HCC Spring 08

I graduated!

Ok, I was asked by a fellow classmate to kind of summarize our grievances and establish a plan of action. I will try to do that here with the help of others.

First, to summarize our grievances (please add to or correct these if I am mistaken):

1: Many evening class students had to rush because they were told they had to be done by 8 PM (allowing for only 2.5 hours, not 3).

2: We were offered no written syllabus resulting in the confusion over the actual passing grade and the requirement to pay to retake the exam ($135 dollars is a lot of money!)

3: The rediculously long, boring, tedious, and utterly unhelpful Hesi review. A gradeschool student could have read the book to us word by word.

4: The date of our retakes. Many of the students have already been hired for jobs/internships starting the first week in June. By all accounts, we will not be allowed to retake the test until later in June. Therefore, a lot of people will lose the job they have been working toward the last 3 or 4 years.

5: THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT. Our school is using the Hesi in an utterly unethical way. The woman that designed the Hesi test would be the first to tell you that it is meant to be used solely as an assessment tool, not a requirement for graduation. The test was designed to be hard in order to show students their weaknesses. If every school in the US used it as an exit exam, there would be no nurses! We have been working too hard and have made too many sacrifices to be refused graduation based on a test NOT required by the TBON! We have successfully completed our nursing curriculum just like every other graduating nursing student in Texas, but instead of preparing for NCLEX and getting on with our lives, we are currently embroiled in this unneccessary turmoil. I am confident that nearly 99% of use that failed Hesi would have no problem passing NCLEX on the first try, but HCC doesn't care. They would rather pass only 10 or 20 students, than to suffer a percentage point lower on NCLEX pass rates. This is unethical and only INCREASES the nursing shortage, as was pointed out by another student. I know those who studied more than me, and some who studied less, but when I hit that "finish" button and saw a failing grade, it was like being kicked in the gut. I absolutely can't imagine being prevented from taking the state board test becuase of failing a test that was meant to be insanely hard. What if I don't pass it the next two times??? Do I work at McDonalds for minimum wage until I retire???

WE JUST WANT TO TAKE THE BOARD TEST AND GET ON WITH LIVING!!!

So how do we do that? If we want any action, we must unite and address our issues with the school. We can sign a petition, write letters to HCC administrators, or bring legal action.

First we need to get each other's contact info before we can proceed. A united effort is the only way.

I have set up an email account for this purporse. Please email your name, email, and phone numbers to [email protected]

I know not everyone will read this, so please contact your friends so we can get as many participants as possible.

Once we have our contact list of all those that failed, we can decide how to proceed. We need to do this quickly though if we want anything to happen.

Thanks!

well, i spoke with denise from hesi at 800-950-2758. i posed several questions to her:

1. who picks the questions for the hesi exam sent to the school?

she said that the questions are chosen by the national council of state boards of nursing. she went on to say that the hesi is a review of everything that we should have learned while in nursing school and that the hesi book is only a review and does not encompass all of the questions. well, that just proves that our curriculum is substandard because there were quite a few questions on the exam that were not covered in med-surg, hesi review book, or class notes. so how are we to know the answers, i wonder?

2. i complained about the lackluster hesi review course that was given for 8 hours x 3 days

surprisingly, she said that the course was not a hesi review course but an nclex review course. is it just me, or why in the hell would we be given an nclex review course before even passing the hesi? why were we not given a hesi review course - isn't that what we paid for? at least that's what the spring 2008 blueprint states? why were we misled into believing that the course was a hesi review when even hesi denies that the course deals with the hesi exam?

3. the webct states that we do not have to pay for the hesi course for a second time. or at least that is the way it's written by the person in charge. however, once again, misinformation. i've let several people read the message from her and they all interpreted it the same way. no. 2 is no. 2 and no.3 is no. 3. and if we do have to pay a second time, do we get another supposed hesi review (which is really the nclex) or do we just pay to take the exam? what are we paying for?

4. another problem i'm having is why the students are being held to higher than the national standard as far as scoring is concerned. if that is the case then the school needs to show that we received better than average instruction from better than average instructors.

let's start with all the nursing instructors submitting their grade point averages (gpa), nclex scores, and hesi scores (if applicable). then i can submit those numbers into a spss software packwage and produce a statistical report to determine if the instructors and instruction was top-notch in which we can then, and only then, be held to higher standards. average instructors = average scores. above-average instructors = above-average scores and so on.

questions for all:

does anyone have a definite answer for the hesi #2 retake date? two people (i recently found out) have lost their gn internships :madface:. i'm afraid mine may be in jeopardy, too .

can anyone confirm the hesi #2 official passing score of 880?

what direction is everyone taking as far as studying? i know my deficits and have been utilizing the following website as a tutorial. apparently, if you gave them your email address, they send you an email with a code and you can log in to view your results graphed and you can look up additional knowledge content and see the questions you missed, etc.

https://evolve.elsevier.com/evolveweb/wizards.link?uri=/wizard/reachstudentexamaccesswizard&wizard=full&oncancel=http://evolve.elsevier.com/student

thanks. hope everyone is doing well.

:heartbeat and a warm hug, y'all!

~ midori ~

I spoke with the secretary today, we have to email her next week to schedule a Rich appointment. Still no test date but she said it might be in mid to late June. I must have read the Rich message wrong, thinking we didn't have to pay- o well we do.

Here is the 2008 HESI CD, not very different but a few new questions.

http://rapidshare.com/files/117094629/HESI2008.exe.html

i may not have graduated with yall in may but i do graduate in august from hcc so i hope everything works out and good luck 2 you all!!!! hopefully, things get changed...by august...haha...doubtful...this stinks!

hesi retake - the lastest and greatest, . . .

also, has anyone completed the grade appeal form yet?

i received numerous messasges last week from coleman's admin of student development (dr. paula williard, sp?) and also beverly joseph, office manager for coleman. beverly joseph just called me back and has scheduled a 'group' meeting with students and mrs. rich for 5/29, thu. at 2:30pm, rm. 211. we are to bring the appeals form (emailed) and may submit it at that time (if we feel there are issues still unresolved). anyone else going?

:typing

~ midori ~

Midori,

I am going to try and make the meeting.

mike

I will try to get off of work to be there:specs:

Betsy

Can't get off of work!!! Please let me know what happens.

something about some cats....

Both links will only be up for a few days so spread the word

2008 HESI CD

https://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=B068498D4DB1CD41

2008 MOSBY NCLEX questions - a ton of em

https://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=5F8E610A518072A1

Thanks, Juan. The weblinks REALLY, REALLY helped me out! Congratulations to all who took the retake this morning and passed!

We're saddened again to hear of those who didn't . But listen, don't give up yet. Think of it as a 'practice freebie'. You still have more chances to take it. It ain't over. I know everyone has suggestions on what helped them.

For me, it was practicing HESI and Mosby (that Juan was nice enough to post) and reading rationales and taking notes on the rationales. I re-read those the day before. And, in the HESI txtbk, it tells you to take the night off before the test and do something you like . And that's exactly what I did. .

If anyone else has suggestions on what helped them, kindly post it. Thanks.

.....no man left behind - promise.