Lessons Learned - Choose Your School Wisely

I wanted to share some insight and knowledge I've learned since beginning my nursing program in 2010. I'm sharing this story so that other nursing students can be better prepared when choosing a school. Do your homework so you don't have to withdraw 4 weeks prior to graduation. Nurses Announcements Archive Article

Lessons Learned - Choose Your School Wisely

Do a lot of research before choosing which school you would like to attend. If possible, interview the head of nursing. Review the textbooks they are using and ask where the questions for their test are obtained. Ask if they rewrite the questions they use or if the questions are verbatim since NCLEX style question are thoroughly researched.

Talk to students already in the program and get a perspective on the teaching styles of the instructors, the flow of a semester, etc. I realize we're all in a hurry to get accepted into a program and most of us will take what we get. By doing your research ahead of time you'll be confident that you're not wasting your money, time spent away from family and friends and sanity.

I say all this because I just dropped out of nursing school 4 weeks before graduation. The straw that broke the camels back? Four weeks before graduation I was told I couldn't graduate because I hadn't completed a basic English class. The fact is I did complete the class on my first go around in college.

The class fell through the cracks during admissions and when I provided proof of completion, with transcripts, the credit was not accepted. I followed the chain of command all the way to the president of the school and was given the same response at each level. I attempted to offer evidence based research papers as work already complete (made a 97 or greater on all papers) and they were not acknowledged. I felt as though I had no advocate and was defeated that the powers that be wouldn't help in some fashion.

I had to fight to stay in a program that I was paying for out of my pocket.

Anyway, I began the program and after two weeks was separated from my husband. I had to find somewhere for me and my daughter to live. We moved in with a girlfriend from school, was there two months then moved into an apartment.

For the next six months I fought through a bitter divorce.

Life changing event #1: I maintained my grades and was still able to work. The second blow came after a major rotator cuff surgery last May. I missed two days of school because I hurt so bad I couldn't dress myself. The third day I was late for clinical, again a challenge with dressing with one arm. I followed school protocol and called my instructor to let her know I would be late.

I called multiple times without an answer from her. When I arrived to the site she stated she hadn't received any calls from me, belittled me in front of my classmates, then sent me home. This pushed me over the hours allotted to miss for the semester and I was kicked out of the program. I was written up and kicked out of the program. Later in the day I was reinstated. The following day the instructor apologized and stated she acted inappropriately. Unfortunately that wouldn't undo the damage already done to my record.

Life changing event #2: The math competency test. The first one I failed and the second go around I made an 89. You have to make a 90 to pass. The head of nursing would make no exceptions and stated I would be kicked out of the program. I went to the director of nursing with evidence that we were not consistently tested on the math and with each test the rules changed. The instructors did not follow the math rules outlined in our math book. I ended up having to go to the dean and was able to retest. The curriculum was changed as a result of this and now math is reinforced in exams and reviewed prior to testing. I was allowed to retest and was successful.

The straw that broke the camels back for me was the unwillingness to accept a class I had completed at another college, for credit to graduate. Nursing students shouldn't have to fight this hard to stay in a program. It's hard enough without all the pitfalls.

Also, find out what grading scale your college of choice is on. The one I attended used a 7 point grading scale. The colleges around them, offering the same program, uses a 10 point grading scale.

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Trail Blazer

About Trail Blazer

Nursing Student

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which school was this, if you don't mind me asking. Just so we all know to be wary. I am currently an LPN student looking to move on up. researching a bunch of schools already!

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Specializes in Cardio-Pulmonary; Med-Surg; Private Duty.

So you wasted all that time and money and got NOTHING?

Why not just take the *******' English class and then graduate?

This makes no sense to me.... like there's a lot more to the story that we haven't been told.

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Specializes in PICU, Sedation/Radiology, PACU.

I hope this doesn't offend you, but it sounds like you were lucky to even be in the program at that point anyway.

Lots of schools have a "no exceptions" policy to things like test grades and clinical attendance. In my school, if you missed more than one clinical day, you failed the clinical. If you missed the passing mark on a test, even by 0.1% of a point, you failed the class. No exceptions.

There were definitely exceptions made for you because you complained to the higher-ups. First regarding the clinical hours, and second regarding the math test. It was school policy. Nobody else seemed to have a problem, even though "math wasn't reinforced" in their classes either. But you complained, and they let you retest. You know, if you fail the NCLEX by one point, there aren't going to be any exceptions made for you. Even if you complain about how the test was written or structured.

And I'm sorry for what you went through, but your divorce and personal life problems have no bearing on whether you deserve to be given exceptions in the nursing program.

This has nothing to do with the quality of the school you attended. How do you think you would have foreseen these problems if you has researched the school more? You most likely went to a perfectly fine, accredited program, but you didn't like their policies.

If you had finished the school year, then all you would have had to go was take a basic English course (even over the summer) and then gotten your diploma. There's no reason you would have had to retake the nursing school classes or clinicals. But now you've dropped out and you're going to start over in a new program? That makes no sense.

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Specializes in Med-Surg/urology.

Yes, I have to agree with what Ashley said. I took courses @ one university, and two community colleges before winding up at my current college. At that point I had around 45 credits. When I applied to the nursing program, the school did not want to accept a couple of classes such as Intro to Communications, and a couple others. I went back to my previous school's catalogs & showed the school that the classes were similar. My credits were then accepted, but I did have to take a silly class that they would not accept from my prior school (I think it was Education Seminar..such a pointless class lol). The point is, if it was so important to you & you were so close to finishing, why didn't you just retake the English class. Throwing up your hands & walking away will not hurt the school, or the program in one bit. It only hurts you..

Also, I just want to take this time & say to all the people out there--your school, professors, and dean do not give one hoot about your life.Divorces, death in the family,injuries, weddings, babies, etc..They do not make exceptions. I know that life goes on while you're in school, but not to your instructors. You can't expect them to bend over backwards to accommodate you just b/c of your sob story. Not to be harsh..just telling you how it is.

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Specializes in Occ. Hlth, Education, ICU, Med-Surg.

Your posting smacks of entitlement, excuses, and a total lack of acceptance for your responsibilities and expectations as a student.

As others have said...your personal life has no bearing on your issues...you knew the expectations of your program and it was your responsibility to adapt as necessary.

Your posting has other "holes"...like exactly how many total hours did you miss from clinical to get dismissed?

how many other math tests did you fail and find necessary to appeal (I'm willing to venture this happened not just in one class but multiple classes)...not just to the DON but to the Dean when you didn't get the answer you wanted to hear?

If you had been meeting regularly with your assigned advisor (another student responsibility) how could you have not known you didn't have all of your courses...sounds like you got caught when the degree audit was done and now it's everbody's fault except yours....which seems to be a common thread in your posting

Walking away with only an English class to take.....doesn't make any sense....there's more to your story than what is being revealed

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I went to nursing school 20 twenty years ago, and it was the same back then. Students pay all this money and are not treated like the customer. They take your money and treat you like third class citizens.

Every time I hear about a gunman going crazy at a college, I think "another student finally had enough". I really surprised there are not more incidents of students loosing it.

I remember during my nursing school, our entire class marching down to the deans office to protest how the rules had been changed without telling anyone. The last people you want to deal with is a bunch of over worked, stressed out nursing students.

Sounds like the person writing this story should obtain an attorney, and see how fast they take her english credit and admit her back in the program.

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Specializes in ICU.
.

Sounds like the person writing this story should obtain an attorney, and see how fast they take her english credit and admit her back in the program.

They didn't dismiss her from the program, she quit. How is an attorney going to force the school to take her back when she voluntarily quit? She just had to take an English class to graduate, and she quit. She fought all the way to the dean over these other issues, but when they won't take her English class she just up and quits? That sounds awfully fishy to me. I am sure there is much more to the story.

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Yes, we should wisely chose school.

Do a lot of research before choosing which school you would like to attend. If possible, interview the head of nursing. Review the textbooks they are using and ask where the questions for their test are obtained. Ask if they rewrite the questions they use or if the questions are verbatim since NCLEX style question are thoroughly researched.

Talk to students already in the program and get a perspective on the teaching styles of the instructors, the flow of a semester, etc. I realize we're all in a hurry to get accepted into a program and most of us will take what we get. By doing your research ahead of time you'll be confident that you're not wasting your money, time spent away from family and friends and sanity.

I say all this because I just dropped out of nursing school 4 weeks before graduation. The straw that broke the camels back? Four weeks before graduation I was told I couldn't graduate because I hadn't completed a basic English class. The fact is I did complete the class on my first go around in college.

The class fell through the cracks during admissions and when I provided proof of completion, with transcripts, the credit was not accepted. I followed the chain of command all the way to the president of the school and was given the same response at each level. I attempted to offer evidence based research papers as work already complete (made a 97 or greater on all papers) and they were not acknowledged. I felt as though I had no advocate and was defeated that the powers that be wouldn't help in some fashion.

I had to fight to stay in a program that I was paying for out of my pocket.

Anyway, I began the program and after two weeks was separated from my husband. I had to find somewhere for me and my daughter to live. We moved in with a girlfriend from school, was there two months then moved into an apartment.

For the next six months I fought through a bitter divorce.

Life changing event #1: I maintained my grades and was still able to work. The second blow came after a major rotator cuff surgery last May. I missed two days of school because I hurt so bad I couldn't dress myself. The third day I was late for clinical, again a challenge with dressing with one arm. I followed school protocol and called my instructor to let her know I would be late.

I called multiple times without an answer from her. When I arrived to the site she stated she hadn't received any calls from me, belittled me in front of my classmates, then sent me home. This pushed me over the hours allotted to miss for the semester and I was kicked out of the program. I was written up and kicked out of the program. Later in the day I was reinstated. The following day the instructor apologized and stated she acted inappropriately. Unfortunately that wouldn't undo the damage already done to my record.

Life changing event #2: The math competency test. The first one I failed and the second go around I made an 89. You have to make a 90 to pass. The head of nursing would make no exceptions and stated I would be kicked out of the program. I went to the director of nursing with evidence that we were not consistently tested on the math and with each test the rules changed. The instructors did not follow the math rules outlined in our math book. I ended up having to go to the dean and was able to retest. The curriculum was changed as a result of this and now math is reinforced in exams and reviewed prior to testing. I was allowed to retest and was successful.

The straw that broke the camels back for me was the unwillingness to accept a class I had completed at another college, for credit to graduate. Nursing students shouldn't have to fight this hard to stay in a program. It's hard enough without all the pitfalls.

Also, find out what grading scale your college of choice is on. The one I attended used a 7 point grading scale. The colleges around them, offering the same program, uses a 10 point grading scale.

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Was the English class taken at an accredited college? Just curious because that is something students should be wary about. I would've just retaken the English class, graduated and not looked back.

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Nobody else seemed to have a problem, even though "math wasn't reinforced" in their classes either. But you complained, and they let you retest. You know, if you fail the NCLEX by one point, there aren't going to be any exceptions made for you. Even if you complain about how the test was written or structured... You most likely went to a perfectly fine, accredited program, but you didn't like their policies.

Ashley, that's a bit of a stretch. You have no idea how many students had problems with the college's math. My progam's math help was atrocious - I was fortunate to already know how to calculate most of the problems. If the rules are not the same each time you are tested, the results are not valid. If the college changed their policy due to OP's protests, clearly the higher-ups thought she had valid concerns. And you CAN challenge NCLEX results if you fail due to an incorrectly scored question. That's not special treatment, that's fair treatment.

Trail Blazer, as for (almost) failing due to illness, I feel ya (been there, done that), but that really is how things go. Same with the 7-point grading system. Do you really want nurses out there who can't swing a C average?

Isn't it in your best interest to spend a few hundred on the English class (which you knew was needed ahead of time), finish the degree, and thumb your nose at them later?

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Seriously?!?! suck it up and carry on!! If you truly wanted to finish your degree, you could have taken the English class after the fact and still gotten your diploma. There seems to be more underlying issues here than what is presented in your post.

And you know what? Each school will have policies that we dont like. Just like each employer will probably have a policy you dont like.

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