Students take "action" against cheating classmates, when admin doesn't.

[Certifiable, BSN, RN]

My nursing school is one of the most prestigous and difficult courses out there. Yet for all their tough talk and standards they are extremely soft on cheating students.

A teacher once, while answering a friend of mine during a test, whispered to her "what am I going to do about this?! they are cheating"--- They (admin) know! The problem is that this cheating group in question is of ONE ethnicity and I think the head of the program/ school directors are worried about how it would look if they bring them up in front of the disciplinary board...

Cheating is annoying on many levels: Dishonest student nurses, dangerous student nurses and it's BLOODY DISTRACTING during a test etc' etc'.

A bunch of us talked it over and found two ways of dealing with the cheating (albeit they can't be 100% effective) while staying relatively anonymous about it:

1. a loud short SHHHH while staring at your own paper--- wakes the proctor up and shuts the cheaters up. this is only done once during the test though- as not to disrupt the rest of the class.

2. Sitting at the back of the class and in the corners- leaving the cheaters "hot seats" right under the proctor's nose.

If anyone has any other idea's, please let me know, because the proctors never use their "Suspect cheating" stamp (they are entitled to use, it doesn't disqualify the test- just makes it a high priority test) and we are going insane---as it's obvious that the administration is uninterested in stirring up trouble.

"Mind your own business" was last year's mantra... we're fed up.

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

I wouldn't even know if someone was cheating. I go in, focus on my test, take it and am usually the first one done. I don't pay attention to anyone around me. I am curious to know how you determined your nursing school is one of the toughest ones out there? I am actually curious when anyone says this too because I wonder what other nursing schools they compare it too.

[Certifiable, BSN, RN]

I get distracted really easily- a twig breaks and i'll hear it---so any noise during a quiet exam room stands sounds like a megaphone to me. (which is weird, because when I did gymnastics I had complete focus)

There are only a handful of BSN programs in my country (a country of 6.5 million), and the one i'm in is considered to be the best by many: they have very high exceptance standards, small classes, reasonable tuition, high scoring state exams and are often manning the most demanding nursing jobs... basically "elite" (not to be snobby... but it's just known).

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

I get distracted really easily too, I have no filter to filter out all the little annoying sounds, I just assumed if people were cheating they are doing it quietly. If people talked during an exam in my class they would have half the class snapping at them. So cheating verbally hasn't been an issue. If there is quiet cheating I have no idea. I get my test done and get out, I am usually more distracted by the clicking of the pen or the chewing of the gum and stuff. But I am just a really fast test taker.

[bhanson]

I wear earplugs during exams and sit in a corner to minimize peripheral vision activity. I think this is the optimal method for exams.

Testing centers (like for your NCLEX) will either have earmuffs, earplugs, or allow you to bring your own earplugs. If you're easily distracted then maybe you should stop by a pharmacy on the way to your next test.

[Cupcake89121]

What country are you in exactly?

[Certifiable, BSN, RN]

Israel

[RHIA, RN]

I don't think ear plugs are the answer. I'm not one to ignore cheating and I would be insanely mad if my instructor admitted knowing about it and didn't do anything.

I wish that I had an alternative for you. Good luck finding a solution.

[pockunit, ADN, RN]

They may pass these classes, but they won't pass their boards. I'm not sure you can do much but wait and watch. Do you have the chutzpah to go and confront them directly? I wouldn't, so I'd stew and wear my earplugs and then rock the boards and enjoy my job.

[madwife2002, BSN, RN]

Please keep to topic thank you

[pockunit, ADN, RN]

Can you approach the head of the department with your concerns? Do you have a student liaison, maybe, an ombudsman who can be the middleman? That might be the best route, having someone who isn't in the program or an employee of the department doing sort of an intervention. Good luck either way.

[txspadequeenRN, BSN, RN]

me personally i couldn't care less if people cheat... you can cheat till the cows come home...but that wont get you past the nclex...