Current RN program- School Policy Changes

Its kind of a gray area. Is the school is pumping out too many graduates who cant pass the NCLEX, then they look bad, and need to be more strict with grades. This usually leads to policy change in grade requirements. It is part for the school and part for the student. I know grades are not the only thing that shows if a student will make a competent nurse, but how you do in school does reflect in part what your competency as a nurse will be as well as your ability to pass the NCLEX. If you cant pass the NCLEX, or it takes you 10 tries, then the school has done you a diservice and cost you a lot of money, where had you been failed for poor grades, the money would be saved, or you would repeat a semester and re learn the material to do better the next time around. THis helps the student, as well as keeps the NCLEX pass rates of the school up. (all "you"s are general you, not specific). Students barely skimming by will just need to work a little harder.

Also most, if not all, programs will have something in their student handbook stating that policy can be changed at any time in the program. For my program, many of the clinical sites are requiring more stringent background clearance, so a new ploicy was implemented and any student on the waitlist (ASN waitlist placement) who couldnt get the higher background clearance was dropped from the pool, even if they had already completed all pre and co requisites. ALso for the students in the program currently, the faculty will attempt to place them in a facility that will take their current background clearance (if they couldnt meet the more stringent requirement), but if there isnt a site available, then they get dropped from the program. It completely sucks for any who are dropped, but most employers will require the higher clearance level, so allowing the students in the wait pool to enter the program, and the students in the program to continue would be a waste since they would be all but unhireably anyway.

I know my program is stressing to us to use NCLEX and HESI test questions available to us as practice as soon as possible, and that even after graduation, we should still spend a few month training up for the NCLEX before we take it.

They also started a new policy this semester where you have to get a 75.5% grade between all tests and quizzes before homework grades begin to count in at all. Its harsh, but I think it will make us better nurses in the long run.

Thank you both for your input :)

The same exact thing happened to my class. You needed a 74 in each class and a 2.75 GPA at the end of each semester in order to progress. Many students swore it was 2.5 when they applied. I never looked so personally I can't say. BUT it was tough for many and many students were released from the program because of the new progression policy.

My program is struggling with this as well. Our NCLEX pass rate fell from 90-95% (where it had been for years and years) to about 80% last year.

They've told us point-blank that they're having a tough time trying to raise standards so we're adequately prepared while still keeping morale of up. Tests are harder, we can't ever finish a topic in class because of the massive amounts of info going on, etc etc.

Can't wait to graduate!

Our policy has always been a 75% to pass a class. The change is that this does not apply for the overall grade, but now applies to each exam. If you do not get a 75% on the midterm, you cannot move forward. I understand the changes, just seems odd to change policy a few days before the first midterm for my cohort. As we all know, nursing school is already stressful enough