Cheaters.... What is our responsibility?

[PlayaChickRN]

Hi all.

I'm in my last semester of pre-reqs, starting nursing school in the fall. I have noticed a bit of casual cheating (who knew this was a thing!?). Last week, a couple students next to me, while taking a test in A&P II were blatantly cheating. How do I know? Well, this teacher gives color coded tests, such that you should never be next to anyone with the same version of the test as yourself. HOWEVER, the questions are all the same, just jumbled around. Long story short, they were talking and comparing tests in detail, also, our teacher made a printing error and had to manually write some questions (for only one version of the test) on the board. One of the alleged cheaters turned in her test, before the professor even finished writing the questions on the board! (I was shocked.) He was flustered because of his error and didn't notice what was going on with these girls.

My dilemma... what is my responsibility (if any)with this blatant cheating and with casual cheating that I see almost daily (with others)? I'm a person of strong character and have very black and white views on this for myself and my kids. I also spend hours studying for a test only to get within 5 points of these "cheaters".

These girls, specifically, are pre-nursing. If they somehow make it in, how would you deal with this in the program? It could really screw up someone's care down the line and frankly it scares me to have to share patients with someone like this.

My petty concern, is that they will retaliate. They already don't seem to be the nicest of people and would hate to end up with a keyed car or something. If I don't do something, they could end up hurting someone down the line with these poor habits.

Gah! Help. Have you ever been in a similar situation? At what point is enough, enough?

[Spangle Brown]

I seen this during my pre-reqs and it really stressed me out at first. Students trying to look off other students papers, keep pushing the paper over and trying to get help. I learned to make sure I set where I can't see such stuff. Cause by my personal nature, it stresses me.

However, They are cheating themselves. They are paying for an education that they are not getting. They are thinking of the momment, not the future. Case in point, one girl that I watched cheating through class, later ended up in my micro, When it came time to take the TEAS, guess who couldn't get a decent score? She wanted help, but it was so low, I don't have time to give her a complete education on basic stuff she should have learned in school.

Now that I am in nursing school, I see tests for chapters, check offs, lots of "pass/fails" and the course ends with a Hesi or ATI that must be passed, and after several terms, here comes the NClex.. Cheating? I doubt a cheater could realistically get through all that. sooo, they are wasting their money. It would really such to go through 5 terms and not be able to have the knowledge to pass the Nclex.

At this point, if I seen cheating, I would just stay clear of the person. THey would be useless to me. I need study buddies, not someone who when they get caught, all their 'friends' would be watched closely.

[scaredsilly, BSN, RN]

I went to school with 2 people who cheated blatantly. One got caught during pre reqs, got a slap on the wrist and still made it into nursing school. I stayed away from them as much as possible, saw them as trouble on feet. Both graduated with me. Both failed the NCLEX at least twice.

[rob4546, ADN, BSN, MSN]

I went to school with 2 people who cheated blatantly. One got caught during pre reqs, got a slap on the wrist and still made it into nursing school. I stayed away from them as much as possible, saw them as trouble on feet. Both graduated with me. Both failed the NCLEX at least twice.

This would lend credibility to the line of thought that cheaters will sink themselves. Unfortunately I didn't follow this line of thought. In my prerequisites there were two that openly cheated and I saw it first hand. One used her phone under the desk during exams and the other actually would be the last to turn in quizzes so that her quiz was on the top of the pile. During the lecture she would sit at the front table and when the instructor wasn't looking would take the quiz and change answers. I have no misconception that this happened. The googler never made it into the nursing program, and the quiz changer made it in one year after me and withdrew 8 days after she began fundamentals.

I made the instructor aware of what was happening but now looking back I think I should have kept it to myself. Why did I feel so high and mighty? Now I know they would have hung themselves and I didn't need to stress over it or stick my neck out like that.

I say ignore it and move on.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

Relax, OP. In four years your classmates will be on here complaining about how they're being denied nursing licenses because they left the building during NCLEX to take a ride in their cars but, really, they didn't cheat they just needed to clear their heads.

[WookieeRN, BSN, MSN, RN]

I don't bother outing cheaters. They will eventually shoot themselves in the foot regardless of my involvement or not.

"You do you, and I'll do me," is what I always say.

[mississippikid]

I say stay out of it. If they cheat now, and cheat in nursing school, they are screwed for NCLEX. Just do you and don't worry about anyone else...

[mariebailey, MSN, RN]

I went to school with 2 people who cheated blatantly. One got caught during pre reqs, got a slap on the wrist and still made it into nursing school. I stayed away from them as much as possible, saw them as trouble on feet. Both graduated with me. Both failed the NCLEX at least twice.

scaredsilly, I desperately want to adopt the cat that is your avatar!

[Jewelsforme]

No worries my friend. Cheaters will be at the very bottom of the nursing class, scraping by. The courses are so tough that if you don't study and perform your own critical thinking, you will fail. You simply can't pass the nursing exams or the NCLEX by cheating. Let's say they manage to pass some how - they are going to hurt some patient in a very bad way because of ignorance and the institution they work at will have to fire them for not being able to learn and mature in critical thinking. You just keep on doing what you're doing. Your excellence will show and their stupidity cannot be hidden. You will become a very good nurse and won't remember who the cheaters were.

[Elevense]

In my A&P II class, there was some really blatant cheating. In lab we would be taking quizzes and after people started handing in their quizzes so pulling out their books and whispering to neighbors, some people still taking the quizzes would pull out their books/notes to look up answers and start discussing the answers. The same people would wear hoodies with front-pockets and pull out their phones out during exams. The instructor knew, and after a few people in my lab/study group complained, he did give a speech. But ultimately he didn't seem to care too much, and said it would "eventually" catch up with them.

I am getting to the end of my nursing program and most rumored cheaters are no longer with us (not from getting caught, just eventually not passing). There is only one I know of still, probably the worst-kept secret of my cohort so many classmates and close friends claim to have seen it. I know other people have reported it throughout the semesters to different instructors, sometimes with a name sometimes just a general heads up that cheating is going on. The person still around is a good student, and I am pretty sure they will pass the NCLEX if they get to that point. They are just kind of type A+ about grades, so if I had to guess why, probably rationalizes it's "okay" to just check a few questionable answers with a neighboring paper.

So I'm not confident the system will get every cheater - but it should get most. I think I get less worked up about it than a lot of my classmates. I guess because I feel like there's only so much that's in our control and our responsibility. I just try to focus on what I'm doing, and maybe try not sit next to someone who might have roaming eyes. :)

[Christinajoannne]

This has been happening since my freshmen year, and how I see it is...they eventually get what is coming to them. It may not be right away...but eventually. And you know what? I've been right. All the people that have cheated since freshmen year are no longer with us. They failed their tests, their clinicals, their care plans. They lacked in an area, because they didn't study the information.

Things like this, I would say, stick to your business. Don't be that tattle tale person. We're in college. We're mature adults, and we are responsible for our ownselves. The thing about being nursing students is trying to be on everyone's good side you know? If it got out you told on someone, no one in your class will trust you. And you need that trust to build a good rapport with your classmates, and hopefully through these classmates you can find a job.

[DarkKnightNurse]

I knew plenty of cheaters in college, some failed out and some are RNs now. I was never too bothered by it even though I never cheated myself. its just one of those things you have to let go because it always catches up to them in the long run. they'll end up looking stupid in their first job by not knowing essential things.

[Mr. Murse]

Like most responses said.........just ignore it and go about your business.

Reality is that we live in a world where rules are broken all the time, in every profession, everywhere. Most of us see it regularly at work and at just about any job and school I've ever been to. Usually it's just minor stuff, but occasionally bigger stuff too. It's human nature. Not saying that to excuse it, but to say that it's a fight you can't win so just do what you feel is right and let others live by their conscious as well (or lack of) unless you see it directly putting someone else at risk. I don't think any of us have the right or credentials to be the karma police.

Another reality is that cheaters do sometimes prosper. Life is weird and not always fair and certainly not always explainable. Just because they cheated doesn't mean they'll "get theirs down the line" and I think that's a crappy, vindictive mindset to have. Who cares? It's funny how adamantly we like to hold on to the idea that "justice will be served" (our own perceptions of justice, of course). We all sometimes get things we don't deserve or don't get things we do deserve. Life goes on. Again, take care of yourself. Do the best you can and graduate confidently knowing you did it all legitimately.