Does anyone else see the conflict of interest between NCSBN and NCLEX?
FOr those who don't know already, the NCSBN is the organization that creates the NCLEX-RN, pearsonvue are the people who administers the NCLEX. The conflict of interest issues arises because NCSBN directly profits from the NCLEX through testing fee's. So in the interest of NCSBN, they will increase the passing standard rates every 2-3 years, in order for people to fail so that more income is generated. Sure we all would like to think that NCSBN increses the passing rate because they want to promote more competent nurses into the nursing field but is this really why they increase the passing rates and make the questions confusing and difficult?
The other issue in regards to NCSBN is that NCSBN offers a NCLEX review called learning extension that fasely informs NCLEX candidates that since the test is written by NCSBN that the learning extension NCLEX review will be very much like the NCLEX...NCSBN may not say this directly but they students are under this impression. NCSBN should not in anyway promote a NCLEX review on their website...this is a prime example that NCSBN is out for one thing, money.
If NCSBN doesn't make any money from their test or offer any review courses on thier website, then this wouldn't be a conflict of interest. However, NCSBN is like any other organization. They want to make money by constantly making is confusing and difficult for people to pass so that they have to pay the $200 fee to take the NCLEX.
We read so many people who post and say that they passed, but I am guaranteeing that there are many people who fail and don't post up and I am sure that there are many people who take it numerous times.
Now for those people who take it numerous time, have it really bad because the NCLEX knows you and your test taking abilities. The NCLEX knows what your weaknesses are and the NCLEX will take advantage of this by asking you questions that you are weak on. Now, my question is does this really make you a competent nurse by asking you questions that even many senior nurses will not even know? I think not.
There are other issues I have with the NCSBN...
Who decides that if I don't answer a question correctly on the NCLEX that I am an incompetent nurse?
Just because I don't know the lab values for all the conditions, does not mean I am incompetent. The lab values are listed on the patients results.
If I receive 4 pharmacology questions and I miss 2 out of 4, then I automatically fail the NCLEX because I got a 50% on my phar questions...and this goes same for other type of questions like med calculation question. If you receive 2 med calculation questions and you answer 1 incorrect you fail the entire exam because you fall in the 50% percentile...its ridiculous.
The driving force for the NCSBN to make question confusing and difficult and also increase the passing rate is for one purpose only...that is to make more income. If NCSBN is so worried about putting out competent nurses out on the field, NCSBN should charge nursing student's a 1 time NCLEX test taking fee and with the one time fee, the nursing student can take the test as many times as they can without paying the fee ever again.
I understand the conflict of interest angle. They write the test and provide a review course. Sorta like selling broken glass and bandaids in the same store. Well maybe not that extreme, LOL.
The bigger issue to me is the quality of the course. Shouldn't their practice tests be the closest to NCLEX? Seems like everyone would be flocking to that course.
I don't have a problem with them selling a course as long as it helps those who cannot pass.
What I find strange is that it's one of the less expensive courses but doesn't seem too poplular. At least not here. More seem to be willing to pay the outrageous Kaplan price or go the Saunders route.
I don't have any experience with Kaplan(just the book) or the NSCBN offering. I'm just curious as to why NSCBN is not regarded as the definative source when they write the tests.
I never even know the NCSBN offered a review course. I just looked it up now out of curiosituy. They do have a question of the week posted on thier front home page and it did resemble an actual Nclex Question, short and simple.
Maybe it is not as popular per say because they dont advertise as much. From what I looked at online, it does look like a good program, as far as review courses go.
I never knew a thing about any review courses till my last semester of school. My school utilized ATI so that is what my instructors pushed. A few classmates of mine went to the SNA convention and Hurst was there, so I heard about that one. Another fellow student of mine was offered to go through Kaplans through the Hospital she worked for--so then I heard about kaplans.
Here is my thought on the review courses. They are out to make money. They prey on the anxiety level of the graduating nurses.
Really--what are they teaching you in a few days that you didnt learn in 2 or 4 years of school???
I swear by just doing practice questions, the more the better. Learn how to narrow down choices. Get the confidence boost you need in the comfort of your own home by doing practice Saunders/Mosbys/Davis/ATI/NSBCN what ever works for you.
Share your study materials, my classmates and I traded off NCLEX prep books/disks all last semester. Once I passed my boards, I gave my study books to a friend of mine the semester behind me. I was given the books by a friend of mine who graduated 2 years ago--she was given the books by a friend of hers who graduated before her.
I dont have a couple of hundred extra bucks to take a review course.
OK I am done ranting now, you can probaly tell I am passionate about this. I just wish people would relax--take a deep breath and do your best. I swear the anxiety is way worse than the test.
I understand the conflict of interest angle. They write the test and provide a review course. Sorta like selling broken glass and bandaids in the same store. Well maybe not that extreme, LOL.
The bigger issue to me is the quality of the course. Shouldn't their practice tests be the closest to NCLEX? Seems like everyone would be flocking to that course.
I don't have a problem with them selling a course as long as it helps those who cannot pass.
What I find strange is that it's one of the less expensive courses but doesn't seem too poplular. At least not here. More seem to be willing to pay the outrageous Kaplan price or go the Saunders route.
I don't have any experience with Kaplan(just the book) or the NSCBN offering. I'm just curious as to why NSCBN is not regarded as the definative source when they write the tests.
Peace.
This is another issue I have with NCSBN and the NCLEX. From my exhaustive research on this website, I have calculated that majority of the people who took the NCSBN learning extension has repeatly said that it is a waste of money. People who have taken learning extension have also said that they were under the impression that since NCSBN creates the NCLEX test that the NCSBN learning extension is similar to the NCLEX...However, everyone says it is no way close to the actual NCLEX questions.
The issue is...it is very clear that since NCSBN offers a review course called learning extension that they have ulterior motives other than to promote competent nurses. It is evident that NCSBN learning extension is false advertising and clearly a way to prey on anxious and sometimes desperate NCLEX test takers. Why else will NCSBN promote their own NCLEX review course and the review course be nothing like the NCLEX. I have read that people who have comented that after taking the NCSBN review course that they were more confused after taking the course and also that there were no rationals as to why you got a question wrong.
This is not a conspiracy theory...it is fact and evidence has show and proved that NCSBN has conflicts of interest that makes them not credible to administer the NCLEX. As I said before, NCSBN has to seperate themselves from a money making corporation and recreate an image that truley states that NCSBN is here to create competent nurses by administering a fair and just test that will truely and fairly measure the competency level of newly nursing graduates.
We as nursing student should not have to adhere to NCLEX style questions, when all during our nursing program we had to take test that were geared so that we can understand and apply what we learned throughout the nursing program. Nursing students should not be forced to learn 2 modes of nursing school...
1st mode...Nursing student mode, where we learn from books, lectures, and take test based on what we learned and apply what we learned during clinicals.
2nd mode...NCLEX test taking mode, where we have to answer questions based on what NCLEX rules and regulations.
Lastly, No one can determine a competent nurse from a non-competent nurse by answering a question correctly or incorrectly on the NCLEX. It does not matter if you administer O2 before or after you raise the head of bed. Just as long as you do it when emergency situation occur, you are doing your job as a nurse. The doctor is not going to ask you what you did first administer O2 or raise the head of bed to promote oxygen deliver to a patient. Also the NCLEX can not judge if your a competent nurse by answering a question that invloves the therapeutic words to say to a psychiatric patient who see's bugs on the wall. Or if you know all of the lab values for various results...the normal lab values are on all the results.
The test is what the test is...I agree how can 1 test determine if you are a qualified nurse or not? You are right O2 before the head of the bed is raised or after really does not matter in the grand scheme of thing.
But there HAS to be some qualifying factor. Besides taking an NCLEX test, what do you suggest?
As far as learning two modes of nursing. School vs Nclex. My school required us to take a minimum amount of Nclex style questions each semester. We had to score above 85% to be able to count them towards our total and each semester we had to take 265 in one sitting at 85% or greater level.
So we were able to practice Nclex style of questions each and every semester.
Mytonezucs
120 Posts
I understand the conflict of interest angle. They write the test and provide a review course. Sorta like selling broken glass and bandaids in the same store. Well maybe not that extreme, LOL.
The bigger issue to me is the quality of the course. Shouldn't their practice tests be the closest to NCLEX? Seems like everyone would be flocking to that course.
I don't have a problem with them selling a course as long as it helps those who cannot pass.
What I find strange is that it's one of the less expensive courses but doesn't seem too poplular. At least not here. More seem to be willing to pay the outrageous Kaplan price or go the Saunders route.
I don't have any experience with Kaplan(just the book) or the NSCBN offering. I'm just curious as to why NSCBN is not regarded as the definative source when they write the tests.
Peace.