What do you think of the nursing schools that churn out graduates in a instant...?

Nursingmom25, ADN, RN · Jan 20, 2011

Wow...Just because I worked my ass off for a C, does not mean I don't deserve to be a nurse! Thats what I feel when people talk about gpas sorry OP did not meant to take it out on ya

TheOracle · Jan 20, 2011

I honestly thought getting in was easy as all get out. But I talked to fellow students and they all told stories of how hard it was to get in. Some were on their third or fourth attempts. To this day I know some people who have tried and tried to get into a nursing school with no success. These are reasonably smart people.

Just because I had an easy time getting in doesn't mean I had an easy go of school. It was difficult and I was held accountable for my spot. We had to prove over and over again that we deserved to be there.

I think schools that churn out graduates aren't doing anybody any favors. I mean there's still a Board of Nursing and NCLEX that needs to be satisfied. I've met people who could fool the school or fool the testing, but I haven't encountered many who could fool both

diligent-trooper · Jan 20, 2011

Some schools are willing to give an individual a chance to prove that they do have the ability to succeed in the school's curriculum. Keep in mind, everyone one must pass the NCLEX examination. In my state, a Nursing school is expected to produce graduates who are able to pass the NCLEX examination on the first attempt. I believe it is at least a 90% pass rate. The stakes are high, so a school has to have a curriculum that is challenging, and ultimately provides its students with the ability to pass the exam. In addition, I would not chastise "diploma" schools, since the statistics indicate these types of schools have the higher pass rates for the NCLEX.

NamasteNurse, BSN, RN · Jan 20, 2011

my class started out with 52 people. every unit someone failed and so was let go. by the time graduation came around only 14 of us graduated. of those 10 took the nclex. 5 of us are working as nurses. trust me, it's not easy and no one is churning out graduates.

mba2bsn · Jan 20, 2011

who cares if you have ADN as oppose to BSN/MSN/PHd or 2.0 GPA instead of 4.0, bottomline is you pass NCLEX and have the right connections to get hired after graduation. Just my 2 cents.

lrobinson5 · Jan 20, 2011

A few of the community colleges that are in my area have a wait-list, but most of them have turned into a point system and you have to reapply to the school every time. I know that people with really high GPA's have worked hard, but saying people that got 3.0 or even the usual minimum of a 2.6 didn't work hard is a little harsh. If you want to argue for higher math class requirements I'm all ears. I would never argue that someone who has a 2.6 and meets the requirements for entrance is somehow 'stupid'.

Just so long as an applicant meets the requirements is all that really matters. There are plenty of schools that take people with the top GPA. I have a 3.4 and I felt very stupid when I didn't make it in my first application round. I barely got accepted the second time around.

I realize you are probably talking about specific people you have encountered, but you do come across as belittling anyone that maintains a lower GPA.

LoveMyBugs, BSN, CNA, RN · Jan 20, 2011

In my area the school do not have waiting list, all point systems. I got into nursing school on my third attempt, and there were people in my cohort who it took 6 tries to get in.

My cohort started with 110, two years later at 77 of us walked, and 5 of those were re-entry students

Not easy to get in or easy to finish

want2banurse35 · Jan 20, 2011

I know students with high gpa's that failed out of nursing school. This tells me that sometimes those with high gpa's have just as much of a chance in failing as one with a lower GPA. The private schools near me in the Bay Area are very selective. In looking at their stats on their webpage, the GPA's are high.

Quark09 · Jan 20, 2011

NCLEX is a great equalizer :) That said, I saw a lot more people sliding through in clinical areas that I definitely thought should have been sidelined.... then again, those ladies aren't working in very high-stress areas, either.

allnurses Guide · Jan 20, 2011

. . . .I think schools that churn out graduates aren't doing anybody any favors. I mean there's still a Board of Nursing and NCLEX that needs to be satisfied. I've met people who could fool the school or fool the testing, but I haven't encountered many who could fool both

Yeah, there is that you have to graduate and pass the NCLEX thing to do no matter where you go to school. And don't you mean they aren't doing you any favors?

OP I'm guessing the terms churning out graduates and diploma mills are meant to suggest graduates from these schools are akin to crappy electronic products or too many students crammed into their enclosures making them susceptible to skin disorders and muscle wasting?

I've know good and bad nurses from all sorts of educational backgrounds, and I don't think we should really get in the business of hinting that overall certain types are substandard. I had great teachers at my private LVN school. I would imagine that there are a lot of people who prefer gettin' 'er done as quickly as possible for lots of reasons that aren't really any of my business.

I would say though, for certificate programs such as MAs the for-profit schools exaggerate the demand and are sheisters but even then I wouldn't say that a Medical Assistant from one of those places wasn't a good one. Considering that in my state there are no educational requirements to be a Medical Assistant the graduate comes out ahead from day one.

CareFully · Jan 20, 2011

I also came to notice that the majority of community colleges have a waiting list indoctrinated into their admissions, As long as you maintain at least a 2.0 GPA, isn't the waiting list a major flaw for being admitted? Then, obtaining good grades and work ethic wouldn't be essential at all.

Community Colleges have long waiting lists as a weeding out system and a very small percentage of students ever make it to the top.. They make students take Anatomy and physiology for the medical professions and various other prerequisites, usually with a minimum of a B- in order to even progress up the list. At my school, about 50% of students who take A&P 1 and 2, fail out of them, let alone pulling a B- to make it in. It is the most applied to program on a campus with thousands of students, yet they only graduate about 12 nurses a year. Of the 36 students that make it into their first clinical, only a 3rd will graduate. You have to work your butt off to have any hope of graduating from an ADN program, and this community college consistently has a higher NCLEX pass rate than any of the BSN programs in the state.

I have found that the ADN programs often churn out fewer graduates, and have 2+2 agreements with the four year schools if you make it through because the courses are considered equivalent for transfer. If you survive the program, you also save a substantial amount of money.

Add to that the stress of trying to do well in 9 credit courses rather than the 3 credit courses that could be repeated more easily if necessary.

Aside from having the higher NCLEX pass rates where I live, graduates from this community college are also hired at a much greater rate than the grads from the several (ridiculously expensive) BSN schools near here as new grads. It is known how difficult the program is to get through, and that our school provides a great deal of clinical experience.