Professors fail everyone?

[PerkyNurse55]

Hey so I was wondering if a nursing professor will still fail you even if you put in a lot of effort over the semester to do well. Like you went to go get help from the in-school tutors and visited her after you didn't do well on tests and stuff.

I'm going in the final for my Womens/Peds class right on the brink of failing. I have to raise my grade 4 points in order to pass. My grades have steadily been improving over the semester and I honestly can say that I have done my best.

Will the professor still fail me if I don't do so well on the final?

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

If teachers started giving out bonus points, NCLEX pass rates would decline, as would the school's reputation.

I want to elaborate on your salient point.

The LPN-to-ASN degree completion program from which I graduated regularly used questionable practices such as passing certain students whose overall points fell slightly below the minimum 77 percent score threshold. In addition, our 'exit exam' to assess for NCLEX readiness was a Kaplan predictor test that could be taken in the comfort of our own homes with an open book.

One-third of my graduating class failed NCLEX on the first attempt. The grads who failed NCLEX were mostly the same marginal students who received that extra 'boost' in the form of sympathy points at the end of some semesters to ensure they passed. And due to the low first-time NCLEX pass rates, my former school was placed on warning status by the state board of nursing.

So although a student might feel that a few sympathy points to 'help out' at the end of the semester is beneficial, those points are not helping at the testing center when taking the test that will determine whether or not you get to be legally referred to as a nurse.

[SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP]

BTW, a Rhodes Scholar is a liberal arts major who will attend Oxford with the intent of becoming a public figure (usually politics). You'd be hard pressed to find a nursing student who is a Rhodes Scholar :)

Count me in as a nursing student who has never taken a curved exam or has points added that weren't given to the whole class.

My GPA has always been a 4.0 and while I've worked my butt off to maintain that, it is now a 3.93 due to missing a 4.0 by 0.3 of a point. We have a no-rounding policy. Should I have asked my professor for sympathy points because I worked really hard? Absolutely not! It makes no difference it you're on the cusp of an A or the cusp of failing. Your grade is a result of your ability to understand and apply the material. If you fail to do so, the instructor hasn't "failed you". You failed yourself.

Nursing school isn't easy and it can be difficult for some people to make the leap to critical thinking. I peer tutor first level students who struggle with this. You can "try hard" and put in as much effort as you wish. However, if you aren't grasping the material, it is going to be difficult for you to be a competent nurse in the real world. That's just reality.

To the OP, best of luck on your final. Study smartly, practice as many NCLEX style questions relating to your exam material that you can. But most of all, take ownership of your learning and your grades.

[Graduation2016]

I know this is an old post, but I was wondering, has anyone been in the situation where a professor fails a whole graduating class?

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

BTW, a Rhodes Scholar is a liberal arts major who will attend Oxford with the intent of becoming a public figure (usually politics). You'd be hard pressed to find a nursing student who is a Rhodes Scholar :)

My daughter went to high school with a student who was just awarded the Rhodes scholarship. After she finishes at Oxford, she plans to go to medical school.

She has, for as long as I remember, always been a brilliant student.