Need to vent, my whole class is not having a very good day.

[peaceful2100, BSN, RN]

Hi everyone, I am so frustrated I need to vent. Today we had a test in my nursing health management course. We took the test and we got instant results. We take our test on a computer so the results is programmed and when we click done we get our score and find out which ones we miss and review. Well, EVERYONE did pretty bad. The highest was a 76% and the average was about a 65% most people got in the 60s. This is not the first test this has happen. We had a test 3 weeks ago in the same class and the highest score 3 weeks ago was a 75% and the class average was about a 65%. We have to have a 70% average on all exams to pass the class. We have four exams which includes the final. Today was the 3rd exam and the final which is one week from Wednesday will be the 4th exam and it is a comprehensive final.

This is NOT good at all. IT is truly sad when most of the class is getting in the 60s or even below. My class is not a lazy group at all. We study our rear ends off, there are some very active study groups going on. Yet the studying we do does not reflect the grades at all. The instructors will give us a break down of how many items are supposed to be on the test but it is wayyyyyyyyyyy off. For example one section was supposed to have 20 questions but had only 10 and another section was suppose to have 8 questions but had 18, you get the idea. That is wrong because many people will spend more time with the most weight than other sections. They also keep telling us to study from the objectives but yet the questions over the objections rarely pop up on exams. Something else pops us. There were also questions on the test that we have not even had a lecture on and quetsions that were poorly worded and spelled getting things all mixed up. This is not the first test where the questions were poorly worded and spelled. They also keep telling us they are preparing us for boards. Well, I have 3 NCLEX books, I have a Mosby, Lippincott, and Kaplan the 3 top sellers and the NCLEX questions in those books are far different from the ones we have on the test. The NCLEX questions are much easier in my opinion. I went through 75 NCLEX questions out of the book over the weekend and only missed 5 and I did not peak at any answers until I was finished. I even had 2 discs that I take NCLEX questions with because they came with the book. My school is not doing a very good job. The last couple of years the NCLEX pass rate has only been about an 88% and tha is not very great at all compared to many , many, many other schools I know that are in the 90s and even 100%.

I am sitting here in tears because I don't know whether or not to stay at the school I am at now or drop out and attend another nursing school where I know I will learn more and be better prepared. However, going to another school would mean I would not graduate until 2004 or 2005 instead of 2003 because of a different curriculm but it would be a much better curriculum. But I already have $16,500 worth of loans out for the school I am at now and that is just for last semester and this year (my junior year) I am so frustrated and the instructors are not doing very much righ now.

I have a pharmacology class where we are barely being taught. Most of the content is expected to be learned on our own as self learning. We only meet once every 3 weeks if that and when we do meet it is for 2 hours and they try to pack so much info in those 2 hours. I am sorry but pharmacology is the LAST class that should be a self-learning class. I was expecting a lecture not mainly a self-learning class and EVERYONE in my class feels the same way.

There are going to be so many people dropping out because they are not doing so well based on the way the questions are set up. I am telling you the majority of my classmate are very intelligent people they can know the material in and out and after the test they can still tell you about something if you ask them but due to a poor curriculum and test questions/instruction some are not making the grade or barely making the grade necessary to past. Some will go to other nursing schools but take a break first and others don't know what they will do, some will change majors because they don't know what else to do and they really don't want to change. The nursing profession is already at a lost for many great potential nurses and there are going to be even more from my school alone and it is truly sad. I am sorry if this is long but I really needed to vent my frustrations and anger. I feel that my school expects way too much self-learning. Yes, self-learnig to a certain degree but that is to prepare for classes and to study from your lecture notes to prepare for test, not to learn the material on your own without it being taught.

[jschut, BSN, RN]

Peaceful My friend~

All I have to say is... read your signature line...

You are a very smart, intelligent lady. Remember that... you can do all that you set your mind to.

Take a deep breath and keep going forward. I know you can do it.

{{{HUGS}}}

Julie:)

[Stargazer]

peaceful, if the entire class is doing poorly, then clearly this is an instructor problem, not a student problem. You and a representative number of your calmest, most organized and articulate classmates need to gather all your evidence, including the poorly written tests and tests which do not match the syllabus, student grades, etc., and demand to meet with the Dean of the School of Nursing (well, you know, ask politely, and then demand if you meet a lot of resistance. )

I also agree with you about the pharmacology class. If you'd wanted to be "self-taught" you could have taken classes on-line. You are paying way too much money to be told you have to get the majority of the info on your own.

Something similar happened to my nursing class. A number of students stormed the admin. office and basically demanded action. We got an immediate response. We started getting 10-page study guides in our mailboxes for each upcoming test, and the tests started matching the syllabus. Not surprisingly, everyone's grades came up an average of 15 - 20 percent per test.

You are not powerless. The school needs and wants your tuition money. It can't afford to have all of you flunk or have poor NCLEX pass rates. It can't afford to have you all complain to the college administration, the local media, or the National League for Nursing. There is power in numbers. Use it.

Good luck, and let us know what happens.

[Love-A-Nurse]

Hi Peaceful.

Vent on us any time!

I am keeping you and your fellow classmates in my prayers.

Keep the faith!

[taboo_2001]

peaceful2100, If you don't mind a little advice ?

When they tell you to study one thing , study the whole chapter and try to hit the highpoints or what you think are the highpoints.

I found myself in the same situation on more than one occasion. So to help myself and my study group we just study the chapter and try to pick the highpoints.

[betts]

peaceful2001,

I concur as too meeting with the Dean of Nursing but try approaching the instructor/professor first. You stated that it was a nursing management exam and were told it was too help prepare you'll for the NCLEX, if this is so then let me ask you; have you ever heard of Critical/Logical thinking? Do you or your classmates really believe that the scenario's/example's given after each chapter is how things are? That nothing else occurs? In Nursing Management you have too factor in many,many elements that are Unique to that situation. Is it possible that your instructor/professor is trying to encourage you'll to use Critical/Logical thinking?

My favorite instructor/professor was the strictest,strident,and demanding I'd ever had but, I think of him daily and am Thankful for his approach too teaching disciplines.

As far as Pharmacology and Labs', it's criminal if it's true about you or others practicing either without any professional tutoring. Report that immediately! Not only are you endangering yourself but,many others as well.

After you've read this(you're probably angry at what I've said), keep in mind I've used Critical/Logical Thinking.

A college student knows that if someone says too simply read page ?? of chapter ??, it's time to read/review all that has been covered up too that date in that course.

I'm an RN, BSN and have been practicing since 1969 and I'm still learning. Please try to understand what this reply is addressing and you will be a good nurse.

Now, HIT THE BOOKS and SHOW THEM what YOU"RE MADE OF!

[peaceful2100, BSN, RN]

Betts, we are not allowed to give MEDS without the instructor and we are expected to look up all Meds before coming to clinical. It is the fact in my Pharm course we hardly had lecture, class time they gave us the material and expected us to learn most on our own. Which can be confusing at time and it is REALLY hard to try to organize time to sit down with them and ask questions. We already been to the Dean and she had told us that next semester will be a better semester.

[dgh1973]

Peaceful-

You sound exactly like me two years ago. I mean it truly sounds like you could have been in the same exact program with me. My class and I suffered in much the same way. We were also expected to self educate ourselves! The instructors would say ok study chapters 10-25 in your med/surg book for instance and never tell us what to put more emphasis on. We tried study groups, individual studying of course and a friend of mine and myself would even email and fax back outlines of the chapter with questions we'd write up ourselves. It was crazy. We found out that the instructors took turns writing up the exams. So, instructors that were say sophomore instructors would sometimes write freshmans tests over subjects they hadn't lectured on in years. This seemed so unfair to us. Plus, they were pulling questions out of an old test bank and rewording them, etc.. The one good thing they did allow us to do was to look at our tests at the end of the day and then fill out forms if we found a contradiction between the book and the test answer. This helped me many times pull my grade up from failing to passing. It just never made much sense that if they knew there were possibly contradictions between the book and test bank, then why didn't they go over the tests themselves and look up the answers in the textbook to make sure we were being given a fair chance of passing? I can't tell you how many people left our program, broken hearted and defeated. We spoke to our instructors to no avail. We even went to the dean and her response was simply that nursing school was hard and we have to know ALL the material. Anyway, bottom line was I didn't go back for my last year and I have regretted it. There were other reasons such as it was my daughters last year home with me before she started kindergarten and we moved to a different area. But, here I am now transferring into another nursing program (ADN), which is only taking my first semesters credits so I'm starting in the 2nd semester (I'm just glad I didn't have to start from scratch). I sometimes get so mad at myself for not just sticking with it and completing the program because by now I'd be a nurse and wouldn't be facing another year and a half of turmoil. My best advice to you is to just hang in there. It is a game for some reason with some of these schools. So, just play the game. Do all you have to do to pass these tests. I think if you all collectively voice your concerns to your instructors as a group this may help. Just make sure you all do not make it seem like a group attack or gripe session. You may get together and write down your concerns first and go over what you will say. That way you all are on the same page and remarks aren't being thrown back and forth. Other than that, I'm really sorry you're going through all of this. There IS light at the end of the tunnel and just hang in there and do whatever it is you have to do. I am sure you have worked much to hard to just throw it away at this point! Sorry this was so long, I just feel that I've been in your shoes and I totally feel your pain!

Good luck!!

Deirdre :)

[jwoz]

I say set you sails up and go elsewhere, whether that is another school or profession. Are you truly happy in nursing? I am leaving my BSN program, and I couldn't be HAPPIER! Clinical sucked, tired of wiping shit up and washing old man's balls. Sounds like you've allready been through enough. Time to live and enjoy life for once. What the hell, go be a paralegal or something.

Just my .02.

Joe

[Peeps Mcarthur]

I was feeling like the lone ranger.

In my Microbiology class, the tests followed the study guide EXACTLY. If a question was put on the test in error that did not match the objectives, it was counted for everyone as correct or not counted towards your score.

In that class I ran a study group. On one exam I got a 101.6% and only needed a 35 on the final to get an "A".

In my A&P class it's a different story. I don't know how I had an low "A" going onto the last exam because I was guessing for most of the semester as to what the hell the test questions were about. I was a complete retard today and didn't seem to have the same study guide as the one I was tested on. I had put in at least 12 hours a day over the last three days and had even taken off from work to give it my best effort. Looking back on it I can say with confidence that it was an almost complete waste of time.

I know how you feel and am considering taking the second semester from a different instructor, but will it be any different?

The teacher in my micro class is a very rare breed indeed. I'm not sure that any other idiot instructor would'nt just half-ass the material as well. What have they got to lose? You have all that time and effort that will not count for anything unless you struggle for your "C" and get the heck out of there.

It's a shame, but I know how you feel. I know exactly how you feel and I have a feeling that as I get responses they will be similar(I have posted a topic today).

Good luck to you my friend.

[TexasRN to be]

I know how you feel with th BS computer tests and total lack of teaching. I am transferrring to a better nursing program in Dallas because the school I was attending believes in self teaching. We are expected to figure out nursing skills (like Foley Caths, IV's, etc..) without help from our teachers. They are in the lab with us but about as useless as my cat. And when we do ask their help, they have trouble performing the same procedure. It is an absolute joke there. 3 teachers have left this year, another is leaving after the spring semester and now even the director of the whole program is threatening to go. I say, cut your losses and move on to a real school. Interview these schools and make sure you know what there methods of instruction are. I wish I had done this and avoided wasting a whole semester:(