Dog and Pony Show --A Nursing School Rant!!

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incomplete...i can deal with having an "i" on my transcript ---until the "incredible disappearing hesi scores" can be located. i know that i passed with or without that grade. i was prepared for that to happen.....but i was not prepared for what happened next...i got home yesterday from a wonderful family get-together, i opened the letter and carefully read---it appears that you did not complete any of the courses you were registered for during the fall 2006 semester---yadda yadda--- the policies of department of education and x-community college states that an "i" is considered an "f" failure---(what the heck) --- and because you failed you are not eligible to receive any financial aid (grants,or loans)so we have cancelled your financial aid for the spring semester!!!

okay so this is the deal -- school is closed--until january 3rd --tuition is due january 4th --no financial aid means i cannot register --cannot pay tuition-- and the last time i checked it was impossible to pull money out of my a$$.

why didn't someone in the nursing department contact someone-anyone in financial aid and tell them -students x,y and z --did not fail - they are receiving incompletes because, the stupid hesi test that we require them to pay for and take every semester has "lost" there scores--so we cannot complete their grades --but they still passed --do not cancel their financial aid!!!?? this would have been sooooo very simple. but not at x-community college --nothing is simple, its like a dog and pony show -- and dang-it i am tired of jumping through the flaming hoops.

this school is the most unprofessional, inconsiderate institution i have ever dealt with. if we "the nursing students" were at a clincal facility and acted in the manner that the school does toward us --we would be kicked out of the program soooo fast! :nono: why are the students held to a higher standard than the college itself is??

i have to keep thinking ---only 4 more months--only 4 more months --but at the rate things are going now--it will be much longer than that---because i have no money to pay tuition !!

and i guess the thing that really burned my buns was "incomplete" is considered "failure" ---i did not fail nor did i fail to complete anything --the school failed to retreive my grades from hesi who failed to generate the scores!!!devious.gif

thanks for listening!

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Sounds like my school (in the sense that it is unprofessional and cant keep track of things). But luckily I did not have any issues specifically. Id be flaming mad too!!

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They make you take the HESI every semester?? Once was bad enough for me, and pay for it multiple times? Ouch.

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They make you take the HESI every semester?? Once was bad enough for me, and pay for it multiple times? Ouch.

Yes they sure do...

1st semester -- 1- Fundamentals Hesi

2nd semester --1- Maternal/Peds Hesi

3rd semester -- 1- Pharmacology Hesi

-- 1- Med/Surg Hesi

4th semester -- 1- Peds Hesi

-- 1- Maternal Hesi

-- 1- Psych Hesi

-- 1- Med/Surg Hesi

All at a cost of $26.00 each --and counts as 5% of our total grade.

In 5th semester It is my understanding we will be required to take two additional Hesi's (@ $26.00 each) along with an Exit Hesi (@ $40.00)--

Funny thing is that last May when another class was taking their exit Hesi's the computer system kept upgrading the software during their tests--it would boot them off and make them restart the tests--Some of those students had to take the Hesi's multiple times (at their own expense) because of the "technical" problems.

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Specializes in NICU, High-Risk L&D, IBCLC.

I cannot believe that they make you pay for every single HESI you take in the program, especially if it counts for 5% of your grade! We did NLN exams in my school along with the exit HESI, and not only did we NOT have to pay for them but also our instructors would bring us food on the day of the exam(s).

I'm sorry that you are going through this with your school. I hope it all ends up working out for you!:icon_hug:

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Specializes in Tele, Infectious Disease, OHN.

What a mess! Hopefully they can straighten this out for you. Keep on thinking 4 more months. Surely they will not punish you for their mistake.

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What a mess! I've had friends with similar financial aid problems and I have had a problem getting a loan converted, a process my school initiated but can't get fixed. Now that it's Christmas, I still don't have my Staffords for fall semester. It's a long story I won't go into. I'm simply floating my credit cards until they come in, but I know not everyone uses that option. Good luck and do not give up! Camp out on their doorstep and talk to the school president if you have to. Threaten to contact the local newspaper. They'd love to have a story like that and the school does not want bad publicity, especially if it's a state-funded community college.

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Specializes in Float.

I feel your pain! I've been feeling the same towards my cc/program. Same hoops. And don't get me STARTED on HESI! grrr. We have to take 1-2 every semester as well..and pay the big $. Last semester $59, this semester 129! Can't remember the prior semesters I'm sure similiar. Then not only do we take the exams...some of the teachers assign us case studies from HESI. Their website is a monster to navigate..they lose grades..stuff doesn't score correctly. I had to retake a required case study 3x because it lost it when they changed over their website this past semester. We spent so much of our valuable time trying to get our case study gradebook switched over and new logins... it's been a nightmare.

I'm also having problems getting my advisors to help me with dual enrollment into the university. Our school doesn't offer Staffords and the University does..and I could REALLLLLY Use the $ to help me through the home stretch.

But I'm just like you..chanting 4 more months, 4 more months! I've got the days counting down on my calendar at this point. I feel like I'm in the transition phase of labor - I just want it over...NOW... I'm tired of it ... I can't take it much more... Where is my epidural? lol

And the holidays don't help - be on the horn loud the day school opens back up and don't stop until you get it straight (I kept being told no it was too late to dual enroll because my advisors put me off..found the person in fin aid to fix it all (hopefully!) by being persistant.)

Hang in there but stay mad and persistant until they fix it all!!!!

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Specializes in Junior Year of BSN.

Ahh...that sounds awful...kinda like a school I was attending. It seemed like each department had their own policies and they did not communicate to one another. First thing Jan 3, at 9 am I would get a letter from nursing dept. to financial aid, and personally walk it down myself. Can you not still register for class, or is the 3rd the day they drop you if you do not pay? Hope everything gets taken care of, what a bummer to find that out around X-mas...keep your head up!

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Call the school's financial aid office, your advisor's office, the dean's office, anyone else's office (college president works well too) that you can think of and leave messages on answering machines. Make sure that you have some panic in your voice (which I'm sure that you do). Try to talk to humans also. Call them everyday. This is one place where the squeeky wheel will get greased. If you have home phone numbers that's even better. Check your local directory. Most colleges I know don't like losing students. After all students are their bread and butter although it doesn't seem like that now. Although the college might be closed until Jan. 3, there will most likely be humans going in and out. Some one might just check the answering machine. This will work even better if you can have several of your classmates who are in the same boat do the same thing.

All I can say is been there done this. When a college sent my financial aid back by mistake, I did this and I received a 6 week pay deferral from the college while the finacial aid was being reprocessed. An Incomplete is not an F and they should know that. Plus the I isn't your fault so make sure that you remind them of that fact

Good luck and try not to freak out too much unless you're talking to an answering machine--of course.

Fuzzy

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

What a pain! I've looked in the same spot you did and don't have any money just sitting up there either, lol. One thing that I was thinking is that if you are only registering for nursing classes your spot should be secure, right? I would keep calling to follow up of course but at least that was the way it worked at the dog and pony show I attended. In my class I was one of only a few students not receiving financial aid so I'd bet there are plenty of others in the same position. It will work out, hang in there and just get through it!

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Specializes in ICU/PCU/Infusion.

So when you took the HESI, your grade page didn't pop up at the end? When we took our HESI exam(s) (2), each time the grade popped up at the end and we printed off two copies. One for the school, one for us to keep. Are you saying there was no way to print your results?

I'm sorry you're struggling with this, but at least you have a valid argument when the time comes. If your CC is anything like mine, you'll be put back into your classes as soon as the mix-up is figured out.

Did that letter come from your financial aid office at school or from the Student Loan People themselves?

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