very disappointed in my Nursing School

Nursing Students General Students

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Specializes in neuro,L&D,med/surg.

Can anyone lead me in the right direction? I am starting my 3rd year of a 3 year part-time evening weekend Nursing program and have just received yet another typical screw up from the school. Some of the instructors are not consistant with their information and not very compassionate when it comes to circumstances that may arise with non-traditional working students with families. In addition to that, we just received a letter that we will be issued PDAs this upcoming semester for a fee of $620. This is the first we have heard about this and about 2/3 of the class already own their own PDAs with software already downloaded. Before I purchased my PDA back in the beginning of fall 2005 semester I contacted no less than 5 people in different offices at the school and inquired about the PDA and was told to go ahead and purchase it on my own to be used in addition to what the school was requiring. Now I am being forced to pay $620 for another one. Does anyone have any advice on how to handle this. They have also included the cost of our books in our tuition this semester, books that the majority of us can get either used or for a discounted price. They are requiring that they come from the school's bookstore. The whole situation is disheartening and very difficult to deal with given the fact that I do not have the money and the time to deal with this. Anyone out there with some suggestions. They would be greatly apprecitated.

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is this school part of a state system...see if you can protest these charges

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Specializes in neuro,L&D,med/surg.

We are a diploma school. I am in my 3rd year of a 3 year evening weekend program

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620 bucks for a PDA?! Does it mow the yard too?

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Cardiac, ICU.
620 bucks for a PDA?! Does it mow the yard too?

and do dishes. Is it gonna go to work for you after you finish school or at least take the NCLEX for you (and pass)?

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$620 for a PDA!!!

The software package on that thing must be sweet, otherwise you guys are getting a HUGE markup!

If some of you already have the books and PDA's you should take it up with the powers that be. Perhaps they made an error in including the books.

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Specializes in Case Management, Home Health, UM.
620 bucks for a PDA?! Does it mow the yard too?

:rotfl:

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My school does strange, evil sounding things like that as well. Thus far, the one that has cost our class the most money was the $200 lab fee we paid with summer tuition...only to have the lab closed all summer! In other issues, the most effective thing for us has been to have all the students in the class come together as one voice, the school has been pretty good with listening to us. You might have the same luck, especially since so many people in your class already have the PDAs. Why not ask if you can just buy the program? Present it as a compromise and ONLY turn into a raging, red faced student when they do not listen. :) Good luck.

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We have class officers that regularly attend faculty meetings. Do you have something like this in place to present your concerns? If not, you should form a student council and have a respresentative speak to the dean or someone else in charge. There is also a national student nurses association. They may be able to help you. There is a nursing student bill of rights http://www.nsna.org/pubs/billofrights.asp I don't know if the school is violating any of them, or even if the bill of rights has any real leverage, but it might at least be an authority to cite when presenting your case.

Many universities usually make changes and additions for incoming students to avoid these types of issues. I don't know why your program is changing requirements for students already in the program.

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In my school we signed a contract before we started in the program. I went through a BSN program, but I would think most school are the same. In this contract we got a list of estimated expenses which outlined approximate costs of everything down to estimating cost for books but it also said it estimated high in case we bought al our books new. One semester they tried to tell us that we had to buy the books for one of our classes from the university bookstore. I adamently refused arming myself with documentation of a site online where I could buy the same exact book for a lower price. They tried to tell me that I still would have to buy the book from the bookstore and we said no and started a petition for the whole class. We found ou the instructor was the author of the book and would get a larger % somehow if we bought from our bookstore. It ended up that we took the petition to the administration of our college and they laid down the law and took our side (woo hoo!!!). I don't know how this would work for your program being that they are trying to include books into your yearly tuition, but check and see what documentation you got from them before you started. Maintain your position and get your classmates involved in actively protesting this. If you guys already have PDAs, the school can't come back now in your 3rd year and make you buy them. I would go as far as to get legal representation if you need to. Don't give in. Good luck with the situation

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Specializes in Emergency Dept, M/S.

$620 is outrageous, even if that does include software! I'd protest for sure, some way, some how. There must be other students in your situation as well. I also can't understand why they make you purchase it now, in your last year, instead of at the beginning??

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That price is outrageous. Sounds like your school may be getting kickbacks from the seller! I would go straight to the dean with my concerns.

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