I just don't think this is for me

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My day today started out nerve wrecking. I was so scared to see my final exam grade. When i went to go see it I got an 82 and the avg was a 72.8. Ok an 82 is nothing to boast about in nursing school.This is for health assessment by the way. So my average for the class came out to be a 78. I needed an average of 77 for all four of my exams to pass the class aside from the average, Is this how it works for you guys? Well my test avg came out to a 76, due to my second exam being my lowest score. This was the time when my professor told me I was kicked out of the program by mistake. That threw into the depression mode and I really wasn't able to focus. My return demo, abs, write ups, papers, all that good stuff were As and Bs. I ask my Ass. Dean, if she can take my other work into consideration, before I can even mention all the good grades I've gotten, she didn't even let me finish. She said, " you need a 77." She also, said that I should talk to my advisor and see what classes I should take next semester. I really wanted to cuss her ass out, but I didn't it. Even my health assessment prof. asked if she was sympathetic. I am not the only one who's had a bad experience with the Dean and the Ass.Dean. I remember one time the Dean of nursing told me that maybe I should take a semster off, because there was not any more seats for a patho course, eventhough, I had passing grades. TAKING THIS CLASS OVER WOULD HOLD ME BACK TWO SEMESTERS!!!!! No thanks to their new curriculum, that health assessment and comminty based nursing is taken first year of jr.1 and clinicals/therapeutics the second. I have so many people on my back waiting for me to graduate. I don't have people in my family who can understand the crazziness of nursing school, they just make the assumptions that if you can't do it, then you must not be smart. What else is there for me to take next sem. I found out so many students who have a 76 and the Dean would not sympathize...and she's a nurse. And when she was a nurse, they didn't have 77 as the baseline of passing. I just don't know what I should do. I'm 22, I just feel like this nursing thing is really unmotivating. I found out this semester that if I try hard enough I can make it. But seeing how SXU's adm. is a pair of well paid, selfish inconsiderate hypocrates I don't know where to go. Sorry for the gram.errors.

Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.

I agree with much of what has been posted. While I understand the OPs feelings of frustration, I still hold him/her accountable for his/her failure.

I am sure that it was clear before the final that it was going to be a close call on the final average due to a low grade on a previous test. The standard was clear and it is not the Dean, Ass. Dean, or any instructor's responsibility to change those standards for any student who falls even 1/2 a point short.

Certainly, the WRONG course of action in this situation would be to cuss anyone out. That shows a lack of maturity and personal accountability.

The proper course of action is to assess exactly what may have contributed to any poor performance on the student's part and implement ways to prevent those hindrances from recurring...not blame others for one's own shortcomings.

Best of luck to you next time! I have seen many others in the same position and they were able to learn from their mistakes and come back even stronger. Hope you do the same.

Specializes in Geriatrics, Cardiac, ICU.
Yep ... you see it over and over. Some people don't apply themselves until it's too late. You'd think with the waiting lists and all of the courses you have to take to get in, they would do a lot more earlier but ... they don't.

You're right. If they started cutting breaks on points they'd have to cut breaks for everyone and, eventually, the school would be nothing but a diploma mill.

:typing

Obviously I've never been in a medical school class, but is this the student's attitude there as well, that they don't have to be held to high standards and that there should be breaks given just because you want it?

I mean don't people realize that nurses, as well as doctors are dealing with lives and that means the standards can never be set too high.

Specializes in Neuro.

This kind of thing reminds me of a lesson I learned in 9th grade geometry class. My teacher was a former nun, and she had all the mean nun characteristics I'd heard about. I hated the class, and I didn't like her either. Luckily I had always been good at math so I was not particularly worried about my grade. Most of our grade in the class was made up of exams and homework, which I did well on, and a piddly 5% was progress reports.

Progress reports were pieces of paper she printed out every Friday showing our current grade in the class and the grades of assignments for that week. We were expected to take the report home, have a parent sign it, and bring it back signed on Monday. I usually forgot to have my parents sign it, and was too scared to forge a signature, so I missed out on a lot of those points, but I figured... it's only 5%, what harm can it do?

My school had a normal grading system with rounding, so I needed a 89.5 to get an A. At the end of the year I ended up with an 89.4. And she refused to give me an A. I was so upset and I had a meeting with her to beg for an A and she basically told me that I shouldn't have blown off the progress reports because that was what killed my grade. She was right... it was my own fault.

Since then I always push myself to do my best because you never know when you'll be on the borderline like that and a few extra points can push you over the edge. I understand the OP's frustrations especially considering the lousy circumstances behind his/her lowest test grade (I know my concentration would be shot if I thought I got kicked out, although I am curious about that story) but really, you are ultimately responsible for your own success and it is not the job of the school administration to bail you out when you fall short. Those rules and cutoffs are there for a reason and as much as it stinks to be on the losing end of them, they didn't put those rules into effect just to mess with YOU.

Ok. I said I wanted to cuss her out, but I didn't.

I spoke to our Ass. Dean with respect and prof.

I have always been taught to respect everyone.

I know that acting a fool will not get me anywhere.

In my head I was thinking of all the stuff I would have told her, but what came out of my mouth was something totally different.

I know I'm gonna need to talk with this individual once aGAINn, and I WASN'T GONNA BURN MY BRIDGES.

I was upset at how she just would not let me talk.

She just kep interrupting me with..nope...nope....nope.

Right now, I just don't know how to cope.

My school requires 79 to pass, if you have 78.9, they will not round off.

I was told from the beginning of the program. So, when I started in the September, my plan was to get 85 or above on every exam. I hope when you take the class in the future, you develop a new strategy to pass. You can try to tape the lectures, read ahead, and rewrite your notes.

I hope you do better next time.

Ok I just reliazed I can't spell or type.lol

Thanks futurenurse35. I'm going to try my best next sem.

I understand what your're saying and thank you for your opinion.

But you have to meet her to understand her. And she is suppose to be an advocate for students? She was never nice. And I would still cuss her ass out. And man a 76 is sao hurtful....to be held back two semsters.

Let me share a horror story with you; this actually happened to me. When I started college in 1993, I declared a major in French. I already spoke French fluently when I started college so I tested out of every lower-division course they had. I was in class with juniors and seniors on day 1 of college; and some professors really hate overachievers. My first French professor during the fall semester was nice and supportive, but the French lit prof in the spring was horrible. He came up to me after class the second week of the semester and demanded that I accompany him to his office, and he looked really pissed off. I didn't know what I'd done to annoy him, but I went along anyway.

We got into his office and he got right up in my face and called me a "little b!tch" and ranted about how he hated freshmen "sorority whores" in his class. Didn't matter that I wasn't in a sorority at the time. He said no matter how well I did in his class, I would receive an F. This went on for about 10-20 minutes before he finally ordered me to "get the f*** out of my office" and I immediately went to the department head's office to report it. Their response was: "What do you expect us to do about it? It's his word against yours, and he'll deny it anyway." It was too late to drop the class without getting an I, losing the tuition, and losing my full-time status...so I went to the ombudsman to see what could be done. He said I had to remain in the class and do my best, and he said my work would be reviewed by the department head so it would be "fairly graded". Well, long story short...I got a D in that class even though the dept head said I was doing A work. In a nutshell, I got screwed, and badly. That wasn't the last time that happened, either...to me or by that professor. Turns out he had a complaints file 12 inches thick but since he was tenured, they couldn't get rid of him. They finally stopped him from teaching classes after he hit one of his students with his car. "Accidentally". We in his class all thought it was intentional, but the girl he hit refused to press charges.

It gets better. On his birthday, a stripper visited the class. Took everything off except a g-string. We had class in a small classroom and she was waving her frilly bits in everyone in the front row's face, myself included. The professor pitched a pup tent right there in front of the entire class, then grabbed one of the stripper's breasts when she sat on his lap. True story. (This happened at the University of Texas at Austin in spring 1994. It's an excellent school, but I would strongly advise people against taking upper division French classes with that particular professor.)

Pretty bad, eh? I know it doesn't make you feel any better, but you're not the first student to get a raw deal and you won't be the last. All you can do is keep your chin up and keep fighting.

I have read alot of posts on here about passing certain things, we do skills in my program such as inserting a ng-tube on a mannequin, you either pass or fail, and attempt to do again only once. Our grade for the semester has nothing to do with that, like this semester we had 6 exams total, and then the final, those are averaged together and that is our total points grade. That does not include passing skills in the lab or clinicals in the field, these are all seperate categories. And we have to score 78 on all exams or a 78 total average to pass. A 78 is a C, we have to get a 86 to get a B, and I have no idea about a A, because I have not gotten one.

Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

Where I went to University there were provisions for academic (not Nursing) courses to be taken at the local Tech schools. For example A&P would be one that hours would transfer to University. I know a lot of people working on RN to BSN who got all but the last 2 semesters totally at Tech. You had to do the last 30 hours on campus .

And as for the French Prof.....if you had said Latin.....hooo boy I had one just like yours.

I am totally appreciative of your comments. I've been reviewing most of these posts that are relevant to my issue. I really have no one to blame but myself. I shouldn't have expected someone to take it easy on me. I'm not as mad, I am more than willing to start fresh. I know I will do a whole lot better this time around, God willing. My friends told me that I shouldn't give up that easily, and I won't. Now I know that this is a whole different ball game. I know that I must learn to stay focused.

Now I just have to get over the fact that I am going to take a little longer than expected to finish. That is what kills me. Earlier today I was thinking, that all throughout my college years I tried to find ways to graduate early. I totally forgot about all the stuff in my life that I had. If only I had taken my time, then maybe I wouldn't be in this predicament.

Ok, I'm neither here nor there. I'll just have to move on and pick up the pieces. God has brought this far, if I stay strong I know He'll get me to where I need to be. And no one said it was gonna be easy. Thanks to all of you who gave that push. Thanks to all of you who shared your expreiences and wisdom. It truly means a lot to hear what you have to say. I didn't totally agree with some, but you know what that was the truth. Life is not fair and it is not going to be easy. This is just something I have to learn from. Thanks again.

I just thought I'd add a quick encouraging note *first time posting* I just graduated from Nursing School on 12/15/06 (last friday ack!) But, along with our class, there were 6 students from a previous class who graduated with me that had failed previously (one had failed by one point), I can't tell you how proud I am of them for not "throwing in the towel" and I do respect the fact that they have an extra semester of clinical experience in. God bless them for knowing that this is what they wanted to do and for the determination they had to see it through.

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