I am a RN student who was just informed by our school of nursing that they are going to hold student transcripts if we do not get a passing score on our ATI comprehensive test. (ATI is a company that prepares you for the NCLEX, similar to Kaplan). So this means that although I have passed all of the requirements to sit for the boards my school is holding my transcripts hostage until they feel I am ready to "pass" the NCLEX. They has expressed that they are going to do this because how we do on NCLEX reflects the school. Is this legal? Any suggestions on what I should do?
I too am in an accelerated program, but unlike you we got the news that we must pass ATI two weeks before our last semester. The test layout is vary similar to your school in that if we do not pass we can retake the ATI exam again. The ATI pass/fail courses are not in our program requirements and although I am doing very well in school I am not testing well on ATI. Of course I want to pass NCLEX, and would not sit for the test until I am certain, I just don't like the idea that they are holding my transcripts hostage. By the school holding on to the transcripts the board will not issue any of my cohort our interim permit. For those of us who have jobs lined up, and were relaying on the interim permits really puts us in a sticky situation.
What does your college catalog say about graduation requirements?
A college catalog is essentially a contract between the school and student. If you successfully complete the requirements set forth in the catalog in effect at the time you enrolled in school, the school agrees to grant you a diploma/degree. They can not make unilateral changes to that catalog. So if the "exit" exam is listed as a requirement in the catalog, then they are probably within their legal rights to with-hold your diploma/degree and block your access to NCLEX. If the exit exam is not specified in the catalog, then I believe you have a legitimate legal complaint.
For others reading this post, please take this as a cautionary note that many schools are adding artificial exit exams to their graduation requirements in an effort to prevent candidates from taking NCLEX if the school believes they may not pass. This does not serve any interest of the student, only the school, by inflating their NCLEX pass rates. If a school has accepted a student's tuiton money and awarded passing grades to that student, it is wrong to prevent that student from receiving a diploma or degree and from taking NCLEX solely because the school fears the student might fail. None of the exams used as exit exams by nursing schools are required by state Boards of Nursing, nor are they designed to be used to prevent grads from taking boards. They do have some predictive value of passing boards, but even that is not well-established.
When choosing a nursing school, think long and hard about enrolling in a program that may hold your degree/diploma and professional license hostage over an artificial exit exam.
All schools will hold transcripts if the student owes them money. As for the ATI test scores, a controversial practice. As many of the others in my class, I failed my diagnostic tests before graduation, but passed the boards with no problem. Feel that this is a poor decision on the part of the school, but consistent with the "don't make us look bad" mentality.
The school that I am attending is also doing this. They said that they will not clear us to take the boards until the ATI says that we are ready. After I graduate in May I have to take an ATI course. It can be anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks long depending on my skill level. I think that after I am done with the course, whether it is 2 or 6 weeks they have to clear me for boards. It is not like they are going to never clear me, but I have to go through the ATI couse first.
They can hold your transcript if you owe them money, or if you owe them equipment/library books/other things you may have borrowed (ask me how I know). But I've never heard of a school holding a transcript because of a test. That does not sound right at all...don't know if it's legal, but I don't like the sound of that.
Does anyone know if I report this to the BRN if my schools accreditation will be in jeopardy?
I don't know. But IMHO, why are you worried about that when that school is holding you back by not releasing your transcript go so you can take the NCLEX?
I have never heard of them holding a transcript unless it was for money owed. However, I have heard to schools not graduating you or passing you if you don't pass the ATI -- which basically is the same thing. You can't sit for the boards. Perhaps that is what the administrator meant when they said "hold the transcript." As far as I know, if passing the ATI test is a requirement for passing, they can do this. The board won't give a crap about your transcript if you have not "passed" the program (meaning fullfilled all the requirements.) If passing the ATI wasn't explicitly listed as one of the requirements for passing the program when you joined, you might want to put up a fuss. Nurisng programs are always doing this, trying to implement changes in the middle of the program. I'm not sure it's kosher.
A lot of schools are doing this sort of thing these days. As a general rule, schools have the right to determine their graduation requirements. They can make a passing grade on the ATI or HESI (or some other test) a requirement for passing the final course of the program. So in the long run, they have been successful in including it as part of their requirements. They just have to get the details right in how they do it so that they don't get sued by students for substituting one set of graduation requirements for another set of requirments that have been published.
A few students have tried to sue schools who have added such exams to published graduation requirements. To avoide losing such law schools, schools have found a way around that legal arguement. For example: The student handbook (or similar document) says you have to pass a course called Nursing 424 in your final semester. The school can simply make the exam a part of that course. In order to pass that final course, you need to pass the exam.
So ... while it might help to talk with a lawyer for legal advice as to whether or not you have a case worth taking to court (claiming that they changed the graduation requirements on you after you enrolled) ... it might be easier, quicker, and cheaper to simply study for the exam and pass it. New students who enter the program after that requirement has been published will probably not have even the slightest chance to sue on those grounds.
The licensure system is set up for students to have to meet 2 sets of requirements -- Pass the NCLEX to demonstrate theoretical/conceptual knowledge ... and ... graduate and earn endorsement from an approved school of nursing willing to certify that you are a competent practitioner. That is the role of the school within the licensing system, to serve as a 2nd "approver" of an applicant who wishes to be designated as an RN. The proper role of the school within the system is to give either a "thumbs up" or a "thumbs down." And that's the role the board wants them to have. While most boards don't want such exams used in that way, they do not want to interfere or take away the school's role in endorsing candidates.
Just like a school can hold a transcript for earning a 76.9% instead of a 77% passing score, for example...or not completing all precepting hours.
My school uses the ATI, and my class was notified that we now won't have to pass the comprehensive ATI to graduate, but recent semesters had to. Apparently, too many students weren't passing, and the school is looking into the issue, and looking at our test scores (we still do take the exam). These standardized tests, whether HESI or ATI, are big deals, much like the stress of having to pass the NCLEX. Right or wrong, I'm not sure. The goal is to prepare professional nurses, and the standards are higher than ever. Part of me is glad, because the nursing profession seems to be inviting only the best and brightest, like med schools. Part of me is like, how sad, because I know there are caring individuals who aren't even getting into NS, let alone passing these exams...I don't know.
It was the same at my school when I graduated (December 2008). However the passing the ATI was a requirement for passing the last semester of nursing. It was included in our tuition and you had the opportunity to retake it once, if you failed the retake you would have to pay to try again.
Just take it and pass. Everyone passed on the first or second try in my program.
i wish that was the case but unfortunately so far we have all taken it once and not one person has passed out of 40+ students. i am not so worried about passing ati (i will study and get my passing score), but i am more bothered by the fact that my program thru this on us 2 months before we graduate. if this was something that was introduced at the beginning of the program i would not be as concerned. i think i am still in shock that they are going to dangle our transcripts in front of our face while we jump through their hoops.
I am sorry to hear that your entire group failed. I would be surprised if they would let that many people not graduate. I imagine that they may adjust what score they expect based on the difficulty your group is having. Have you been taking ATI assessments throughout your program? We took them for every area and had to pass them every semester so it was not a new task thrown on at the end.
To pass the ATI look at your score report and it will tell you what areas you were weak in. Then go back and look at those sections in the ATI books and DVDs to review and do the practice assessments.
acceleratedstudent
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I too am in an accelerated program, but unlike you we got the news that we must pass ATI two weeks before our last semester. The test layout is vary similar to your school in that if we do not pass we can retake the ATI exam again. The ATI pass/fail courses are not in our program requirements and although I am doing very well in school I am not testing well on ATI. Of course I want to pass NCLEX, and would not sit for the test until I am certain, I just don't like the idea that they are holding my transcripts hostage. By the school holding on to the transcripts the board will not issue any of my cohort our interim permit. For those of us who have jobs lined up, and were relaying on the interim permits really puts us in a sticky situation.