I was shocked and frustrated!

[Peeps Mcarthur]

I was shocked to discover an interesting fact about the program that I planned on attending. It would seem that the high pass rate on NCLEX that they enjoy is skewed!

A former student that passed the program I am inquiring about said that most of the time spent on coursework was done in a self-help format! She thought that the classes for preclinical work was INAPROPIATE for someone wanting to learn from instuctors, since it was largely based on "worksheets" and "self-taught"

She went on to say that students were kicked out of the program even before they realized they had a "fatal" GPA. Students would either support their own learning or be dumped. There was very little feedback from instuctors. So naturally, only the better students were left after the smoke cleared, and they subsequently passed their NCLEX.

Remember, this information was from a student who passed the course, and is an RN. She has no ax to grind with the school, but this is a well known school around these parts, as reflected by its' graduates. That is no small miracle aparently, since they seem to fail the stuggling students, rather than actually INSTRUCTING THEM:rolleyes:

I am a good student, but I want to be a great nurse. If this was the curriculum content at my school, I would simply drop it, and find a school that would share its faculty's time with me.

Is this normal for a program?????

Please, someone share with me their experience with Baltimore area schools, or Baltimore area graduates perhapse.

No guidence counselor would openly divulge such negative information, and I feel that she was not in a position to need to exaggerate the negatives.

I have to go SOMEWHERE in 6 months, and I would rather not discover that I have attended SCREW. U.

Thank you,

Brad

Columbia,MD

[Nursz-R-Awsm]

NO WAY is this normal for a program. Don't get me wrong, every program has problems here or there at times. I am no where near Baltimore, but look around with the time you have left...there are places out there where faculty is involved and truly want students to have a good experience and education. This is your investment!

:)

[essarge]

I agree with nurz!!! I can't believe that they just pretty much let you learn on your own. What a scary thought from a patient's point of view!!

I would definetly look for another program. While I am your "southern neighbor", I know that there are several very good programs in my area ranging from around $2,000 (state university) and up. The instructors are totally involved, even to the point of helping a student with any "personal" problems that they may have over the course of their studies!!

Good luck!!

[BrandyBSN]

Wow, and No!

Most programs are not like that at all! Our professors are hard and tough, but they will bend over backward to help you as long as they know that you are really trying, and not slacking off.

Find a different program if at all possible.

However... You will be expected to learn things on your own as well, although clinical skills should not be one of them. There is a lot that will be on the tests that was never discussed in class. But you will be responsibly for learning the information if it is in your textbooks, I just hope that they are not expecting you to know how to suction a trach after only reading about it.

Stick with it, find a new program, or wait a little while. If you want it bad enough, you can achieve it!

[fergus51]

It's funny, but I would have prefered more self-learning and less spoon feeding from teachers. I think self learning is only acceptable though if students can ask for help from their instructors and are tested on the material once it is completed to make sure they have understood it. A lot of students in my nursing program also complained about the content of pre-clinical material so I don't know how seriously I would worry about that if I were you.