Nclex invalidated due to cell phone

Nursing Students NCLEX

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I have read the other posts for this and am at a loss... I was taking the NCLEX and was offered a break, while on break I went to my car for some chips and noticed my phone was blazing hot so I took it upstairs and directly handed it to the receptionist saying, "Could you please hold this for me, it's a million degrees in the car and I don't want the phone to be damaged." I never "accessed" the phone and have phone records that will show no texts or calls were made. I innocently handed the 1st receptionist the phone immediately upon entry. If I was trying to cheat i certainly wouldn't have handed her the phone!! I received a letter from pearson with two options, accept invalidation and have the georgia board of nursing decide if I may retest or appeal (up to 60 day process). I don't think I will get anywhere by appealing. My question is what is the likelihood that the georgia board of nursing will ban me for life, AND will that ban apply to all other states?

In other posts people pointed out how stupid it is to get in this situation, that nurses need to be careful and follow directions. I'm about to have a breakdown and don't need that. I was a pharmacy technician for 10 years and all of my bosses will tell you I was the most accurate and fastest technician they ever had (this is conclusive via corporate logging error percent on every prescription typed under my name). All of my teachers and clinical instructors will tell you how impressed they were with my abilities. Its easy when you do what you love. Please tell me the best course of action, I'm sinking fast.

Specializes in Medical/Oncology.

This is a sticky and sucky situation for you, star-crossed. You have my deepest sympathy. Who would have thought that such an innocuous action could have such a detriment consequence. I believe in your innocence. If you had cheated, you would have not bring in your cell phone and ask them to hold it for you. It's like confessing that you cheated (although you did not; I'm just trying to make a point). You probably did that out of reflex and not thinking it through due to the heat and the stress from the exam.

Just as what other AN members have said, you have to not dwell on what has been done and to focus on fixing the problem. IMHO, the best bet is to appeal, even though you said it might not do any good. But you don't know for sure if it will not. You stated that it may take up to 60 days to process. 60 days is much shorter than 365 days from what JustBeachyNurse informed. If you appeal to Georgia BoN and bring forth the evidence that you are a good employee with no records of dishonesty, I think the BoN would allow you to retest, otherwise you may face with a ban, which sucks even worse than the invalidation. Don't forget the BoN makes up of nurses and nurses are understanding and empathetic people. They will see that you are telling the truth.

So you should first try to contact your board and talk to the nurses there. They might be able to help you better than all of us here on AN.

It seems like the end of the world right now for you, but you should not be too hard on yourself. Everyone has a lapse of judgment every once in a while, but what more important is how you handle the problem. It shows that you can persevere to become an RN and that you will apply the same commitment when it comes to caring for patients. Best of luck in your situation!

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Wow, what a crappy situation. I'm glad to be taking my NCLEX in the winter when I won't have to worry about my electronics melting in the car (it gets up to 115 degrees F outside and upwards of 150 F in the car during the summer in my neck of the woods). I get nervous about driving without my cell phone so it will probably be hard for me to leave it home. I hope this all works out for you, OP. Keep us posted about what happens.

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wow, that really bites. They clearly warn you that you may have no access to phones or study material during the test because obviously you could cheat, whether u did or not. I left my phone in the car so I wouldn't have to deal with that issue and it was hot but it seemed like it was not a big deal, better my phone melt than my test be invalidated. Anyways, I would suggest you contact your board like everyone said and def know for next time. I'm not sure about leaving the center. The one break I got I went to the bathroom and came back, but I'm not sure if I was allowed to walk outside. They are pretty strict about that stuff though it seems because many ppl do cheat on exams, I've witnessed it in school. So just know for next time I guess and hope for the best.

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