Do you clean desk and hands before test?

[jbtampa]

Hello all,

At Gulf Coast College, an LPN school in Tampa, we are now required to put all belongings in an adjoining room and wash our desk top and hands before every test. This is a class of 18. Teacher watches. All classes, all teachers. Students who protest were run out of school. Please share your thoughts. We were told it is common procedure--but we feel like the life has been sucked out of school. Our boorish instructors do wake up long enough to enforce this pre-test scrub. Comments?

[HeartsOpenWide, RN]

Um, this is NOT common practice. In fact I have never heard of this before. If you want to do this then fine, but they should not make you and they certainly should not watch you...what are you in Kindergarden, "wash your hands boys and girls I am watching!"

[APBT mom, LPN, RN]

Our school makes us go in a different room, can't bring our cell phones, purses have to go on the counter in the front, and any reading material must be put in in chair beside us, only one to a table and we can't sit in a chair that is next to someone else. Found writing on my desk and let the instructor know it was dosage conversions which got us both laughing because they were wrong.

Why we have to do this is the same reason you have to wash your hands. Someone got caught cheating and that's how they were doing it. One class was using cell phones and texting the answers three or four got caught so that's why we can't keep them in our pocket. What's worse is that they are lying to you and saying that all the schools do this our instructors were very honest about why we weren't allowed to have things in our pockets. Just play the game so you don't look guilty because at some schools even if they suspect cheating you're out of the program and you'll have a pretty hard time trying to get into another one explaining why you got expelled.

I'm so glad that I decided not to go there I've heard nothing but bad things about that school.

[caliotter3]

A way of combatting cheating. Never heard of it before, but it sounds reasonable under the circumstances. Apparently people who were cheating in the past were writing on their hands and/or the desk tops. Just play the game the way they want the game to be played, so you can graduate. Good luck with your studies.

[ERRNTraveler, RN]

I went to school in WI, but we had to do similar things there- I don't see what the big deal is, if you're not cheating, then why would it bother you to have to wash your desk & hands before a test?

[LydiaNN]

I never heard of it, either, but I don't see why anyone would feel the need to protest. I'm sure it feels infantilizing, but the people to blame for that are the cheaters that have ruined it for all of you.

[NRSNFL]

We have to seperate all our belongings, no sweaters or hats or watches...etc....but never had to wash our hands. However, that is brilliant and a very creative way to keep cheaters from ruining the process.

[cooblu]

Hello all,

At Gulf Coast College, an LPN school in Tampa, we are now required to put all belongings in an adjoining room and wash our desk top and hands before every test. This is a class of 18. Teacher watches. All classes, all teachers. Students who protest were run out of school. Please share your thoughts. We were told it is common procedure--but we feel like the life has been sucked out of school. Our boorish instructors do wake up long enough to enforce this pre-test scrub. Comments?

think of it as boot camp! i didn't do that per se, but every clinical was as severe as the military. the only thing not regulated was underwear - i wore bart simpson drawers under my whites. the only thing i can prescribe is if this is what you want then do it - most important pray before test and later before you clock in to your shift..i'm serious.

[HeartsOpenWide, RN]

I am sorry. I thought when you meant washing your hands you meant for cleanliness because nurses wash their hands. I am such a dork. I have never cheated so I guess I am naive. I watched an episode on dateline about cheating in HS and College and I was blown away. Stuff I would never think of. So cleaver in fact you would think if they were smart enough to think it up then they could just study and learn in the right way....

[cooblu]

sorry, for what. no onelse washes their hands? i sort of interpeted this to be some sort of hazing by facility. really i don't think, washing their hands & desks for Tests are a sterile procedure. and i'm sorry too if i misread your reply

[APBT mom, LPN, RN]

Nope I'm still thinking someone's cheating. I've even asked other students from different schools during clinicals to see if this is a "new policy." Those people that were removed from the program for complaining about it could have been the very one who were cheating. I just think it's kinda of funny that their way of dealing with it is having them wash their hands and clean their desks. What's next take all of your belongings back to your car before the test? I've seen this facility, why don't they just put you in another classroom during testing?

With that said I'd wash my hands if it meant getting kicked out of the program for not doing it. I'd also bring some Purell to make sure my hads were "extra clean" because you take a test so much better this way.