[worldtraveler]

Not a surprise to many of us Miami Area Nurses, allegations of cheating ect,,,

http://www.miamiherald.com/460/story/77712.html

[NurseguyFL]

http://www.miamiherald.com/460/story/77712.html

This story is a big shock to everybody. The University of Miami is one of the largest and most expensive private universities in the country, and one that has a pretty good reputation too. But, according to the report, they have been put on probation because of rampant cheating and dismal student performance on the NCLEX.

The problems for UM's nursing program started a few years ago when they began to expand the program. They were taking in far more students than faculty could handle, and they were also in a rush to set up their CRNA program, which also cost them a bundle. They claim to be planning a comeback to regain full accreditation, so I guess this means they are going to either hire more faculty or admit fewer students.

I wonder though about some of these nursing students. They pay $34,000+ a year to get a good education, and yet they are cheating themselves out of it. No wonder they perform so poorly on the state boards. Still, I hope the university survives this. With so many students waiting for a chance to get in it would be a shame if the BON shuts them down.

[sirI]

Threads merged on same topic.

[worldtraveler]

As I mentioned, for many of us here in Miami,, it comes as no surprise...The only surprise is as "why" has this cheating continued for as long as it has,,,and it(the Testing/Licensing cheating) doesn't stop or begin with the Problem at U of Miami. It is but the Tip of the Iceberg,,,

[glasgow3]

Originally Posted by worldtraveler

As I mentioned, for many of us here in Miami,, it comes as no surprise...The only surprise is as "why" has this cheating continued for as long as it has,,,and it(the Testing/Licensing cheating) doesn't stop or begin with the Problem at U of Miami. It is but the Tip of the Iceberg,,,

I'd guess the "why" is the tuition "money"; rampant cheating should have resulted in a thorough house cleaning.....faculty and students alike.

[smartynurse]

Originally Posted by worldtraveler

As I mentioned, for many of us here in Miami,, it comes as no surprise...The only surprise is as "why" has this cheating continued for as long as it has,,,and it(the Testing/Licensing cheating) doesn't stop or begin with the Problem at U of Miami. It is but the Tip of the Iceberg,,,

why is it the tip of the iceberg?

[yummo]

Cheating was a problem for a select group of students, of which the entire graduating class should not be represented by.
Of course the School of Nursing would use that as the primary excuse and use the new building as the problem solver.
But did they mention the fact that the School of Nursing has been UNorganized for many years. That staff turnover is high, communication with students is low, last minute changes in syllabi and rules are common?
It was a headache going there. Everything was messed up from teh bottom up. So just because I have not passed my boards yet I would appreciate it if people would realize that maybe the School did a poor job of preparing students and we all arent just "cheaters."

[MiamiNurse2005]

I'm a graduate of UM's School of Nursing. Our program was built around a tough, well-rounded curriculum that prepared us to be great clinicians, critical thinkers and nurse theorists. Like any good baccalaureate program we weren't just being prepared to pass a standardized test - we were being prepared to be great nurses. Most people I know who studied, myself included, passed our boards easily on the first try. Students who don't pass the NCLEX most likely didn't study hard enough.

On the issue of cheating, it's a sad reality that there will always be a small minority of students who are dishonest. I would venture to guess that every academic program, in every discipline, in every university has or has had a cheating problem. Students can easily IM answers to eachother, download papers, and post exam answers online. At UM, at least they have taken drastic steps to stop cheating like implementing electronic surveillance in each classroom and instituting a zero-tolerance policy (which means if you cheat - you fail). I doubt other local schools have done the same thing.

I think the probationary status of UM's accreditation has been overblown. This is still one of the best and most highly regarded nursing programs in the region. Students who went there and worked hard know it to be true.

[oramar]

I have seen other nursing schools go on probation in my time. They have used it as a starting point to evaluate and reorganize. It frequently results in good things happening in the long run.

[BumblebeeRN]

that is such a big shock. UM is such an expensive school, I was almost gonna go there because I couldn't get into a nursing school.... but I ended up driving an hour away to school, instead of UM that is 10mins from my house.