Need Advice; No Grade...Can't Take RN Boards

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi. I have accessed and read these forums for sometime but this is my first post and I am in need of advice. I am an LPN that just completed my second level for my ADN. I currrently have 3 days left of my preceptorship and will be finished and prepared to take state boards or so I thought. I attend a community college located in the mid michigan area. When we register for classes the dean of nursing completes and/or signs our registration forms to ensure they are accurate. I registered for the winter 2009 semester with 5 classes. I personally took the form to the registration office, however, I have just found out that I did not receive a grade for one of my clinicals because the the college made an error and did not register me in the class. My form was correct, they input it incorrectly. I was not on the class roster but completed the clinical and have a grade from my instructor indicating I received an A. I called and they indicated that someone made an error and didn't register me for this course when given my registration form. If this course is not indicated as complete when my information goes to the state, I will not be able to take boards. I don't feel I should have to retroactively pay for the course when it was their error and my financial aide was long ago refunded. However, if they will not input my grade I will not graduate. This is on top of many trials and tribulations throughout the program. In the fall semester, the dean threw out the first 8 weeks of all assignments and assessements because the weekly agendas did not match the testing information and the entire class was failing. The instructor was assigned the course just days prior to the course beginning, didn't know how to use the online system and was using the previous instructor's materials without reviewing the for accuracy. They threw out our cardio and resp. tests and indicated that in it's place we would be given a "worksheet" to learn the material. We were give a sheet with 15 EKG strips to identify for the all of cardio. We addressed these issues as a group in a letter to the president and received a form letter back thanking us for our input and concern. But alas, nothing changed. For the past 2 years all of the online students have failed the leadership final. The dean was aware of this because some students from the last years class met with her over this. I was aware of this and wanted to avoid this instructor but when I requested to take this course onsite (along with 2 other students) I was denied by the dean because the class was "full". But when I asked the instructor who taught the class if it was full she said no (I had her for a clinical instructor). I could go on and on but won't. Any advice? I am considering legal action but hesitate to travel this road and certainly not prior to my information being sent to the state from the college.

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In regards to the class you need to graduate, I don't think it's unreasonable for them to expect you to pay for it. You took the course and you want credit for it; I don't think it's unreasonable that you be expected to pay for it. I realize your financial aid was refunded but if the choice is pay out of pocket or wait till the next sememester to get financial aid again... Perhaps they'd be open to some sort of payment plan if you can't afford the cost up front?

I'm sorry it happened to you, I've been there myself and it stinks.

The rest of your post makes it sound like there were a lot of problems going on with that school and this is just one more issue in a long line! What legal action are you looking at?

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Legal action will only add to your problems at this point. Take up the matter with the school with a positive attitude that they will correct their mistake. If you again run into a brick wall, go to your school's grievance committee. If that proves fruitless, then you should seek the advice of an attorney. One good attorney letter to the school should get things moving in your direction. Good luck.

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I dont understand this. How can your instructors not know about this? They must have lists of students of each classes so they can put your grades and assign clinical sight to students. If your name was not on the list, how could you have attended clinical? Whenever I register for my classes, I always get list of my classes and amount of my tuition and i must take the form and pay my tuition. This is so weird. Since this is a mistake of registration office, can they fix this now? I would go to registration office and talk to a department head.

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I dont understand this. How can your instructors not know about this? They must have lists of students of each classes so they can put your grades and assign clinical sight to students. If your name was not on the list, how could you have attended clinical?

That's how I found out I wasn't properly registered for a class. I knew I was supposed to be there because it was the only class I could be taking at the time but my instructor informed me (and several other students) that we weren't on her student list.

I wasn't sure if that would always be the case though.

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I dont understand this. How can your instructors not know about this? They must have lists of students of each classes so they can put your grades and assign clinical sight to students. If your name was not on the list, how could you have attended clinical? Whenever I register for my classes, I always get list of my classes and amount of my tuition and i must take the form and pay my tuition. This is so weird. Since this is a mistake of registration office, can they fix this now? I would go to registration office and talk to a department head.

I don't understand how this could have happened either but I suppose anything is possible. It sounds like OP was in an online cohort in a school that didn't have a good distance learning department. In using several cc's in my state, I've found that while all say they have online classes, some are better at distance learning than others. Some schools really shouldn't be offering online classes when they don't have staff who know how the process works. These schools should be avoided even if you want an online course or program - it's not worth it if the school doesn't know how to use the online deliver systems and you end up with a technological glitch that can impact your academic or professional plans.

OP - If you have documentation showing your registration for the clinical, plus signed checklists and grades, maybe they'll work with you. If not and it's possible to make up the missing clinical this summer - in your shoes I'd just do it and forget about them. A clinical can only cost but so much and then you can take your license exam and move on. There are times when we don't have any choice but to seek recourse from a higher authority but if you can resolve this quickly, get your license and start working - that's better for you than tying the issue up in legal action.

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[OP - If you have documentation showing your registration for the clinical, plus signed checklists and grades, maybe they'll work with you. ]

I agree...If you took the class, received a grade. and have all the documentation, talk to your advisor... if you need to pay

for the class, do it... then be done with it... trying to go the lawyer route might not be such a good idea, IMHO... and

congrats on getting through...

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Find this hard to believe. You had 5 classes and how many clinicals in one semester ???? I have experience with several mid-michigan community colleges and I have not ever known them to have more than one clinical per semester. If you made it through a whole clinical rotation and you were not on the instructors "roster" and your instructor did'nt question this I would be questioning the credibility of the instructor . Yes ,you should have to pay for a class that you attended if you want a grade. Did'nt you wonder when you received a refund for financial aide why there was more than should have been ?? As far as the rest of your post if all is as you say then maybe you should not worry about graduating from this school as I would question the credibity of it's nursing program. I have experience with many mid-michgan community college programs and none of them would fit the profile you give. Advice- pay for the class if the college will accept this ,get your grade, take your boards and move on. Persuing legal action ? Why? What good will that do you ? For what purpose ? To get a grade without paying? Even if you had a case think about how long it would be tied in the court system Work with the administrators in good faith and hopefully you will be writing state boards this summer.

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

Get a copy of the college catalog if you don't already have one (which you should). Find the section on how to deal with a grade dispute and/or a grievance or what ever problem this situation seems to fall into and follow the directions on how to handle it to the letter. The college catalog should also tell you how to deal with these flub ups and who to get in contact with. It will tell you who you can go to that will help, but you must get your evidence together, state what it is you need (a final grade), not waste the person's time with the story of your nursing career and tell them your problem (someone failed to register you in this final class).

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In this instance, I registered but they failed to register me for one of clinicals and I didn't review the registration form. Lesson learned. The instructor stated that she "thought" she put a grade in for me but in hindsight I was not on the roster and it was not caught by me nor the college. I, too, knew I was supposed to be there, showed up and completed the entire clinical and didn't notice until I checked my transcript about a week ago. I do, however, believe they will give me credit for completing the course after paying for it. After all, I have a written paper with my grade on it showing completion. Thank you for your feedback and time. This has just been a very frustrating disappointing process and I thought I was finished with the "completion" of my courses.

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having never used financial aid, i dont know how it works.....when you say refunded, where did the balance go? to you or the granting entity?

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