Just finished my 2nd semester and failed along with many others. There were many discrepancies in my program that are listed in my letter to the chairperson of the Nursing department. Since our professors set us up for failure through BS education and lies I decided to throw them both under the bus. Do we stand a chance for our grade to be appealed? Most of us are 1-4 points within a passing grade. Those that did pass were just over that line. Professor X is notorious for listed reasons around our program (even those who have not had her as a professor) and outside of the school from nurses we have run into on clinical sites. And Professor Y lied to us to hurt our grades. 12 students agreed to allow me to CC them to state the facts are true, 3 students BCC’d, and a few others to remain anonymous. Thoughts?
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Professor E (chairperson),
I recently finished the 2nd semester (Maternity and Psychiatric Nursing Care - Nur 212) and have some deep concerns about the fairness of the program. I, and the students CC’d in this email* (as well as additional unnamed students who fear retaliation if they participate) feel it is important to raise certain concerns for the sake of our careers, our experience in (school name here), and the experience of future students. Included in this group are students who passed the course, as well as students who did not pass. All of us have the same concerns regardless of the outcome of our grades.
Overall, we believe that the class was not set up to allow students to succeed in a meaningful way due to the way the coursework was presented, taught, and tested. In addition, we don’t feel that we have been prepared to pass the course exams, as the course strategy was often “off-book,” non-linear, and often incomprehensible. This was not the experience of other students who were taught by other professors, as we learned after speaking with evening class students who do not report experiencing the same level of challenge with their professor. Additionally, to our knowledge, they had a much higher pass-rate than our class. We would thus request your review of the following points:
- We were underprepared and immediately behind the curve at the beginning of the semester because we were told we would be given an intense reading assignment over the Summer of 2021 that would prepare us for the Maternal and Newborn Nursing course. This reading was never distributed to the class.
- Professor X’ exams were on an advanced level of Nursing that was unrealistic, considering both our current level of critical knowledge and the mandatory (and expensive) prep material we purchased, which inadequately prepared us to pass these exams regardless of the time and effort spent in study.
- Professor X taught on the assumption that we were already educated in certain areas of Fundamentals of Nursing--information that we had never learned in the previous semester.
- Professor X stated she disagreed with the material in the required textbook. As dense as our coursework already is, this only made the experience more confusing, forced us to pursue further research for information she considered accurate, and unnecessarily complicated our curriculum.
- Professor X was either late to respond to student emails, or they were ignored. Personally, I asked for help on study strategy for success on the final exam 9 days in advance, and received a reply 48 hours before finals—far too late to be of any help.
- Professor Y, prior to her exams, inaccurately told us that we should focus on medication classes--not medication names. In fact, we were questioned on the exam for medication names. This cost us further points and significantly impacted our grade in the course. Upon confrontation with this discrepancy, Professor Y agreed that she had given us a false study tip, but was unwilling to remediate the situation, either by allowing us to retake the exam or to remediate that particular grade.
• - Prior to the final exam, Professor Y downplayed the difficulty of her exam, stating that her portion was ‘mild’ and that she recycles her questions from previous exams. Upon sitting for the test, we found it to be challenging and that the basic review of former material and questions that we had done in preparation left us unprepared. A far more in- depth focus on the material would have been required in order to successfully pass the test.
In sum, we believe your review of the course and our grades is in order. We invite you to have a conversation with us to discuss this experience, and to figure out the best way to move forward in a fair and equitable way. We strongly believe that many students who did not pass this course have fairly earned the right to move on to their next semester without repeating this set of classes – especially given the high costs (finances, time, personal sacrifice) associated with taking the class again.
Considering this experience, you can understand how dispirited many of us are—some even to the point of rethinking their future in this school, if not this career. Given that we were only allowed two on-site clinical experiences due to the pandemic, we also believe that consideration should be made for the lack of on-site educational benefits of an applied science.
We are eager to hear your thoughts on these matters. Please let us know your
availability to speak with us as a group. Since the next semester begins on January 28th, and we must have our plans in order well before then, we would appreciate an honest reply as soon as possible.
Thank you for your time and consideration. We would not have come forward if we didn’t truly believe we had a case.
Best regards,
My Name | Phone Number
*Please note: CC’d students have given me permission to include them in this letter with agreeance that the follow facts stated are true.
At the last CC I taught, this was a bone of contention for some of us. Our nursing students were not getting our community college scholarships based on GPA because they did not have a GPA that was equal or higher than those students in other disciplines.
Our nursing BON would not okay our 'C' level to go down to 70% as in other majors (the BON thought that would lean towards more students failing NCLEX). But we managed to get the 'A' lowered to 91% with a lot of discussion (faculty were split on this). Small achievement but still some grade movement.
I always assumed the adjusted grading scale was a BON thing..
I always assumed the adjusted grading scale was a BON thing..
In my state the BON was direct that the lowest C at 70% had to move to 77% .When this occurred, I was involved with a curriculum that was evolving from a diploma program to a BSN program. I left that school 20 years ago, but I can say the CC program I joined did not have active specifics from the BON for grades. After recommendation letter after letter for our students and not seeing them on the list of students awarded scholarships. .... I realized our students could not get scholarships against a student with a higher grade in other subject areas.
I really tried to plug into the county network for local scholarships...Our CC covered 6 counties. I was able to find a couple of small ($500 to $1000) scholarships for a couple of students. Scholarships like American Legion, Jaycees, and others. Somehow these were not tied into the Scholarship Foundation Network, but it can be a full time job just looking for these sources when you are a nursing student.
In my state the BON was direct that the lowest C at 70% had to move to 77% .When this occurred, I was involved with a curriculum that was evolving from a diploma program to a BSN program. I left that school 20 years ago, but I can say the CC program I joined did not have active specifics from the BON for grades. After recommendation letter after letter for our students and not seeing them on the list of students awarded scholarships. .... I realized our students could not get scholarships against a student with a higher grade in other subject areas.
I really tried to plug into the county network for local scholarships...Our CC covered 6 counties. I was able to find a couple of small ($500 to $1000) scholarships for a couple of students. Scholarships like American Legion, Jaycees, and others. Somehow these were not tied into the Scholarship Foundation Network, but it can be a full time job just looking for these sources when you are a nursing student.
I just find the overall grading schema to be quite frustrating. In our program, the specialty blocks (OB, peds, psych) were 8 weeks and only had 2 exams per block. As was my case when I failed peds, I had 1 bad day (exam 1 day) and that was it, failed the entire class. It is clearly laid out in the syllabus at the beginning of each class that you must receive an average of 76% on your exams before your classwork/labwork grades are added in..
1st word problem, but my RN kinda tanked my overall GPA. I have completedof my nursing classes with a final overall score of 90-91%.. Instead of being 4.0 As, they're 3.0 Bs..
Oh, I so agree with you. My undergraduate grading scale did not have pluses or minuses. I always achieved a 91% or 92% percent on tests and into the final grade. Plain B.
It Is clearly laid out in the syllabus at the beginning of each class that you must receive an average of 76% on your exams before your classwork/labwork grades are added in..
Mike,
I met someone along my nursing journey in graduate school, and she had a philosophy that nursing is so insecure in their ability to include themselves in 'higher education' that they will sacrifice or minimize our achievements to belong to the "medical club" ergo not to threaten medicine. I have always stressed nursing is a health care profession, NOT a medical profession, not medicine. ( I due understand that EMT is a medical profession)
In the 1980s, the Chicago Tribune would list nursing jobs in the classified pages under "medical jobs". I was involved with the Wisconsin Nursing Association then and we wrote letters complaining about this practice and they did change it.
Perhaps I have strayed off your question but we need to stop fearing if our grades are too high compared to other subject areas. Our grades represent students' achievements (looking at work level, lab integration, clinical application, readings requiring multiple references besides a textbook etc.) We have strict academic achievements for entry that shows we accept the 'best and the brightest'. We need to look at the general studies programs (where there are open admissions) for what their grade inflation is doing that separates and penalizes the nursing students. ALL NURSING FACULTY need to stand up for their programs.
The last program I was in, the biology faculty who taught A & P wanted the students to take Biology 1 before A & P which would delay their entry into the nursing program. The rationale was the students did not understand the cell and cell cycle. All students had biology before entering the nursing program. In the college biology course the cell was "1 chapter" in their text/course. The main proponent for curriculum change was a "plant biologist" (talk about job padding or ensuring job security.) We had to fight this tooth and nail but did succeed.
Unfortunately, neither chapter readings or any supplemental material did not cover them in any adequate manner, hence more than 50% of the class would miss it many times.
This is generous.
1 hour ago, FiremedicMike said:
I just find the overall grading schema to be quite frustrating. In our program, the specialty blocks (OB, peds, psych) were 8 weeks and only had 2 exams per block. As was my case when I failed peds, I had 1 bad day (exam 1 day) and that was it, failed the entire class. It is clearly laid out in the syllabus at the beginning of each class that you must receive an average of 76% on your exams before your classwork/labwork grades are added in..
1st word problem, but my RN kinda tanked my overall GPA. I have completedof my nursing classes with a final overall score of 90-91%.. Instead of being 4.0 As, they're 3.0 Bs..
We also don't use plus and minus grading system in my school. It hurt when I was nearing that A.
I just find the overall grading schema to be quite frustrating. In our program, the specialty blocks (OB, peds, psych) were 8 weeks and only had 2 exams per block. As was my case when I failed peds, I had 1 bad day (exam 1 day) and that was it, failed the entire class. It is clearly laid out in the syllabus at the beginning of each class that you must receive an average of 76% on your exams before your classwork/labwork grades are added in..
1st word problem, but my RN kinda tanked my overall GPA. I have completedof my nursing classes with a final overall score of 90-91%.. Instead of being 4.0 As, they're 3.0 Bs..
That stings. It reminded me of 0.01 point to get an A. No rounding. It bothered me more than any other lower grades I achieved.
They wouldn't have a job if taxes didn't pay or if I didn't pay tuition. Therefore students PAY for their education and have a right to what they learn.
They wouldn't have a job if taxes didn't pay or if I didn't pay tuition. Therefore students PAY for their education and have a right to what they learn.
Then, we all start over each time. After 12 grades, higher education is a privilege, not a right. Correct me if I’m wrong.
They wouldn't have a job if taxes didn't pay or if I didn't pay tuition. Therefore students PAY for their education and have a right to what they learn.
That's true. Should we also earned 3.0-4.0 like others who pay the same amount of tuition fees?
They wouldn't have a job if taxes didn't pay or if I didn't pay tuition. Therefore students PAY for their education and have a right to what they learn.
Only people who are owning lands and farms generationally don't need education. If you're one of them, good for you. Thanks for allowing me to stay and attend school. I understand politics and have been playing by the rules.
They wouldn't have a job if taxes didn't pay or if I didn't pay tuition. Therefore students PAY for their education and have a right to what they learn.
They do pay, but they aren't performing like other students. What's up with this? How about other students who don't need extra accommodation, do they receive a discount? Don't they deserve an equal amount of time with their teachers? Why should I pay equally like those who need extra time, and I don't get the same attention?
FiremedicMike, BSN, RN, EMT-P
596 Posts
I always assumed the adjusted grading scale was a BON thing..