Failed NCLEX 5 Times! Am I The Only One Who . . .

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Am I the only one who is concerned about someone who has failed multiple times, finally passes and then wants to share their experience with everyone else? Am I the only one who is concerned about working with nurses who finally pass on their eighth try? Granted, I'm so experienced that I took my licensing exam on paper eons ago when it was offered only twice a year, everyone answered all the questions over a two day period and it took six weeks to get the results. In those days, you only got two tries. That was it. So I could be someone biased and/or out of touch. I just wonder, though, about the knowledge base and learning capacity of a nurse that took the exam eight times to pass. Although perserverence is a virtue, and those folks obviously have plenty of that. Is nursing so different now that it's OK to take eight tries to get your license? Or is this a development of the "everyone gets a trophy" mentality? Keep trying and everyone gets a license?

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Im sorry, but isn't this website supposed to be a place where people can come to hear support instead of having an "older" nurse put them even lower? I just found out today I passed my nclex, 1st time, with 75 ?s ( SOO EXCITED!). but if i had not passed and read this post, it would make me more depressed, geesh!! For those who had to take it more than once, I BELIEVE in YOU, don't listen to those who don't believe you should be a nurse, keep trying for it!! You just may be a better nurse than those who passed 1st time around or are "older" than you. Young, old, 1st time passer or 5th time passer, that doesnt determine how good of a nurse you will be! Always remember that. Good luck to you all!!! God Bless!
Perhaps the student forums or the NCLEX forums were constructed to be places where you can go to get unlimited support without unpalatable doses of reality. I don't frequent them, so that could be the case. The general discussion forum, as far as I know, is a place where real nurses can participate in disucssions relevent to the profession. We are not, as far as I know, constrained by the necessity of providing unlimited support to those who really do not yet understand how much they do not yet understand. Nor is this particular discussion about "having an older nurse put them even lower" if they haven't been fortunate enough to pass the NCLEX their first time out. I fail to understand how anyone could offer a blanket message of "support" to countless strangers on the internet about whom you know nothing except that they frequent this forum. Yet you believe in them. It boggles the mind.
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Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

The NCLEX is a ******* joke.

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and still, do they/regulators involve themselves with those nurses who had to take the nclex sev'l times?

do these regulators contact the applicable bon to give them a heads up?

i vote no.:)

i have had the *cough* 'pleasure' of working with nurses who have left me shaking my head.

can't say i ever wondered if they passed nclex first time...since i've known nurses who have and still suck...imo.

considering there is an art and science to nursing (each equally as vital), this would create a larger pool of nurses who may excel in one part, but not the other...and vice versa.

still, i have always maintained...and always will, that i want no one but the cream of the crop when it comes to nursing.

we as a whole, struggle with crediblity, respect, and image.

not only do we disagree with minimum entry standards, we also seem to disagree with the quality of nurses we set free from school.

people/nurses make it about themselves, their egos...

and we need to see beyond that.

i do think we'd all agree, that we would want no one but the best, in caring for our loved ones.

conversely, we would be the first to complain if our loved ones received mediocre care.

i took a pre-entrance test to nursing, when i was 17.

i flunked one test out of 7 tests.

i never went back, figuring i wasn't good enough...

until 18 yrs later, when hubby kicked my in my hiney to get going.

point being, even at 17, i didn't compete, figuring i'd leave nursing to only the best.

because that's what pts deserve.

nothing more, nothing less.

leslie

The BONs are the regulators, they are the ones who officially release the exam results, they know who passed and who failed, they track the number of exam attempts. If a nurse believes that their BON's policy of allowing unlimited NCLEX exam attempts is resulting in unsafe patient care, why not write a letter to their BON, expressing their concern and requesting a change in policy?

If my provincial regulator allowed unlimited exam attempts, I would advocate for change, however there is no need for me to advocate, because my regulator changed their policy from 6 attempts to 3 attempts in 2006.

dishes

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
I passed in 75 questions, too. In and out in under 2 hours, including a 10 minute break. My issue with NCLEX is that it is already not a good standard for entry level nursing. But, it is the only standard we have. If we allow multiples of attempts for passing than we are severely watering down the talent pool of available nurses.

I read a few years ago on allnurses the thrill of someone who finnaly passed the test on the tenth attempt. Ten times? Oh lawd, she'll do great on a code.

If the time is ever going to come that this profession is taken seriously as a stand alone discipline, than the standards we set have got to be raised.

Nursing is not all about cooing newborn babies and wearing designer scrubs. It is a stressful, demanding, and often brutal job that leaves sporifice time for hugs and kisses.

Shouting out,"I BELIEVE in YOU" works in the movies and love songs. This business is neither. Sorry about the rebuttal but, nursing school is hard, NCLEX can be difficult but, the job itself is in another league altogether.

I remember that one. My thought was not that the person who passed finally mastered the test, it was more like "Dumb luck."

Not everybody is meant to be a nurse. I would like to be a doctor, but I know I don't have what it takes to be one. Does that mean a medical school has to accommodate my anxiety about caring for a patient, hold my hand while I take MCAT for the tenth time and give me extra time when running a code because it scares me? Nope.

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
You can go on and on and on about your view on nclex attempts and how YOU think it should be, but lets face it, your never gunna change it!! You don't write the tests and you don't make the rules. Having an opinion is great, but to batter this topic is so unnecessary. Let it go, why rant rant rant on things you cannot change. You will ALLLL continue to work with nurses who failed 2, 3 ,4, ,5 or 6 times, and there's nothing you can do about it. That is the way it is and its not changing anytime soon.

You are free to not participate in this thread if you feel it is of such little consequence. Others think it goes to core issues in nursing and want to continue to discuss it. Just scroll past it if it bothers you.

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Specializes in Cardiac/Tele Unit.

I've been following this post since it started a few days ago and like some people have said NCLEX tests the MINIMUM knowledge needed to be licensed and work as a RN. The test is supposed to protect the public from nurses that can not even grasp the basics. I went to a nursing school that a grade of below 75 was an F. If you failed a course you had one shot to retake that course AND you could not fail another course. If you did fail a second time you were out. Why NCLEX isn't the same way as many of us found in NS? It's because of the money. At $200 a pop the testing centers do not care how mant times someone takes the test. They get to keep that money whether the student passes/fails. Plus look at all the money that these review courses make. Not to mention the legions of NCLEX books that are published every year that promise the buyer great results for the low low price of $80 a pop.I think the 3 strike rule for passing should be in place. Fail once no biggie. Everyone has a bad day once in a while. Fail the second time, an entire semester of review should be required. Fail a third time and I'm sorry either go back and redo nursing school or find another career and I know I'm going to be flamed by this but guess what? This is the real world where not everyone gets what they want. Life is hard suck it up and deal with it.

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Specializes in OB (with a history of cardiac).

Not everybody is meant to be a nurse. I would like to be a doctor, but I know I don't have what it takes to be one. Does that mean a medical school has to accommodate my anxiety about caring for a patient, hold my hand while I take MCAT for the tenth time and give me extra time when running a code because it scares me? Nope.

That's it. I wanted to be a doctor too- but I realized that I know that there's no way I can take and effectively pass with a 4.0 any math higher than algebra. Now, don't get me wrong, I aced pharm, I know how to calculate dosages. I'm a safe dealer of zee drugs. But calc, physics...oh I tried, I bought books and was making pretty good progress, actually. But there came a point where I hit the wall. I couldn't do it, I knew darn well that the best tutor in the world wasn't going to get me to be a 4.0 in either class (a C maybe, MAYBE), and I had to let that "dreeeeeeaaam" go.

It's like those plays where everyone is cast, all 200 people, including the people who can't dance such that they crash into people on stage and knock people into the orchestra pit, and then completely forget their lines and stand there slackjawed. Does that make sense? Then it makes the director, the choreographer, the music director and the rest of the cast look really awful (in other words, you get that person who- oopises! I couldn't read that, screen, I really thought it said "Clonidine! How was I supposed to know it said Klonopin! You know I can't read!/don't speak English/have a short attention span!" But at least they were comforting and kindly held the guy's hand as his BP tanked....

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Specializes in Geriatrics.

Well, I guess I was thinking about him when I responded,LOL... However, that doesn't change the fact that Ruby's comment was RUDE!!!! That is one of the huge down falls of nursing....nurses can be very rude and mean toward each other. Maybe one day that will change...

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Specializes in Oncology/hematology.
Im sorry, but isn't this website supposed to be a place where people can come to hear support instead of having an "older" nurse put them even lower? I just found out today I passed my nclex, 1st time, with 75 ?s ( SOO EXCITED!). but if i had not passed and read this post, it would make me more depressed, geesh!!

For those who had to take it more than once, I BELIEVE in YOU, don't listen to those who don't believe you should be a nurse, keep trying for it!! You just may be a better nurse than those who passed 1st time around or are "older" than you. Young, old, 1st time passer or 5th time passer, that doesnt determine how good of a nurse you will be! Always remember that. Good luck to you all!!! God Bless!

I'm starting nursing school in the fall, so I'm not even a student yet, technically. But, I completely disagree with this. I DO NOT believe in anyone I don't personally know, or at least get to know over an extended period of time online. Just because someone comes on here and is a student, doesn't make them worthy of being a nurse. From what I'm reading and what I've personally experienced, this is one of the hardest jobs there is. If you can't think critically, you can't do this job.

I think that there should be a limit of tries, maybe 3. I agree with the poster that said it should be stated on their application also.

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
Well, I guess I was thinking about him when I responded,LOL... However, that doesn't change the fact that Ruby's comment was RUDE!!!! That is one of the huge down falls of nursing....nurses can be very rude and mean toward each other. Maybe one day that will change...

I think some people confuse straightforwardness with rudeness.

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I also wanted to be a doctor but I was able to eliminate myself while still in high school. It was my second year algebra course that did it for me. While I had no idea about most of the requirements for med school, I figured that one out on my own. When I got to the university and sat through those chem exams with that deer in the headlights look on my face, I knew that there was really no way I could do it. I almost had to say goodbye to nursing because I was naive enough to think my inability to successfully compete at that level meant I would not get into, much less, through the nursing program. There was no one around to boost me up or tell me that I would be a great nurse in spite of those failing chem exam grades. I did learn a lot of chem though, at my own pace, from repeating the courses. That's a different story.

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Specializes in FNP, ONP.
Well, I guess I was thinking about him when I responded,LOL... However, that doesn't change the fact that Ruby's comment was RUDE!!!! That is one of the huge down falls of nursing....nurses can be very rude and mean toward each other. Maybe one day that will change...

Reality is often a "rude" awakening, lol, but Ruby was not discourteous by any stretch of fancy. I can see why some disrelish the sentiment, but that doesn't make it opprobrious.

To put it plainly (although not to any person expressly):

Suck it up cupcake. Life gets a lot harder than musings on a message board.

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