarantee you an “A” on any exam you take…Really!

When you get together with other students you learn from each other. One student may have better notes than another or a better grasp on a particular subject than you.

Answering questions from other students and teaching your study group members will help you understand and solidify the material in your own mind.

In addition, being part of a study group forces you to set apart time to study especially before exams. The group keeps you on a set study schedule.  Don’t worry, with classes just one day per week, you’ll have the time.

Perhaps the most important benefit is emotional support. We all need to suffer with someone else during difficult times. Strangely enough, it makes us feel better.

Accelerated Learning Center is helping me make my dream come true…this was the answer I was looking for…I’ve made many friends with the same dream…My classmates and I are heading in the same direction with ALC at the wheel.  Make your dreams come true and join the team…”        



Shelly Daniel                                                                                                    

Secret 6:  How to nail the “Mother of all Exams"

The exam is fast approaching and you know that your whole grade rests on how you perform on the examination…what do you do?  Our country’s high schools, as well as most colleges, don’t teach study and time management skills.  They also don’t provide you with effective test-taking strategies. 

At Accelerated Learning Center, we guarantee, with our one class per week schedule, you will be practiced and prepared when exam day rolls around.  You will leave your classes armed with the confidence and know-how to nail that exam. In fact, we guarantee that you will pass or you can take the course over for free!  Try that at your local nursing school.That includes our Clinical Lab (CPNE) Prep and NCLEX Practice Lab!**  Listen to another of our successful graduates, Rebecca Price, RN:

“I have been a LPN for 20+ years with a lot of critical care experience…I started taking distance learning courses on my own at least 2-3 years ago…it was very difficult to stay focused and motivated due to work and family obligations and life in general…I found myself taking 6-9 months to complete just one course…When I received the postcard about Accelerated Learning Center, the idea of actual classroom time caught my eye…I’m very glad that I made the phone call and took the step into the Accelerated Learning Center... I managed to complete 3 classes within the first 5 months…This was quite an accomplishment compared to the pace I was going on my own in the past several years. Now, I have completed my ASN degree and passed the NCLEX in a little over 1 year…”   

Rebecca Price, RN

Secret 7:  Avoid the biggest mistake of them all:
Don't catch "The Y.O.Y.O Syndrome"

I’ve always been fascinated with yoyos.  Watching an expert is a thing of beauty.  They do incredible tricks and just make that yoyo sing.  And they make it look so easy – I’m just sure that I can do it too.

The problem comes when I buy a yoyo and actually commit to using it.  I might get the yoyo to climb that string a few times before it gets stuck spinning on the bottom.  Hey, there are tricks to doing it right that most of us just don’t know. 

The fact is that most people are just like me – you might be as well.  I tire easily from untangling strings and trying to undo those tight, little knots.  What a mess and unsatisfying experience!  Eventually, I just stick the yoyo in a drawer and never take it out again.

You may be asking why I’m talking about yoyos?  What does that have to do with obtaining my RN degree?  Because there is a significant “Y.O.Y.O. Syndrome” that has infected the distance learning community.

The “Y.O.Y.O. Syndrome” stands for “You’re On Your Own”.  In the last 20 years, it has become an infection in the nursing education community.  These are tutorial publishers who fly their salespeople all around the country to sell you their products for literally thousands of dollars.  They convince you that you can do this on your own.  But, if you ever need help, they have tutors to help you (they don’t tell you about those fees or that you have to fail an exam first).

Then they get on an airplane and fly back home – never to be heard from again.  And you are literally on your own, with a stack of tutorials on your kitchen table and a bill for upwards of $6,000.00.  Yikes!

Reality sets in when you sit down to read the first one, if you ever do.  You see, in my experience about half of the students who fall for this slick sounding approach never crack open a tutorial!  Like my yoyo ending up in a drawer, these tutorials frequently end up in the back of a closet, never to see the light of day again.

The others that do try to study independently average 7 – 9 months per course.  This “fast” approach often takes 7 years or more to finish – if you pass the exams (there is a reason that Excelsior College* does not publish their pass rates – they are miserable).  Many have to take the exam multiple times.  As each exam costs between $235.00 - $335.00 this gets quite expensive.

We currently have almost 150 students in our program who fell for the “Y.O.Y.O. Syndrome” first, including some of our graduates.  It’s an expensive lesson that most can’t afford.

Yet they succeed with us!  There is something about working together with other like-minded people that helps us achieve great things.  This is especially true for the working adult.  Most importantly, we guarantee that you will pass or you can retake the course for free!  I don’t mind offering this at all as our first-time pass rate is 94%.  You see, I just don’t have a big demand for the guarantee.

As Wanda Birmingham shares in her own words, finding a school experience that affords support is one of the most important keys to success, [especially when you get to that all important Clinical Lab (CPNE) Prep and NCLEX Practice Labs**]:

“I started looking at different LPN to RN Programs. I received notices through the mail and didn’t like the options. Then I received one from Accelerated Learning Center…I’m glad that I decided to go there because it has really helped me… I’m not just on my own…some programs are ‘do it yourself.’ I have people I can fall back on…it has made all the difference in the world. I came here to earn my RN Degree and I will leave with what I came for.”        


Wanda Birmingham

Secret 8:  The “Must-Do” strategy that separates “B” students from “A” students

In our LPN to RN Bridge Program, it only takes a “C” to pass an examination and earn your college credits.  However, the last thing you want to do is sit down at an exam sweating bullets, wondering if you are going to pass or not.  Our students sit down at the exam, not wondering if they will pass, but if they will get an “A” or a “B”.  You see, they have the help and tools to excel.

There is an old saying that “information is king”.  If you have it - success.  If you don’t - failure!  If only it was really that simple.  Yes, you need information, but you also need to assure it is accurate and concise.  This is one of the biggest problems with the self-study approach.  However, we do all that for you at Accelerated Learning Center – with just one class per week. 

“I ordered the (a distance learning company’s) study guides and studied 3 of them. But, each time that I took a test, it seemed there was missing information…ALC has done all 3 things that is really helping me: provided wonderful instruction, a lot of information for each subject and classes once per week to keep me going…I actually feel like I can see ‘the light at the end of the tunnel.’”    (ASN Graduate – September, 2008)        


Brenda Adams

Secret 9:  Jumpstart your career and get “A’s” at the same time

Who says that you can’t have it all?  If you are willing to put in the work and follow the techniques we give you in our LPN to RN Bridge Program, you will succeed beyond your wildest dreams.  To demonstrate this point, I’ll give you an example of one student who tried it her way.  As of this writing, she was the only student to fail her clinicals in a span of 3 years. 

Why did she fail?  Because she came into our Clinical Lab (CPNE) Prep course and skipped the simulation lab!  She told her instructor that she did IVs all day long at work and didn’t need the instruction.  While that was true, she did need to learn how the examiner wanted to see things handled.  Guess what happened, she passed everything except the simulation lab. BTW: she went through the simulation lab with our instructor after this and easily passed her clinicals the next time.

One thing that I can state with certainty – our one class per week RN Bridge Program works, and it works very well.  It can also jumpstart your career.  We have employers in Nashville who not only favor our graduates, but encourage their own employees to participate in our program.  Many even pay for the tuition, books and exam fees. 

So many of our students find themselves in an environment where their employers become flexible and not only work around our classes, but assure they have reasonable work schedules to allow time for studying and family.  Employers also tend to take a hard look at employees who are serious about bettering their careers when deciding on promotions.  Do you offer them this quality?  If not, we can help…

“I’ve enjoyed being a LPN…at the same time, I want to get my RN degree so there will be different jobs to choose from and make more money…I like ALC’s LPN to RN Program because they want to help you pass the exams…They have good instructors…I get a lot out of classes…You won’t go wrong by signing up with ALC…”                                                      


Pam Essary

Secret 10:  Tame the time beast: Learn the essential time management principles for working adults:

Time management is probably the most important lifestyle issue you will face while in any RN Bridge Program and the key driver to your effectiveness as a working adult. Why?

Because time is your most precious commodity! There’s not much of it and you’ll be expected to get a lot of work done in a little amount of time. So you have to manage it well and our one class per week schedule assures your success.

What you do with your free time will help determine if you succeed or not.  Norm Ressler, a great paramedic, is almost a RN today, despite many obstacles including: small children demanding his time, working 3 jobs to make ends meet, and a learning disability.  You see, Norm has dyslexia.  But he has mastered his time management skills and is getting it done…

“…I could not be happier with ALC. I have found the instructors to be friendly, helpful, and have a willingness to see you through. In the first 3 months, I received 6 college credits…I will say that over the years I have seen a number of programs come and go, all make promises but never follow through. I was skeptical at first, however, I came to realize that this RN Bridge Program actually works…I would recommend this program for anyone who wants to change their life for the better.”                                          

    Norman Ressler

Secret 11:  Quadruple your comprehension with this one key

Coming to class without having read your assignment or done your homework is like going to the construction site without your tools!

Come prepared for class and you will quadruple your comprehension! 

It is one of the keys to our one class per week, blended learning solution.  When you read your assignment before class you will…

• Absorb the material and ideas being presented much easier.
• Enjoy the class and subject a lot more. (Gee, it might even be fun!)
• Be better able to ask more questions and participate (intelligently).
• Pass the exam more confidently.

“I am a paramedic in Lawrenceburg, TN…since 1989. I received a pamphlet in the mail about Accelerated Learning Center’s RN Bridge Program and came to learn more…and I decided that this was the way I wanted to approach getting my degree…I am already finishing my third class…I do enjoy the classroom atmosphere and the instructors.”   


Pam Robinson

Secret 12:  Find someone else to pay for this and get on the road to financial freedom

As I said before, life is a series of obstacles.  Perhaps none is greater than financial pressure.  You probably are asking yourself, “How am I going to pay for this?”  What is exciting is that there are so many options that we guarantee you will be funded.

Leverage is a powerful tool.  While you may not realize it, you have leverage.  The nursing shortage grows daily.  It will quadruple in the next few years.  How does this help you?  Well, your employer is the one paying attention.  If yours is not, others are.  They have to offer something to entice you to work for them – something beyond your salary.

We have a number of students who:

• Attend for free - their employers foot the bill. 
• Receive 100% reimbursement from their employers.
• Receive thousands from their state nursing board.

While not all of our students choose to avail themselves of these options, we guarantee you will, as a last resort, find affordable financing, regardless of your age, credit history – even if you are unemployed.

“After 26 years service as a paramedic in emergency pre-hospital care, I was beginning to feel the ‘burn out’ of the job…too many 3am calls…I was also feeling the financial pinch of the job…my biggest hesitation was financial, but ALC showed me how ‘it could be done’. The ALC staff is there to support me and I am on my way toward my RN degree.”    



Alonzo Westbrook

I’m sure that you can appreciate that these strategies are different for each individual. 

As I stressed before, the absolute and final registration deadline is the end of this month to qualify for our $50 discount per course, please keep in mind that once all the available appointments are filled, the offer will be closed. These free evaluation slots always fill up long before the registration deadline.

To avoid being left out, I strongly encourage you to call us toll-free at (888) 742-8078 today to reserve your spot. 

Then fill out the box below to:

• Qualify for the $50 per course discount (save up to $850 immediately)
• Receive my free, 16-page, special report: “Learn why the RN crisis is the opportunity of your lifetime”.
• Subscribe to my free, weekly e-newsletter full of great information about the nursing industry, study tips, class schedules, etc.

Once you submit this information, you will quickly receive an email to confirm your free subscription to the e-newsletter and give us permission to send you my free report.  Just click on the link in the body of the email and you are all set to find out how quickly you can really get your RN degree finished and start earning the type of money you deserve.