hello, everyone! good morning. i have a classmate here with me and she would like to make several comments based on her experience with our school and the hesi exam. please, be kind with your replies. please. note, this is her opinion and her experiences! lets respect that. thank you!
[color=#333333]the academic staff at one of the city colleges of chicago awarded me my grades, which indicates mastery of their nursing program.
[color=#333333]i was unsuccessful with the hesi exit exam, an exam that was utilized to protect their own pass rates two months before my graduation. the city colleges of chicago is implementing this exam only as an obstacle to prevent myself and other qualified classmates from taking the nclex rn exam. this strategy shows only one design, and that is only to give an artificially inflated pass rate for the school. which indicates that the city colleges of chicago lacks concern of the success of their students, but is only concern in protecting their own pass rates. i am not arguing the importance of appropriate and relevant testings. but the city colleges of chicago is using this exam to deny me and other classmates who have successfully completed the academic program the opportunity to graduate and sit for boards.
it all boils down to the city colleges of chicago not having confidence in their own academic program. they are trying to bolster their nclex pass rates by eliminating me and other classmates from the test pool. if they have legitimate reason to question me and other students' ability to pass nclex, then why have i passed all of their nursing classes? if i had any unsatisfactory performance i should have been weeded out of the program long before completing the program! i provided above standard care of my patients and received excellent evaluations/competency from my instructors for the two years that i was in the program. my family and i sacrificed a lot. i completed the program, and paid my tuitions. my score was 85%, which indicates the probability by percentage of passing the state boards exam (nclex rn). olive harvey college stated they will not allow me to sit for boards or give me my nursing degree unless i scored 87% or above. the hesi exam is not a competency exam. only the nclex rn is the nationally recognized competency exam. i have accumulated over 100 college credit hours and most are nursing. nursing courses are not transferable. there over 1 ½ yr. long waiting list in other nursing programs. i am in debt from college loans and with no degree to show for it. does this sound fair to you?
in simple terms what am i talking about?
what is the hesi exit exam? its an exam that determines the probability by percentage if you will pass the nclex rn exam. it is also used for both the faculty and students, to determine the student and nursing curriculum of their areas of weakness. in other words, it's a probability and assessment exam.
for example, there are 43 students who completed the nursing program. out of the 43 students only three passed the hesi exit exam. out the three who passed the hesi exit exam, only two passed the nclex rn exam. now, the school can state that they have 99% nclex pass rate. according to the state requirement, if nursing programs can show they have above 87% nclex first time test taker pass rate (i think that the%) they can attain more money from the state and it will bait more investors. but, what nobody knows is that, the 40 students who completed the program, cannot attain their nursing degree or take the nclex rn exam. those 40 students are left with nothing but a student loan, low self esteem, and humiliation. four years of nursing school down the drain.
one more thing, there are seven colleges within the city colleges of chicago. therefore, if there are 40 students who were unsuccessful, that would not include all the other six colleges. you can assume, 40 students times 6 colleges. plus, students graduate in december and may. that's 240 students times 2. you do the math. my classmates have been without their earned degree since 2006. i can assure you, currently, this sort of deceptive practice is still occurring city college wide. those students who were not successful, were abandoned by the school.
another thing, the city college policy is so subjective. they chose who can and cannot re-take the hesi exam. nobody knows how and why, but its true.
here is the kicker. you can take the nclex rn exam, according to the state licensing board up to twelve times within three years. but, the city colleges of chicago only counts those students who will pass nclex rn exam the first time. the second time test takers don't count. i wonder how many excellent doctors, and lawyers passed their boards the first time? i would like to hear from other city colleges of chicago nursing students who are going through this. we need to get together democratically and voice our concerns. this sort of diagnostic test is not being utilized in medical school. mayor daley i hope you will read this. how many times did it take you to pass your bar exam?
there are a lot of issues and concerns regarding the punitive uses of this exam. the creator of hesi, susan morrison has stated herself that she did not create these exams for punitive reasons, but as a learning tool. i hope i have a few supporters regarding this issue. if the city colleges of chicago truly wanted their students to be successful, they should have utilized the hesi exam throughout the curriculum and not just at the end. it should have been implemented after each nursing course, which will give the student familiarity base, and used accordingly as an assessment tool for both the faculty and student. why did they have to wait until we have completed the program? can you imagine? you received you final grades, than for the school to tell you, "oh by the way, you have to take another test, if you don't pass this one, you will not get your nursing degree and you won't be able sit for your licensing board?"
i would like nothing more than your support. help my classmates, please. if you have any question please ask away. you can research this issue, there are a lot of students who have voiced their concerns. i am afraid this sort of deceptive practice is becoming a trend with most nursing programs. other programs, have taken accountability and fixed their mistakes. unfortunately, the city colleges of chicago have not. i doubt that they will.
contact mayor daley, senator dick durbin, reporters, past, current students, nurses and anyone else you can think of to attend and advocate us. please!
the next board meeting will be held thursday, may 7, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. room 300 district office, 226 west jackson boulevard, chicago, il 60606.
my classmates and i do not have anymore money to take them to court and we don't have the resources. telling our story is all i, we have. i pray a savior will come. i have faith in the lord in the people. mind you, we are not asking for a free-ride. we asking for what we worked hard for - the opportunity to take the nclex rn exam.
i am sorry if this is so lengthy. i am sure that some of you can understand how much pain i am in. i and my classmates are suffering fiancially. please, help us.
