First thing first.
The test makers do not decide what the score should be as the school official stated in the article. The school sets the score. Second, the 67 percent is considered the probability score. 67% chance that you will pass NCLEX the first time you take it. The score also can be considered out of all associate degree nursing program who have taken the same exact test you are at 67%. Either way, the test is bull when it comes to determining whether or not you should get your nursing diploma.
I have read several posts on the article and agree with most. Its all about the school not wanting to take accountability for their nursing faculties insufficiences therefore, they blame the students. How can a diagnostic probability exam prevent you from taking the true exam? HESI or ATI tests are not anything like NCLEX. NCLEX is adaptive to your level of knowledge, HESI or ATI is NOT at ALL. Furthermore, ATI or HESI is difficult, because you cannot use your test taking abilities that nursing school has taught you. Maybe the ABC's, definitely not Maslow.
Here are some facts to ponder:
According to the Nurse Practice Act
-NCLEX determines whether or not you are competent enough to become a license professional nurse. Not HESI or ATI or any other outside party.
-It is true we have a shortage in nurse educators. Is this a way in resolving that shortage? By pointing the fingers to the students?
-As one post had mentioned. I question why these nursing students have made it this far. Did anyone ever bother to see assess their areas of weakness before threatening them weeks before graduation on not getting their diplomas? I thought this test was also suppose to prepare the students how to decrease their anxiety when taking the NCLEX.
-MORE FACTs
In two and half years we will need more than a million nurses. Instead of helping the students here become successful, we would much rather look outside of our country. We have south east asia, africans, russians, and polish coming to take our jobs away and they barely speak english. We also give our jobs to other countries, which they call in business-outsourcing. When we call customer service we do not get an american on the other line.
So now that we have a shortage of nurse educators, instead on focusing on that, colleges are looking on other deceptive practices to get funding by the state. By submitting these exams to nursing students who completed three or more years just so they can state that they have 90% first time test taker passing rate on the NCLEX. The truth to that is out of 60 students who completed the program, only 10 passed the exit exam. Out of that 10 who passed the exit exam, 8 passed the NCLEX the first time. Now the school can say they have an 80 percent NCLEX passing rate. They won't tell you that 50 of their students have to repeat second year all over again. Which is more money for the school because the students have to pay for it. Second, more money from funding because they have a good percentage passing rate. By the way, they don't count you as a student when you have to take NCLEX the second time around. Again, NCLEX is mandated by the Nurse Practice Act. NCLEX determines your competency as an RN.
How can you enforce an exam, withold their diplomas, based on a probability score that these outside companies uses? If the students didn't pass the outside party exit exam, only states a true reflection on the nursing program itself. This type of deceptive practice should be exposed more.
-There are alot nursing instructors who do not believe in using these outside party exit exam to prevent their students from taking NCLEX. But they don't say anything. They don't want to lose their jobs. Who cares about the students? These instructors have their licenses already. Right? Is there such thing as intergrity in nursing anymore?
-I wonder what sort of messages the colleges are saying about other nurses who were never required to take outside party exit exams. Are they not competent to be nurses?
-Why is the first time test takers only accounted for? Does it mean your incompetent if you took NCLEX more than once? How many times did your state governor, mayor, physicians, and or nurses take their state board exams?
-We are driving to mexico and canada for our medications because their cheaper. Doctors are constantly going out of town because the pharmaceticul companies are constantly purchasing them tickets to from Hawaii to golfing at the Hilton Heads.
-Millions of americans have no insurance. Millions of americans are getting sicker.
-Colleges are getting more expensive. So, lets try to keep students in and utilize a third party exam. If they don't pass, we'll get more money from them because they have to repeat second year. Plus, we can brag about our NCLEX passing rate and get more monies from the government, and investors. The more monies the school gets, the better bonuses the school administrators get.
Who wants to fix any of these problems? No one wants to step up to the plate.
These deceptive practices have been going on for over five years now. From the nursing students from napavalley, calif., tampa bay, New Mexico, Illinois, Ohio, mississippi, and it keeps going.
Nothing can be done about it, because we do nothing. One day, I would hope to see this sort of abuse of power exposed. Only a journalist, student, nursing instructor, or just someone who cares about principles will be able to expose it for what it really is.
This is not about nursing students who are not competent. This is about nursing students who have been used after three or four years of succesfully completing the program only to be denied of their earned diploma based on a diagnostic, probability exam. This sort of deceptive practice only results in mental abuse and creates self doubt to their students.
I hate to say it but we are in a era were the "who cares" and I'm looking out for me." I like the era where we were able to protest when we felt our rights were being violated. Now we just walk away and say and do nothing.
Would you like to comment?
