Half of the class fails

kblas · May 20, 2015

Yeah I doubt that people can pass literally three hard semesters on an "open enrollment lottery". Most would have been "weeded" out by the first to second semester. We really just had a very poorly managed semester. If every single test was quoted as highest 80 lowest 50's and average 70's, that means that there is gap between what students are learning and what is being taught or the test content. I just don't agree with the "lottery" possibility. In fact most failed with 74.2. We had an awesome instructor that should have been teaching us during the whole semester but didn't. Instead we had a new staff that I guess thought we needed entertainment, instead of teaching she would put on videos and had us discuss topics. I'm sorry but that's not teaching and that type of "professors" should not be hired. Now my two cents on the event that it was based on "lottery" well I'm sorry but that's completely unfair to those who do not qualify for such career. That's a waste of money and time and lacks credibility from any institution.

kblas · May 20, 2015

I think we got that instructor from Hades! She literally said and I quote " I don't like to teach"

llg, PhD, RN · May 20, 2015

I think we got that instructor from Hades! She literally said and I quote " I don't like to teach"

As you have shared more of your story, kblas, it does sound as if you got a bad teacher. I don't deny that as a possibility. In my earlier post, I just felt it necessary to point at that a class performing poorly was not ALWAYS the fault of the teacher -- and that your original post did not give us enough information to draw a firm conclusion about anything.

Some people want to always blame the teacher for every time they don't do well.

nlitened · May 20, 2015

At my school it is typical for only half the class to pass 2nd semester. And I WILL be in the half that passes and moves on to 3rd semester!

MFaf · May 20, 2015

I think one reason a large number of people have difficulty is that nurses have to be able to minimally apply the information to various contexts and that can be hard to do. You have to do more than memorize a bunch of facts and formulas and reproduce them by rote on an exam. Students who get high marks and grades in pre-req courses have trouble in nursing school because have to learn, know, and apply the content. I see it all the time.

Newbie_RN17 · May 20, 2015

Sounds like your schools must be failing to teach. My little ol' ADN program had only one gal fail, and the school had a 98% NCLEX pass rate.

A bit of that and a higher (78%) passing score than some other schools I've heard about in combination. Our grades were also purely on exams, no papers counted for coursework, any papers were a part of our clinical satisfactory grade. My class also weeded out a bunch of "nursing will be fun and easy" people first semester and several who didn't pass dosage calculation (90% required each semester). We also had to have an exit HESI score of 900 or better to graduate and about 1/3 of the class did not graduate on time because of it and will only have one more chance before having to repeat the entire 4th semester.

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · May 20, 2015

I think one reason a large number of people have difficulty is that nurses have to be able to minimally apply the information to various contexts and that can be hard to do. You have to do more than memorize a bunch of facts and formulas and reproduce them by rote on an exam. Students who get high marks and grades in pre-req courses have trouble in nursing school because have to learn, know, and apply the content. I see it all the time.

I think you are on to something...

Nursing school is theoretical and application based; you can't have one without the other.

I think some students have a rude awakening when it is required to pass class AND clinical; they are not mutually exclusive, fortunately.

happyinmyheart · May 20, 2015

So I want to ask the question.... How can I make sure that I'm in the half of the class that passes?

sjalv · May 20, 2015

We started with 51 people and finished with 19. I don't really know what 'story' there is to tell. I don't know why those people didn't pass, all I know is nursing school is demanding mentally, physically, and emotionally. It is a time sink for sure.

MFaf · May 21, 2015

My suggestions for making the 1/2 that passes:

1. Go to class

2. Read the book (I get asked if #1and 2) are necessary.

3. Ask questions.

4. Get a HESI/NCLEX book with questions/answers/rationales.

The reality is that the NCLEX and NCLEX simulator exit exams (e.g., HESI) require test takers to apply, synthesize, analyze and evaluate information. The skills are necessary for a thinking clinician. Knowing and comprehending material is insufficient. In turn, students need these types of questions in their theory courses.

Good Luck!

scaredsilly, BSN, RN · May 21, 2015

Over half of my class failed out of the pre reqs. 80 out of 140 failed anatomy.

Newbie_RN17 · May 21, 2015

My suggestions for making the 1/2 that passes:
1. Go to class
2. Read the book (I get asked if #1and 2) are necessary.
3. Ask questions.
4. Get a HESI/NCLEX book with questions/answers/rationales.
The reality is that the NCLEX and NCLEX simulator exit exams (e.g., HESI) require test takers to apply, synthesize, analyze and evaluate information. The skills are necessary for a thinking clinician. Knowing and comprehending material is insufficient. In turn, students need these types of questions in their theory courses.
Good Luck!

All of this exactly. Also, when doing NCLEX questions, read the rationales. It's so so important to know the WHY of getting a question wrong! If the rationale doesn't help, write it down and ask a teacher to talk it out with you. If you can, find a teacher you are comfortable with and use them as a mentor throughout your program. I did this with my adviser and it was incredibly helpful.