[KellieNurse06]

We have to do ATI at my college too......they say it doesn't count BUT you have to pass it or you get an incomplete and do not graduate until you pass with with 50% or better on the proctored test or a 90% or better on the non proctored test.....and on the day of testing they want us to bring in a print out of 90% or better just in case.......I wonder why some schools do ATI & some don't??? If it was something that was required I would think every nursing program in the country would have it.....makes me wonder now......Do you think maybe it has to do with funding for the school, and maybe to show they have higher NCLEX pass rates for students to draw more students into their programs???? hmmmmm

[SMK1]

This seems like a legitimate complaint to me.

[cniro7]

At our school, we also have ATI testing and must have a rate at the 50th percentile or higher. You have two chances to pass, if not, you fail the class no matter what your grade average is.

We also have to take the HESI exit exam (which I will be taking tomorrow..yikes), and you also get two chances, but if you fail both times, you have to repeat the class. Right now the passing percentile required for HESI at my school is at the 31st percentile which makes it around 800 or so at least to pass.

I am curious to see what is going to happen next with these students. I know that at my school, if you fail two classes, you are out of the program, but there was one girl who failed a class and then failed her two HESI tests which = 2 fails, and she was allowed to retake the final class again.

It seems awful to me that someone will put in all that time and pass all their classes, and then not be able to get a degree because it all ultimately hinges on one last exam that is designed to be a "predictor" of passing NCLEX.

The other thing I don't understand is why all nursing schools do not all have the same requirements. I know of other schools where they just have to take the ATI, and it is irrelevant to their passing whether they do well or not, and those students seem to pass the NCLEX just fine whether they did well on the ATIs or not.

[woody436]

Uh...forgive me if I'm incorrect, but this wasn't sprung on them as a pop exam?! They were probably informed of this requirement upon entrance to the program or at the very least upon receipt of the syllabus. Why wasn't the complaint made then? They only complained when they didn't pass?
At my school we have to take the ATI as our EOC examination following the completion of each clinical course which we can only take after passing the final exam. We also have to pass the HESI to graduate and to get our ATT letter. I was made aware of this prior to the beginning of school and realized it's a condition of remaining in the program.

Sorry, I don 't sympathize with their cause. I do empathize with their having been disqualified.

[wjf00]

Why not eliminate testing altogether. A little litigation should clear up all those ugly hurdles.

[pickledpepperRN]

I absolutely think testing is necessary.
However why grade on the curve?
Why not require a certain number of correct answers?

Doesn't failing all who were in the bottom 50% fail half of the test takers?

If this is not so what am I missing?

[Jolie]

Originally Posted by wjf00

Why not eliminate testing altogether. A little litigation should clear up all those ugly hurdles.

No one is arguing the importance of appropriate and relevant testing. But this school is using this exam to deny students who have SUCCESSFULLY completed the academic program the opportunity to graduate and sit for boards.

This is not the intended purpose of the ATI.

It all boils down to the university not having confidence in their own academic program. They are trying to bolster their NCLEX pass rates by eliminating students from the test pool. If they have legitimate reason to question these students' ability to pass NCLEX, then why have they passed their classes with "B" averages? Students with unsatisfactory performance SHOULD have been weeded out of the program long before the final semester! Oh, but that would have cost the university tuition money, wouldn't it?

[cardiacRN2006]

Originally Posted by wjf00

Why not eliminate testing altogether. A little litigation should clear up all those ugly hurdles.

Funny!


I had to pass HESI after I finished up all my classes. I got straight A's in NS, but if I failed HESI, then I was out. Trust me, the passing percentile required was higher than 50%. AND, I knew about this requirement prior to accepting my seat in nursing school.

There's a passing percentile for the NCLEX, too.


Am I mistaken-or was there only 2 students who couldn't pass their test? If they breezed through NS but couldn't pass this test, then it really says something about their program. IMO...

[Ex130Load]

My school requires HESI exams, one to get from junior to senior status and one in the senior year after studies are completed. Students have three attempts for each round. We lost two students in my junior year. In the senior year, passing HESI allows students to sit for NCLEX, so you could have a nursing degree and not be allowed to test. I think the senior year cut-off is 850.

The cut-off is driven by the state nursing board's requirement of schools to have a 75% pass rate on the first NCLEX attempt. Have several years of less than 75% pass rate and school accreditation is jeopardized. The first-time pass rate has been in the mid- to lower 90s, among the best in the state. I wasn't aware of anyone failing HESI three times in the senior year. I further have no problem with my school's method of complying with the nursing board's mandate.

I did fault the school's testing methodology. My group's proctor didn't tell us that each question's answers assumed a standing prescription was on hand to allow any nursing intervention. For example, the choices may have been: do nothing and observe, give O2, call the MD, give O2 and call the MD. Since nothing in any of the question told me that I could give O2, I didn't chose that answer which was the right choice. This happened 4-5 times, enough that I was one question or so from passing. I was hot when other classmates mentioned their proctors told them of that decision-making factor—had to study additionally prepping for a re-take, the stress of re-testing, and gunking up my first semester off after three intense ones back-to-back.

[pickledpepperRN]

Originally Posted by SMK1

This seems like a legitimate complaint to me.

And to me.
If I read the article correctly if every school had this requirement wouldn’t half of all senior nursing students fail to graduate?
WHY GRADE ON THE CURVE?

…In order for an NVC student to earn an associate degree in nursing, she must achieve a score within the 50th percentile nationally on the ATI -- meaning she must perform as well as or better than half of those who take the test across the country…

Napa Valley Register Online | Local Top StoryNews


California NCLEX pass rates: California Board of Registered Nursing - NCLEX Pass Rates