This is really just me venting but I'm getting annoyed with all the second, third, fourth, etc.. chances. Nursing school is preparing us to fill a role where could literally kill someone if we make a mistake. Why are we allowed so many chances to retake classes, retake dosage tests, retake nclex, and other things.
In my five semester program, I have a classmate who has been there for 5 semesters but is only in 2nd semester because he keeps withdrawing and is allowed to try again. If it takes that many tries, I don't think you have what it takes. I see posts on here all the time about people retaking classes and retaking nclex and I know sometimes people make mistakes and need a second chance but it's seems excessive.
We have to take a dosage exam before we go to clinicals and we have to score a 95. If you dont get it the first time, you can take it two more times. If it was real, you could've killed a patient by then! It's very basic math. There's no reason to fail.
I'm so frustrated because I work hard to get things done right the first time and people who have to redo something two more times end up in the same position. I don't know why I bother sometimes.
While I think there should be a strict limit to the number of chances that a future nurse gets, I think that if we're going to make mistakes and fail - it's better to do it in school and learn from it than not fail until we're on the floor and learn the hard way.
It's frustrating to bust your butt and watch other students skate by to retake after a little slap on the wrist, but I think that failing is an important step to being successful - even in nursing.
I think people in nursing school are far too concerned about what everybody else's doing and should worry about themselves. I failed a nursing skill once because I poured the sterile water wrong, does that mean somebody would have lost their life? No, nobody is going to die a horrible death because of that. Is it important? Yes, you want to limited as much contamination as you can. So I had to retake it, and I passed the second time. Honestly, remembering that stuff is a lot easier when you're in practice and can take your time, but in the hospital nobody is going to be standing there with a clipboard and a timer....Just because somebody gets As on every exam doesn't mean they're going to be a fit nurse. I have never failed a dosage calculation test, but I know people who have, they had remediation and saw what it was they did wrong and fixed their mistakes, you can get a 100% on every dosage test and still make a medication error, in real life you can double check with someone if you are concerned, put it in a dosage app to get the answer, all those things....On a test you can't. A dosage exam is an individual effort but nursing is not an individual endeavor, we work as a team. The exam is not indicative of real life so cut them a little slack, it's nursing SCHOOL...that is where you make your mistakes.
If you got something wrong on your exam that meant the difference between life and death does that mean you arn't fit to be a nurse? No, it doesn't. You learn from it. Nobody came out of the womb knowing how to do this job, and that includes you....I do think nursing schools need to have some standards of common sense when it comes to being safe....I mean if you're trying to inject insulin into somebody eyeball, then that's an issue. It's so grossly off that even a lay person would know better. But other than that, those skills need to be taught. Usually, it's just nerves that get the best of people, when they actually know the skill. They go in a second time and do it with no issues....if they didn't deserve a second chance then there would be about 10 nurses working in the hospital -_-
I can't stand this snotty mindset that people don't deserve second chances.
If doctors can get second chances, then why can't nurses? I get so sick of this gatekeeper mentality so many nurses have. Who died and made you the Queen Bee?
frenchtoastwaffles, BSN, RN
306 Posts
While I think there should be a strict limit to the number of chances that a future nurse gets, I think that if we're going to make mistakes and fail - it's better to do it in school and learn from it than not fail until we're on the floor and learn the hard way.
It's frustrating to bust your butt and watch other students skate by to retake after a little slap on the wrist, but I think that failing is an important step to being successful - even in nursing.