Do you feel these are patient safety issues?

[ptsafety]

In my state, it used to be that Nursing Schools has strict admission policies and limited enrollment. For example, 3.5 GPA, 90+ percentile on the NLN Admission exam, not in college for 15-20 years without a degree due to bad grades. Now it seems tons of Nursing programs have popped up that require very little- no exam, low grades, etc. Now we have a ton of RN grads looking for work.

My concern is, many grads are to me a jeopardy to patient safety. For example, I know someone who has been a career Hooker with Meth addiction and Meth brain damaged with an RN degree. Someon else who has been convicted on Felony Drug Dealing with an RN degree. Many known long term meth addicts with degrees, career psychiatric patients often with criminal backgrounds with RN degrees, someone I know who was caught but not convicted of Credit Card Fraud with an RN degree. It seems WAY too easy to get an RN degree nowadays. Most of these people I know took 15-25 years to finally get a degree because they couldn't pass the classes, went to other schools who would accept them, online schools, etc.

My question to the "old school" nurses: Do you feel that this is a potential safety issue to patients, their care, their belongings (which can be stolen)? For me, I would NEVER hire anyone like that. For me, you need to have strong judgment, strong science/math skills and sound charcter. You're calculating microdrips, making judgment calls, storing patients' belongings, etc.

Tell me what you all think?

[StrwbryblndRN]

I feel that anyone listed in your second paragraph has the potential to be unsafe. But not guaranteed.

However I do not see the correlation of students with a low GPA/test scores.

Apples and Oranges in my book. The best nurses I have met were ones who graduated at the low end of the class. Book smarts does not equal good clinical skills. I even know two 4.0 nurses with a previous masters that are very weak in their skills.

I see the concern but find that the two types of people described can not be compared.

On a side note: I do not see nursing programs in my area lowering their standards. I have been told recently that one program increased the GPA minimum.

[Up2nogood RN, RN]

I thought the point of fingerprinting for NCLEX was to rigorously check an applicant's criminal background and serious charges would prevent one from sitting for the boards? Am I wrong? I couldn't get into my LPN program without a clean drug and criminal background check. I thought all accredited nursing programs would have the same guidelines. I couldn't give my honest opinion on if it would be a safety issue as each person and circumstances are unique. What some mistakes or wrong roads someone may have gone down doesn't necessarily disqualify them from leading a productive life and safe career as a nurse. But I would think past criminal charges would prevent them from becoming a nurse?

[morte, LPN, LVN]

this is the OPs only post here......student or pot stirrer?

[Up2nogood RN, RN]

this is the OPs only post here......student or pot stirrer?

Good catch...hmm we may never know.

[delilas]

When you say 'degree' --- did they pass RN schooling, or are they licensed as an RN?

Regardless of how good or bad a school is, in the end, we all have to pass the exact same test, and that test is supposed to determine how safe of a nurse we are. The problem then isn't with the schools (who are, after all, there for a profit in most cases) but with an exam that is apparently failing the background checks and not difficult enough to keep meth addicts from passing.

[ptsafety]

TT:

I too thought that prior charges would prevent Felony Criminals from admissions to programs and also from sitting for the Boards, but in my state apparently not. They can "argue" to be able to do so in this state, and this state is so lenient that it's easily to argue.

In my many years of nursing, I have worked in the early years with the best and the brightest. Now, I have worked with many addicts, many of whom I have seen stolen from patients, gave fatal doses of the wrong medications and have made some very crazy mistakes to the demise of patients. Hence, because I have seen so much, this is why for patient safety I hold my beliefs. I guess these safety issues are so accepted by this generation that I will have to accept the patient casualties that occur daily.

[RNKel, ASN, RN]

Book smarts does not equal good clinical skills.

I take offense to that statement. If you had said "does not always equal good..." that would be different. I was at the top of my nursing class and I know that I possess good clinical skills as well. It is entirely possible to have both book smarts and good clinical skills; they can go hand in hand.

Sorry for the vent, but I get tired of people putting down nursing students who did well in school by saying we are not strong clinically. Too broad a brush to paint with.

[Up2nogood RN, RN]

It sounds more like a state issue not a generation issue. I really didn't think a felon could sit for boards. Sounds like a issue to be taken up with your states elected officials.

[TakeTwoAspirin, MSN, RN, APRN]

Seriously, I think you're hanging out with the wrong crowd!

I've been around for a very long time and I've never met a single hooker/crack-head/drug dealing/psycho/credit card fraud felon RN in my entire time in and around healthcare. If this post is not a troll posting, then I would say that this post is more about you and your world, rather than any kind of generalization about the standards of nursing school graduates today.

Sorry, but it just seems too far fetched to me. The BON in the states I am licensed to work in would never let anyone with such criminal records near a patient, so wherever you live I would suggest you move.

[TakeTwoAspirin, MSN, RN, APRN]

TT:

I too thought that prior charges would prevent Felony Criminals from admissions to programs and also from sitting for the Boards, but in my state apparently not. They can "argue" to be able to do so in this state, and this state is so lenient that it's easily to argue.

In my many years of nursing, I have worked in the early years with the best and the brightest. Now, I have worked with many addicts, many of whom I have seen stolen from patients, gave fatal doses of the wrong medications and have made some very crazy mistakes to the demise of patients. Hence, because I have seen so much, this is why for patient safety I hold my beliefs. I guess these safety issues are so accepted by this generation that I will have to accept the patient casualties that occur daily.

OK, so I'll play along. You say you have seen nurses steal from patients, and harm patients (even kill some of them). So as their avocate, what have you done to stop this from happening. Have you called the police, pressed criminal charges? Called the BON? Reported to management? Anything? "Patient casualties that occur daily" and yet all you do is post on this board and expect us to be outraged by their behavior? Really?

[AlynnSN]

I have a 40 year old lady in my program and clinical group who was in prison for drugs and was a meth addict and had her 3 kids taken away by the state and adopted out. She has turned over a completely new leaf and was worried she wouldn't pass the background check that was required to start the program but she did. (I don't know how) She is one of the absolute BEST in clinicals and I really really look up to her, not to mention an average A/B student. I see her as no threat to patient safety at all.

Of course, not all people in her previous situation will completely do a 180 like she did, but it still happens.