Cheater Cheater Pumpkin Eater

nursedawn67, LPN · May 8, 2002

If they don't know the info enough to take the test on their oewn...I hate to be their patient. My hope will be that these people that manage to make it through nursing school cheating is that they have learned alot through experience in the field....otherwise there can be deadly consequences!

delirium · May 8, 2002

I know exactly what you mean. When we entered this program, we had to sign an academic honesty statement, but apparently it doesn't mean much to some people.

There are a group of students (4, I think) who cheat incessantly, in other classes. They somehow managed to get copies of A&P exams, they copy them for each other, and then they gloat over how they all got A's like its some big achievement.

Its totally disgusting. I've been on the fence about whether or not I should report them all year. I should say the only reason I didn't report them is because I'm not in the particular classes they are cheating to pass, and, truthfully, I didn't want to be involved. I guess its too late now, but these are the ones that are dangerously close to failing nursing this semester, presumably because they were not able to get copies of the exams.

And they won't be able to get copies of the boards, so I can only hope they will fail there. Man, that sounds mean. But they are just dangerous---I would not want a nurse, or want anybody I cared about to have a nurse that was too lazy or incapable of learning basic anatomy and physiology to be responsible for my care, observations about my condition, ramifications of medication, etc.

Its sad, really. One of these students had a serious procedure done the day before a test, so she arranged to take it the Monday after (we took it on a Thursday). All of her little cheating buddies took it on Thursday. I bet that's the best grade she's gotten on an exam all semester.

I'm not one to be proud of mediocrity, and I work very hard for every A I have, and its an insult to me that these people will be graduating and possibly working beside me, knowing how dishonest, deceitful, and truly unprepared they are.

Stepping off my soapbox now.

R.

meownsmile, BSN, RN · May 8, 2002

Eventually the cheating will catch up with them. A lot of nursing curriculum follows A&P and if you dont know your systems your sunk. Parasympthetic nervous system, you better know what it is and what it does otherwise various meds, conditions and treatments wont make a lick of sense. (just wait till they get to the neuro content)

Even if they pass tests in nursing classes, when it comes to clinicals they wont be able to put it together if they have tried to jump a hurdle by cheating. Learning it now, even if you dont use it all the time will just make it that much easier to recall later when you need it. Concentrate on your own and let them fall where they may. If the instructor doesnt have the gumption to revise tests from year to year they wont give a hoot about someone cheating either. Sometimes the instructors are there for the paycheck too, as long as they dont have to many fail their class they dont care.

We have a couple who miss every test. Always take it a couple days late and try to quiz the rest of us one at a time about content. Doesnt work, the rest of us didnt get an extra 2 days to study. She should know it backwards and forwards with the extra time to study. Go figure, some people just dont get it and they never will. :rolleyes:

peaceful2100, BSN, RN · May 8, 2002

People who cheat should be expelled. The thing is catching them. Sadly though even when they are caught sometimes all they get is a slap on the wrist. You will not believe what happened at my school. I heard a rumor from a few of my classmates that the sophomores were caught cheating and passing scantrons around during the test. Not all of them about 10 of them. I did not believe it to be true. I thought, ok how STUPID can you get. Well, when teachers started saying it then I knew it was true. As far as I know they are still in school. I also heard that they can not pass with anything lower than a 85% in the class when normal passing is 70%. So it will be interesting to see how many sophomores are around in the fall for their junior year.

It is truly sad what happened and also unfair because their is a rule that states anyone get caught cheating then you are expelled. The incident I mentioned is not the only one. There have been other cases but sadly enough nothing is being done.

I think it is ridiculous. If they are cheating then they don't have a clue and that is scary.

Why have rules if you don't enforce them. At my school it is like they care about the money tuition alone is about $15,000.00. I guess their motto is cash, check or credit card accpeted. It is horrible and very unfair to those who bust their rear ends off.

Ortho_RN · May 8, 2002

Well if these people make it to nursing school then I doubt they will be there for long.... Our teachers give out like 6 versions of the test.. Same questions but the answers are in different orders.. So if they tried cheating on a test like this then they would fail.. :)

fnimat1 · May 8, 2002

I know exactly what you mean. I had quite a few Cheating Charlotte's in my classes this semester. These are grown adults who know better. If you cheat now, how is that going to benefit you in the end. I know I would not want them to be my nurse if I were to get sick, :eek: I wouldn't want them to nurse anyone else for that matter. If you're not dedicated to this profession, and not willing to attain the knowledge that's required....then why bother.

Fatima

"RN 2B in 2004"

Agnus · May 9, 2002

These people have a way of weeding themselves out.

Besides they'd never pass the boards, very difficult to cheat there.

And sooner or later the nursing instructors will recognize that they don't really know anything, and cannot apply the "test knowledge"

delirium · May 9, 2002

I just wanted to say that everytime I see your nick, Agnus, I think of the movie Angus, even though I know I'm transposing the letters.

peaceful2100, BSN, RN · May 9, 2002

Agnus- I agree with you for the most part but say you have that lucky small percent that do manage to pass the boards, then what? That is the scary thing. I have heard of that happening before. It don't happen often but when it does, that is very scary. Some people at my school should have been kicked out long ago.

Nurs2b-that sounds like a pretty good idea. See it is harder for them to cheat on the computer screen at my school but when it is a scantron test in the past it was easier but now they have made it where the teachers are now closely observing test-takers and you can NOT go to the bathroom during the test. If it's an extreme emergency and there is a second teacher around then one of the teacher's will escort the student to the bathroom that way they can be sure they are not looking at any notes or books in the bathroom.

It truly upsets me that some of my peers can get away with it. What some of them will end up doing is taking a test-review course so they can better their chances of passing the nclex and they will keep taking it and taking it and taking it till they pass if they truly want to. One instructor told us a student a few years back took the NCLEX five times and he finally passed it and he was one of the students that should have been weeded out the first few weeks of the program. She said that the last she heard he only made it is first year of nursing and then decided not to do it anymore.

colleen10 · May 9, 2002

It is sad to think that in a Profession such as Nursing that has high standards, ideals, pledges and vows to uphold dignity, students like this are getting by.

I agree with other posters though that they will probably weed themselves out. If they don't want to work hard now they probably won't want to work hard when it comes to clinicals and more progressive nursing classes. And we all know they can't slide by that!

I would probably drop an anonymous tip to the teacher or teaching assistant. Mainly because I don't think it's right, but also, if you are in a class where they curve grades these people could really hurt other student's grades.

MPHkatie · May 9, 2002

There are two reasons this makes me so angry, first of all, it shows that many students don't see the importance of A and P- especially the P part. and then the dishonesty. The other reason it drives me crazy is that I was labelled as a cheater by one of my professors for OB. Now, i hated OB, it was just not my thing, and I really wasn't too quiet about how I did not want to be an OB RN. But the material (who knows why) came easy to me and I ended up with a 100% average in the class. After the first test, the teacher insisted on moving my desk to the front of the classroom- so I could not cheat. Boy was she surprised when I still made 100% all through the semester... So give your teachers a heads up, they may be aware, but then again, they may not be, or they may be observing the wrong students.