I need guidance, I saw one of my classmates cheating on our mid-term pharm test. We self grade so she changed about 12 answers to get a passing grade. NOT only did I see her but in the hall after grading she told me she had to change them just to barely pass. I got an 83% and passing is 78% so sure I wanted a better grade to but would never have changed my answers.
Ethicly I think I know what to do, I just don't want to be a tattle tail and she knows I know so there is my catch 22 .
The OP has already devised her plan of action, however, this situation reaches far beyond one instance of one individual underhandedly editing records. First of all, there is the school's system. Are the instructor's really not aware of the
vulnerabilities of this system, or are the using this system (as some have posted) for this specific reason. If the later is the case, the OP will not be able to bring about change by disclosing the transcretion. Secondly, in this situation, we're dealing with one instance of cheating in the absence of an established pattern. Up to this point, informing the instructor that the self grading system allows for cheating, would suffice. However, there is another disturbing fact: The behavior of the fellow student. It appears that the fellow student realized the OP's awareness of her cheating and in a strategic move verbally admitted this to the OP. This move shows absolute disregard to others in that it is an attempt to silence the OP by making her an accomplice. It is also an indirect threat, because it conveys the message: if anyone finds out, I know you talked. This particular behavior, deliberately placing another person in a dilemma in order to save one's own hide, is worse than the actual cheating. My response would be " I wish you hadn't told me, but by dragging me into this you leave me no choice but to take action, because I do not want to be part of this."
My advice is not to do anything about it, I know you feel cheated because you study so hard and its not fair. I had the same experience before a lot of my classmates cheat during exam, they get good grades because of cheating but now because of cheating they cant pass the boards. See God have his own way to punish those people. Just stay out of it and study hard.
I'm shocked and discouraged by the numerous replies that encourage this person to ignore it, say nothing, stay out of it, and "they'll eventually get what's coming to them." What if I saw a nurse make a medication error or falsify documentation? Could I use the excuse that "it's not my business" or "it's just my word against theirs" or "their sins will eventually catch up with them" and let harm come to the patient? No, I couldn't. If I did, I'd be as guilty of causing harm to the patient as the nurse who actually made the med error or recorded false documentation.
The same is true for this student who saw another student change their answers on the pharmacology test. The behavior described is flat out cheating, and you need to tell your instructor what you saw and what the "cheater" said to you in the hallway. Honesty and integrity within the profession, whether we're students or we're nurses, is EVERYONE'S responsibility. I know this is a hard position to be put into and that it might be easier to bury your head in the sand or pretend that you didn't see what you saw. But you did see it and so I encourage you to be courageous and report it to your instructor.
There is a difference between courageous and careless. Report it anonymously. Unless of course its important to look like supernurse which is a different story. There seems to be an air in some of these replies of being the "good nurse full of integrity" and making sure everyone knows it. These are the same people who run and report something they think they saw and ruin someones reputation. Integrity is what you do when no one is watching. So just report it anonymously and move on.
In our school, we had to sign that we read the syllabus and the school handbook....and in the handbook it specifically stated something like "if you see someone cheating - you will report them" Did you have to do something similar?
If you were in the hospital and saw someone doing something wrong - what would you do? Stand idly by...hoping that the person would get caught eventually? Stand up for your profession! You know what the right thing to do is and what the chicken thing to do is.....BE BRAVE! Do what is right.
I think that person will be weeded out and cheating is not the way. I struggled with dosage calculation but never cheated matter of fact my program director as I was 2 year ASN student I got to teach the first year students. I would have never cheated though. If the girl is struggling that much she should get remedial help most nursing programs do this. Cheating is never the answer. We never got to self grade exams either they did it while we waited.
I am an EMT who is waiting to get into a nursing program in my area. As I was going through EMT school, a group of losers got wind that I had the top scores in the class. It took a while before I noticed that they were all cheating off of me down the row to my right. I decided not to say anything because I knew that with an average 40% pass rate on the National Registry of EMTs exam, they had little chance of passing. Sure enough, they ALL failed! In fact, out of 60 students, only 5 of us passed. Now, as an EMT proctor, I can pick out of a crowd of students those who are probably less than honest and am not saddened when they fail. I am sure the same thing will happen to this girl who thinks that she can just slide by nursing school. I certainly wouldn't want someone who cheated on their pharm test to be my nurse! There is NO way she will make it through school or NCLEX.
Turning a friend/colleague in is even worse than cheating. Tons of people cheat and the fact that you saw her doesn't give you the right to make judgment about her. If she is not good at pharm it will eventually catch up with her. You won't elliminate the problem and you will make an enemy. In the eyes of a teacher and other classmates you won't look good either. Is her grade making you jealous? Think about the fact that life is not fair and everybody will eventually get punished whether in this life or the next. Honestly, can you say that you have never ever ever ever been dishonest? Remeber the story from the Bible? When the society wanted to stone a woman for her sins?
You can talk to your friend and tell her what you think but don't try to punish her.
Also, nurses who report other nurses in hospitals are not considered better than others. They try to suck up to management and it's never good. Coworkers will hate you and the work atmosphere will not be pleasant.
Turning a friend/colleague in is even worse than what cheating. Tons of people cheat and the fact that you saw her doesn't give you the right to make judgment about her. If she is not good at pharm it will eventually catch up with her. You won't elliminate the problem and you will make an enemy. In the eyes of a teacher and other classmates you won't look good either. Is her grade making you jealous? Think about the fact that life is not fair and everybody will eventually get punished whether in this life or the next. Honestly, can you say that you have never ever ever ever been dishonest? Remeber the story from the Bible? When the society wanted to stone a woman for her sins?
You can talk to your friend and tell her what you think but don't try to punish her.
Hope that helps.
Nicka
I'm just curious, does your school have an honor policy?
I ask because every school I've attended has had a policy that basically states that knowledge that someone is cheating and not reporting it is the same as cheating.
It's not about getting back at the person who cheated, or thinking it's my job to police my classmates....it's an ethical issue for the person who witnessed it; the ethical boat has come and gone for the person who cheated....they've already made their choice.....this decision isn't about the cheater, it's about the witness.
Witnessing cheating and not reporting it is just as wrong as cheating...at least according to my school's policy.
You could put an anonymous note in your teacher's mailbox that says "make sure to keep an eye on so-and-so when we're grading our next test." Then you can feel better knowing that you've brought the issue to your instructor's attention without tattling, and you can leave it up to her to decide what to do about it.
I'm just curious, does your school have an honor policy?
I ask because every school I've attended has had a policy that basically states that knowledge that someone is cheating and not reporting it is the same as cheating.
It's not about getting back at the person who cheated, or thinking it's my job to police my classmates....it's an ethical issue for the person who witnessed it; the ethical boat has come and gone for the person who cheated....they've already made their choice.....this decision isn't about the cheater, it's about the witness.
Witnessing cheating and not reporting it is just as wrong as cheating...at least according to my school's policy.
Of course, every school has that policy. But policy is just policy, you have your own brain, open mind as a human being, own judgment, feelings. So everything should depend on circumstances. Think about this, if your family member stole something/killed someone would you turn them in?
Of course, every school has that policy. But policy is just policy, you have your own brain, open mind as a human being, own judgment, feelings. So everything should depend on circumstances. Think about this, if your family member stole something/killed someone would you turn them in?
In the real world there's a name for folks who know that someone has killed someone and doesn't report it....the name is accomplice. Could get you a bunch of years in prison.
Yes, if a family member killed someone, I would report it.
The concept of being a "tattler" doesn't exist in the real world....that's a school yard concept. In the real world, if you are a witness to a crime, you have a responsibility to report it. Nursing school prepares us for the real world.
It's not a question of whether I want to "use my brain" or not. It's an ethical question. If I witness someone cheating, diverting meds, otherwise doing something that is strictly unethical, it becomes my ethical responsibility to report it. It doesn't mean I have to like it, but I'm not getting that person in trouble....they decided to get themselves in trouble when they cheated, stole, etc.
If I witness someone cheating, that wasn't my choice, I would have happier not seeing it....but, if I see it, it's my responsibility to report it. The right thing and the easy thing are rarely the same thing. I choose the right thing.
. 
systoly
1,756 Posts
The OP has already devised her plan of action, however, this situation reaches far beyond one instance of one individual underhandedly editing records. First of all, there is the school's system. Are the instructor's really not aware of the
vulnerabilities of this system, or are the using this system (as some have posted) for this specific reason. If the later is the case, the OP will not be able to bring about change by disclosing the transcretion. Secondly, in this situation, we're dealing with one instance of cheating in the absence of an established pattern. Up to this point, informing the instructor that the self grading system allows for cheating, would suffice. However, there is another disturbing fact: The behavior of the fellow student. It appears that the fellow student realized the OP's awareness of her cheating and in a strategic move verbally admitted this to the OP. This move shows absolute disregard to others in that it is an attempt to silence the OP by making her an accomplice. It is also an indirect threat, because it conveys the message: if anyone finds out, I know you talked. This particular behavior, deliberately placing another person in a dilemma in order to save one's own hide, is worse than the actual cheating. My response would be " I wish you hadn't told me, but by dragging me into this you leave me no choice but to take action, because I do not want to be part of this."