Have you ever cheated in school ? Would you ever cheat if you could get away with it?
Cheating - copying stuff that's not yours - tests, homework, projects and/or other assignments.
Scenario 1:
While taking an exam, your professor left the classroom. You're seated beside a straight-A student. Would you peak to that student's paper? (Note: You can get away with it! You will not get caught!)
Scenario 2:
Your teacher is in the classroom giving a final exam. You are allowed to use your cellphone as a calculator. You are using an iPhone and can access the internet. Would you look into Google to find the answer to a question you do not know?
So, does anyone of you ever cheated in nursing school? at least once or maybe a lot of times? Could you share some of your experiences if you got caught or if you got away with it? Did you feel bad/guilty about it afterward?
I'm just curious, so please don't think that this thread is offensive in anyway. I have to admit that I cheated before. I copied someone's homework, I looked into my seatmates' test paper. I wrote some medical dosages' formula in my desk.
There's also this cliche that goes "When you cheat, you're really cheating yourself." I say this is BS - especially in school. Tuition nowadays is over the top particularly nursing. Not to mention how hard it is to get in into the damn program.
I question whether everyone is being entirely honest on here. Kind of ironic to lie about being academically honest! Some posters are just holier than thou regardless..
I guess folks who are dishonest, expect dishonesty from others. Not holier than thou....just truth.
Hell no, I wouldn't cheat because it's more work than just studying... I don't need to cheat.
I agree. I read stories on here about how people cheat sometimes, and I think to myself, "if they had spent all that time actually studying, rather than thinking up new ways to cheat, then they wouldn't HAVE to cheat!"
I study all the time, I do well in school, and I still worry alot about forgetting something important or making a mistake that ends with me accidentally harming a patient. I can't even imagine the stress I would feel if I were relying on cheating to get through school. This is not a business or communications degree, where peoples' lives really don't depend on us. It's imperative that we know what we are doing.
I love all this cool stuff that I am learning, and I love the feeling of accomplishment I get from doing good on a test. I also don't want to inadvertantly hurt or kill someone. So, the answer is, no, I would NEVER cheat, even if I knew I wouldn't get caught.
Only a cheater would put up a post about cheating and then get all defensive about the responses.
Hope I never work with you.
I think the OP is just getting defensive and making excuses about their post because there's no one on here saying that they would cheat if they could get away with it.
I could not help but to respond to this thread. How immature it is to think you would never get caught cheating. The fact is, you SHOULD be caught by your own concience. If you do not know your drug calculations and have to cheat, who are you going to cheat from when you have to pass meds on patients? It's not just a degree you're getting, it learning the tools needed to be a professional with integrity.
Nope! I wouldn't cheat even if I knew I wouldn't get caught. I enjoy a good challenge. Besides, I was always afraid the person I would choose to cheat from would not know as much as I did. lol
Wouldn't cheat on tests for a number of reasons: The ethical side of me felt that if I wasn't prepared enough for a test and ended up getting substandard results then that was my fault and hopefully next time I can do better. My practical side always said the possible ramifications of getting caught would never justify the cheating. I also could never trust someones work over my own. I know some won't confess to their practical side, but lets be honest, it's true. Not every issue has to come down to morality.
i got caught cheating on a test in 7th grade. It made me so scared and ashamed that i didn't do it again. i can honestly say that i have not cheated on any of my nursing school assignments or tests. It feels so much better to get that grade knowing that you did what you could, and if it is a poor score it motivates you to focus more on your studies in order to improve.
I try not to live my life based on if I would or could get in trouble, which is why I look at this question differently than you do.
In other words, would I do something illegal if I felt it was an emergency and or totally necessary? Sure. I can think of dozens of scenarios that fit that criteria. I don't hold this accountability is only true for legal issues. You could argue that religion -for good or bad- is another example of answering to a higher authority. (I don't kill because of my religion, I kill because of my religion)
So, I don't get caught up in the details of "even if?" because I go through life with a clear conscience. I don't care if I'd get caught. I'm the person who washes her hands when no one is looking because I want clean hands.
So, live true to yourself and you won't get so distracted by whether or not you could/would/or should cheat. You are the one who gets to decide what kind of person you are, and maybe you should be a little less concerned with the kind of person everyone else decides to be.
Scenario 1-------------------no (and yes I have been in this situation)
Scenario 2-------------------no (never been in that situation)
Have never cheated....... EVER! Its called integrity. I realize the original poster is being hypothetical, but the comparision with crossing against the light is kinda comparing apples and oranges. Crossing against the light is a legal issue, and yes, you can still get caught as with speeding. (cameras?). Laws in this case are made to ensure safety. Cheating in school is about whether you make decisions to benefit yourself in disregard to the group. I have heard cheaters justify their cheating by saying that they don't hurt anyone. But that isn't true. Especially in a academic dicipline that many times only allows those with the best grades to progress.
What are you going to do if you make a drug error and you know you won't get caught? This happened to me and I was in the managers office in the morning. Again, it is about taking on your personal responsibilities and also taking responsibilities for the outcome whether good or bad.
And may I say one more thing? I am offended by the following, previous post.
"I question whether everyone is being entirely honest on here. Kind of ironic to lie about being academically honest! Some posters are just holier than thou regardless."
In today's competitive job market getting into sigma theta tau is an edge many people want. Since it goes by class percentage not grade average believe me lots of people will cheat even if they have outstanding knowledge. I missed getting in by 2 people. Cheating in my school was widespread. In fact some people had little money generating schemes behind it. The male students all developed very sensitive bladders during tests and their blackberries kept them from having to put in too many hours. One was also found out to be cutting clinical hours extensively and even though there was a policy of missing two for any reason resulted in failing (and being kicked out) he was defended by some professors and allowed to stay. He is now an ICU nurse. Hope he keeps his blackberry at all times. One can take lots of extra time to study after school and carry those ill gotten grades into their resume and hospitals now look at your transcript...There was a massive cheating scandal for an out of the country nclex location. Someone posted here that their version of the test is easier to begin with.
CuriousMe
2,642 Posts
I guess folks who are dishonest, expect dishonesty from others. Not holier than thou....just truth.