States Who Have Banned HESI

Nursing Students HESI

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what do we know about the states that have banned HESI? I know New York is one...any others?

Of course it's fair... the same rules apply to everybody in the program. If someone doesn't want to be subject to those conditions then they shouldn't choose to attend that program.

In many countries, the high-stakes exams begin in primary school and continue all the way along.

I'm completely in favor of rigorous standards.

BUt the same rules do not apply to all nursing students. Not all schools say "if you can't pass the HESI, you can't graduate". Doesn't sound fair to me.

From my personal experience, I went one semester to a horrible school. I was impressed at first with their NCLEX pass rates, but now I know WHY they were so high. Had I not seen those amazing statistics, I may not have wasted my hard-earned money there.

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.
BUt the same rules do not apply to all nursing students. Not all schools say "if you can't pass the HESI, you can't graduate". Doesn't sound fair to me.
The only things that would make it unfair would be if (a) it applied only to some students in a given program or if (b) the requirement were not explicitly set forth in the student handbook (or similar).

If one is so opposed to such a requirement then one should not matriculate into a program which requires it.

It's no more "unfair" than that every program has its own admission requirements, course requirements, and clinical hours, or that each state sets its own standards and yet endorsing from one to another is primarily a matter of paying the fees and undergoing a background check.

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BUt the same rules do not apply to all nursing students. Not all schools say "if you can't pass the HESI, you can't graduate". Doesn't sound fair to me.

From my personal experience, I went one semester to a horrible school. I was impressed at first with their NCLEX pass rates, but now I know WHY they were so high. Had I not seen those amazing statistics, I may not have wasted my hard-earned money there.

No two programs have the exact same requirements.

Some programs include pathophysiology into the curriculum, others consider it a pre-req class others a coreq. Is it unfair that folks who have patho integrated into their program don't have patho exams? Of course not.

Some programs have quizzes every week, while some just have a midterm and a final. Is that unfair, of course not.

Each program makes the decision for what is required to get a degree. As long as they meet the BON minimums, they can add any other requirement on top of that, as long as it's fair.

It's fair because those requirements are applied to everyone within a program.

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Another thing, when I was considering attending the school, I don't recall ever being told about their stipulation (having to pass the HESI to graduate). So again, I feel like they only tell you what they want you to hear.

All in all, I am in favor of banning the HESI, except in cases where its use will not affect your grades/chance to to graduate. Whether this will ever come to pass, I do not know.

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Specializes in LTC, Acute care.
Of course it's fair... the same rules apply to everybody in the program. If someone doesn't want to be subject to those conditions then they shouldn't choose to attend that program.

In many countries, the high-stakes exams begin in primary school and continue all the way along.

I'm completely in favor of rigorous standards.

Oh, I too am in favor of rigorous standards and I definitely know a thing or two about high stakes exams.

My beef with this is that if this is going to be used to define whether a person graduates or not, the schools might want to implement the HESI earlier on so that people can flunk out way early rather than finish an entire program and be left without a degree. I can't even begin to imagine how frustrating that is. In my school, you can fail a HESI end of semester exam and still move on to the next semester if your average before and with the HESI is above the average score of 75. Now, the problem is that the students who have been making less than a 900 in all the end of semester HESI and been able to pass the courses because they had an average score above a 75 are the same students who are expected to somehow pass this HESI exit. How are they going to be able to manage this feat?

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Another thing, when I was considering attending the school, I don't recall ever being told about their stipulation (having to pass the HESI to graduate). So again, I feel like they only tell you what they want you to hear.

All in all, I am in favor of banning the HESI, except in cases where its use will not affect your grades/chance to to graduate. Whether this will ever come to pass, I do not know.

Did you ask?

They didn't tell me I was going to have to write a 30+ page psychosocial evaluation either...but they would have if I asked.

If prospective nursing students really don't want to take an exit exam, they can apply to programs that don't require them.

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Specializes in NICU, Post-partum.
I see it as a problem with the nursing program AND the student.

If you get a student that gets a high GPA in school and cannot pass the HESI, then the nursing program has not adequately prepared that student to take a standardized test, which is the entire purpose of nursing school.

A student has to study and do good work to get good grades...but if the preparation doesn't transfer into passing standardized tests, then the nursing program has failed to deliver.

The entire purpose of the BON's for keeping up with the NCLEX pass rate is to shut down substandard nursing programs.

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One school in my area I know of requires those exams as the final exam in each class and if you don't pass with at least a 75% you don't pass the class. If you fail one of those exams twice, you are out of the program.

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Specializes in NICU, Post-partum.
The only things that would make it unfair would be if (a) it applied only to some students in a given program or if (b) the requirement were not explicitly set forth in the student handbook (or similar).

If one is so opposed to such a requirement then one should not matriculate into a program which requires it.

It's no more "unfair" than that every program has its own admission requirements, course requirements, and clinical hours, or that each state sets its own standards and yet endorsing from one to another is primarily a matter of paying the fees and undergoing a background check.

I don't think you are understanding what the HESI is doing with regards to the BON's.

When students are trying to choose between schools, the pass rate for that school that is listed with the BON is a MAJOR factor in determining which schools to apply to...at least it is for most students when deciding where to spend tens of thousands of dollars.

What the HESI allows schools to do...is let's say you had 100 students complete the nursing program but only 50 pass the HESI and are given degrees and go on to take the NCLEX...and because these students did well on the HESI, let's say that all 50 pass the first try....that gives the school the right to report that they have a 100% pass rate on the NCLEX and the fact that 50% of their students didn't even receive diplomas is HIDDEN FROM PUBLIC VIEW.

Granted, that is an extreme example, but it is statistically CORRECT and possible.

A GOOD nursing program should be confident enough about their program to where each person receiving a degree takes the NCLEX and that is the school that you can REALLY tell about what they are or are not doing as far as preparation for students.

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.
I don't think you are understanding what the HESI is doing with regards to the BON's.
You are wrong... I understand exactly what they are doing (and was subject to just the same requirement myself in order to graduate).

For any student who cares to ask the question, a school can tell them precisely what is their ratio of degrees granted to students matriculating.

What I hear are a lot of people whining about having to take a high-stakes exam in order to graduate. If one doesn't want to subject themselves to that system then one should find a program whose graduation requirements they are comfortable with.

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Specializes in NICU, Post-partum.
You are wrong... I understand exactly what they are doing (and was subject to just the same requirement myself in order to graduate).

For any student who cares to ask the question, a school can tell them precisely what is their ratio of degrees granted to students matriculating.

What I hear are a lot of people whining about having to take a high-stakes exam in order to graduate. If one doesn't want to subject themselves to that system then one should find a program whose graduation requirements they are comfortable with.

No, not wrong...not as long as the BON's keep track of percentage rates for nursing programs...there is a reason why they keep track of them and will shut a program DOWN that doesn't perform.

It's called playing with the statistics and I see Boards of Nursing in the future banning the practice as the requirements for the SCHOOLS will increase.

It's really easy to blame the students...too easy...students pay for an education and should get something in return. BON stats on schools should tell the general public which schools make the grade and which ones do not.

Why should the students be held to a higher standard than what the school sets for themselves?

That is like a student taking 10 exams a semester and only counting the best 7 towards their final grade...does that show what kind of work that a student can CONSISTENTLY do?? Heck no....nursing programs that use HESI as a bar to graduate are doing the same thing.

Students shouldn't have to ASK for the information, it should be made public...schools that hide statistics have other things to hide.

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.
Students shouldn't have to ASK for the information, it should be made public...schools that hide statistics have other things to hide.

EVERYONE hides statistics. Or rather, manipulate statistics to show what they want. A savvy person realizes that, and knows what questions to ask to get the information they need. I don't think it would take a rocket scientist to think to ask the question "What's your drop-out rate? WHat's your graduation rate?" Every school is going to put their best foot forward, and isn't going to volunteer information that might paint them in an unfavorable light.

What is that saying?

Statistics are like bikinis - what they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital. Sorry, don't know who said it.

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