Are nursing school policies allowed to be changed

[rgags6]

I am currently a junior at my college. This fall semester, the Nursing Department implemented a rule change that had not applied to previous classes. Previous classes were not doing well on their first NCLEX attempt. This made the school look bad (obviously). So in summer 2016, the Nursing Department implemented a new rule. Going forward, students needed to pass their HESI exams with a score of at least an 850, or be dismissed from the program. This rule was applied to all incoming classes, as well the current freshmen, sophomore, junior and senior classes.

My question is whether or not they have a right / are allowed to hold current classes to this rule, especially since it was changed in the middle of our careers. It was not a rule when we first began at this University, so I believe we should have been grandfathered in. My other question for you fine people is if you know of any cases like this, and whether or not there is anything we can do to change this rule.

If you need any clarification or have any questions that will help you understand, feel free to ask.

Thank you.

[caliotter3]

My nursing school implemented changes midstream. The class ahead of mine sought legal recourse and won, my class got screwed. Schools make changes as they please, and apply those changes as they please. All they have to do is to apply their policy about notification.

[elkpark]

Those specific kind of policies are often implemented because the low NCLEX pass rates have gotten the attention of the BON, which has told the school that it has a limited amount of time to improve the pass rates or it will lose it BON approval to operate. In those situations, the school doesn't really have a choice -- the BON is requiring it to come up with a plan and implement it ASAP.

Apart from that scenario, while it is preferable to not change policies in mid-term for current students, most nursing program student handbooks, in my experience, include some kind of statement about how the school reserves the right to change its policies whenever it sees fit.

[SaltySarcasticSally, LPN, RN]

Yes, they can. It has happened several times in my nursing program. You have most likely signed off on any changes being applicable. Nursing schools are making top dollar right now so they don't really have to care if their students are happy.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

Of course policies can and and do change. It sounds like a reasonable and prudent change, given the poor NCLEX pass rate.

[umbdude, MSN, APRN]

My school did the same thing because of falling pass rates. They have the right to do that and it's stated in the handbook. I applaud the change because the school's accreditation was at risk and it's unfair to students who have done well.

[WanderingWilder, ASN]

Of course policies can and and do change. It sounds like a reasonable and prudent change, given the poor NCLEX pass rate.

I would think a better response would be to change the program so students are better prepared for nclex. My school had a low pass rate so they revamped the curriculum. Went from a 50% pass rate to at 96% in one year.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

I would think a better response would be to change the program so students are better prepared for nclex. My school had a low pass rate so they revamped the curriculum. Went from a 50% pass rate to at 96% in one year.

I don't disagree. Obviously both are needed. I am thinking that the required exit test will be diagnostic of programmatic problems.

[norlns24]

Almost the exact same rule change occurred at my school, with various HESIs each semester...some counting towards a grade and two "high-stakes" HESIs (one for med-surg and one our final semester, the dreaded exit HESI). However, my program phased in these changes over several semesters.

An 850 on any HESI (except perhaps pathophysiology...that's one specialty HESI most of the students in my program did not do well on but it was administered our first semester and did not count for anything...just a practice) is quite doable in my opinion. HESI questions can on their face seem difficult, but a lot of their questions offer some valuable clues that, if you pick on them, can lead you to the correct answer without actually knowing much about the topic. To me, HESI is as much about being able to really carefully read a question and the answers critically and pick out the correct one as much as it is about knowledge.

Also, if you study the prep materials HESI puts out, your score should improve a lot because the study preps they publish contain much of the info you need to do well on their exams. My first HESI (for fundamentals, also did not count for anything except practice) was pretty low, somewhere around 730, but once I realized HESI's were going to count towards my grade and even keep me in the program and I actually studied for them, and my scores shot way up above 1000. For my exit HESI, I studied a LOT but did really well. After improving so consistently, I now feel 850 is completely reasonable. Some programs require a 950 in 3 attempts for the exit HESI, so having to attain an 850 is not the end of the world.

If you study for HESI using their materials, do a lot of practice questions, and take your time on the exam and read VERY slowly and VERY carefully looking for clues and key words, you really should not have a problem achieving an 850. I believe getting an 850 on HESI is considerably easier than passing NCLEX, something we all have to achieve eventually if we want to practice as RNs.

Good luck to you!!

[la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN]

Yes, they are allowed to do this. Yes, you can challenge it.

Do you have someone in your on-campus organization (i.e. student nurse club) who is considered a "faculty liaison"-type of officer? I was that for my school and had to fight tooth and nail to keep a change that would have failed people out of the program left and right because of the exact same issue (low NCLEX pass rates). The school failed to have any actual plan of implementing how they would actually help us do well on ATI (their chosen NCLEX-prep program; the issue was, no one took it very seriously and many were getting Level 1 on their proctored exams; I took it seriously and got 3s on all proctored exams except for 2 -- the issue was that none of the instructors were using it effectively and everyone thought of it as an optional annoyance on the side) and changed the policy in a manner that would have severely impacted students. It was not fun to challenge this, it was one of the most stressful and thankless undertakings of my life and it showed me how entitled nursing students can be. However, I did it for the greater good and at least got the change post-poned for a year while curriculum changes were finishing being made.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Yes they can...it's their program. NCLEX pass rates are important. My daughter and I looked closely at the pass rates to determine which school she would attend. NCLEX pass rates are tied to accreditation and HESI has become a good indicator of where students stand.

[159Nursesrule, ADN, BSN, CNA, EMT-B]

State BON's often require schools to develop and implement a plan to show how they are going to improve their pass rates when they fall below the 80% requirement. Your school is being proactive in developing a plan. HESI's are to your advantage, at my school, the pass rate on exit HESI was 900 and you have 6 attempts to pass before you have to repeat the semester. In addition, my school revamped all test question so that they are more like NCLEX questions, they started this in Med Surg 1 so by the end of the program NCLEX style questions are second nature.