Another one, or two, bite the dust!!!

Nursing Students General Students

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As the another nursing school semester comes to an end, some of us are bearing witness to those peers of ours who may not be moving on in the program, or will have to repeat the semester.

As this saddens me to witness... I want to take a minute to communicate to those who are not moving on due to performance issues. As harsh as this may sound... those of you are not going forward are doing so justifiably. These programs are easy to fail, yet hard to succeed in beyond mediocrity. If you have failed, and yes below 75% is failing, then you SHOULD NOT be moving forward and the hospital floor and those potential patients you would be exposed to are much safer due to these standards.

Your peers "know" that you struggle with concepts and they too are concerned with patient safety when it comes to your caring for patients. It takes dedication and time to "comprehend" vs. "staring at" the literature to GET this material. After soliciting information from "my peers", as well considering how much time I study to achieve comprehension as well as reflective high scores, a 40hr/wk study schedule is a reasonable expectation for understanding the material.

Specializes in ER, ICU, Education.

There will always be some who is more/less of something than you are. There will be someone who is more intelligent, someone who is less. Someone who is more beautiful, someone who is less. Comparisons and judgments are not only a waste of time, but an assertion that you are all-knowing and have the right and ability to judge another fairly. I try to consider this when I am tempted to hop on my high horse and criticize others. True intelligence is using your knowledge to advance the state of the world. True beauty is seeing what is excellent in others. As long as you focus on how others fail to meet your standards, you will never advance yourself.

It really saddens me to read some of these comments. Keep in mind that although 75% may be passing at some schools, it takes an 80% to pass at others. Although I am happy for any student who passes with the 75% I am saddened that there are students who were just below the required 78% or 80% who watched friends at other programs graduate with their 75% average.

As long as you focus on how others fail to meet your standards, you will never advance yourself.

*Standing ovation* :)

Specializes in Acute Mental Health.

I can only hope the OP doesn't have to come back here and eat those words, ever! Well, maybe just a few of them :)

Yes, I agree with you; especially when, 75% is required to pass the course.

I WISH we could get as low as a 75% in my nursing program. The program I am in considers anything less than 84% a fail and they will NOT round up. They also don't believe that students should get 100% on anything because "If you get 100%, you should be teaching the course".

It's tough...nothing worthwhile is easy.

Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

Clandestine Approach: I was honestly trying to take you at your word regarding your intentions until you wrote the following:

I am sure that your vantage relates to some aspect of the "LVN to RN Bridge" I'm guessing you took, which you struggled with

Maybe you feel misunderstood and piled-onto at this point, but consider that this is your "reality check" if you choose to view it that way and that if you really do mean to be constructive you'll need to modify the words you use to convey it.

Not sure if it was a typo or not but it's "snark" not "shark" - normally I don't fuss over stuff like that but in this case I felt the difference in meaning was pertinent to the context.

Specializes in Psych, LTC/SNF, Rehab, Corrections.

Some failures in our class do quite well on the floor. They just don't do so well with the tests. *shrug* People fail out for all sorts of reasons.

I had an A in Med Surg and Pharm. This semester, I failed my frst test. Pharm. So, now I have a mid B in Pharm. Still have a low A in Med Surg. BUT --I now have a C in prof development, b/c I've been missed classes and two quizzes, which are worth a lot.

Why? Well, your grades are a reflection of your effort. It's true for me, at least. I have no valid excuse and it's embarassing me when I have to explain why I failed the last exam, as they usually expect me to say that I earned a 94 or something. It's one thing if I actually tried my best and failed. But, to not study and fail...? It's a waste.

*shrug* I work. I'm tired and the night before both tests I couldn't even force myself to look at my books. Then I told myself that I 'just didn't give a d*mn either way'. SMH...I don't know.

This material is not difficult. There's just an abundance of it with constant tests/quizzes. You have to maintain a certain pace to keep your high grades and, frankly? I'm almost at the end and starting to burn out.

Thank God for the coming Christmas break.

I need this.

I do quite well in class but I'm not the sort to jump on a high-horse about it and condescend to others. I also don't notice how others struggle with the concepts. If they do, it's b/c they make it known. I'm not gloating over their shoulder or comparing grades.

Why are you so worried about what other people and their grades?

You need to make sure that YOU graduate, first....

in my program anything below 80 percent is failing and a 92 is required for an A

Specializes in Pediatrics.

I guess that I'm not surprised that I'm the only one who 'liked' the OPs post :uhoh3:

I am not saying I like her tone (although we can never quite tell what someone's tone is here, and that everyone perceives a post that is not all "warm and fuzzy" to be mean). But what she has to say is a harsh truth for some.

Here on allnurses, we do try to support everyone who is going through difficult times in school. But one of the things that often make me shake MY head is when some people reply with "don't worry, if it was meant to be, you'll be a nurse" (no matter what their story is, no matter how many times they've failed, or what they have done in clinical that is unsafe, unprofessional, or just unsatisfactory.

For all of you that are bashing her and saying she's mean, I want you to think about it: how many of you have been in class with a completely incompetent student; whether it be theory or clinical? It's not just about doing the skills correctly. It's about prioritizing, decision making, recognizing problems and solving them. When the instructor asks a student a question, and your fellow classmate looks incredibly clueless, or comes out with the most ridiulous response, what are you thinking? Or if your classmate is unprofessional, inappropriate in their interactions, awkward and have a very warped though process, what are you thinking? Or if your classmate puts absolutley no effort into their work (either theory or clinical); they copy other people's work, they pretend to give AM care and assessments, and if you are a good (or even decent) student who is struggling, you know it is incredibly frustrating. You know you've all seen it. I'm guessing that this is what the OP may be referring to.

There will always be some who is more/less of something than you are. There will be someone who is more intelligent, someone who is less. Someone who is more beautiful, someone who is less. Comparisons and judgments are not only a waste of time, but an assertion that you are all-knowing and have the right and ability to judge another fairly. I try to consider this when I am tempted to hop on my high horse and criticize others. True intelligence is using your knowledge to advance the state of the world. True beauty is seeing what is excellent in others. As long as you focus on how others fail to meet your standards, you will never advance yourself.[/quote

Socrates once said, "it is a wise man who knows wht he knows not"

Wow! I really haven't been on here since I made this post. I was surprised at how much of a lemming effect occurred. Nonetheless, standing on the other side of nursing school, graduated Summa Cum Laude, having passed the NCLEX in 75q (someone ranted about this on here), landing a GOOD job a week after, I would stare that my approach to my nursing education is on par. My comment was intended to have anyone struggling to reflect on themselves and their efforts, and perhaps there may be an area for improvement. It's kind of interesting, some people commented on how challenging nursing was NOT. Please know that nursing school has been reported to be most difficult of programs (especially BSN) than any other undergrad programs in offered. I get that my comments could have been interpreted as self righteous, I get it, especially when one is trying to pass along proven words of experience. High horse? Maybe. And that's OK too. Thank you for all the replies. Good luck.

Please don't take my other post out of context to make a point. That is just petty. There is evidence from the JAMA that supports the innate flaw in point of reference type questions (like NCLEX style). That is specifically what I am referring to in that post. In a nutshell the point is... When the situation demands an effort and one chooses not to deliver, don't be shocked when the result is less than desirable.

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