Is my rage justified. My friend just flunked out of her first semester at Charity with a 76 average. 77 is the cut. The failing question (and I don't know it word for word, but here is the general gist of it): An african woman who lives in Africa has an intestinal bug. She believes that by eating pumpkin seeds, the bug will be eliminated. Is this a : religious belief, a cultural belief, is she correct, and few other choices. My friend answered, a cultural belief. As per the teacher: WRONG. First of all, regardless of the question or answer, how is this question even relevant to Nursing? Upon doing her homework and research, she could prove it very much IS a cultural thing. She appealed the question. The woman who wrote the question refused to budge and the committee sided with her. So boom. My freind is out. Never mind she is an excellent student. I am outraged. 44 people apparently missed that stupid, trick, unfair, irrelevant question. When teachers result to trickery on exams, it is so unfair and the students will never win. What can be done about this? This is a power issue and the teacher is getting off on it. People like that have got to go. I am beginning Charity in January. If I wasn't sufficiently terrified before, I certainly am now. Feedback, please.
The failing question (and I don't know it word for word, but here is the general gist of it): An african woman who lives in Africa has an intestinal bug. She believes that by eating pumpkin seeds, the bug will be eliminated. Is this a : religious belief, a cultural belief, is she correct, and few other choices. My friend answered, a cultural belief. As per the teacher: WRONG. First of all, regardless of the question or answer, how is this question even relevant to Nursing?
Culture is VERY relevant to nursing,. And I hate to burst your bubble, but the answer isn't cultural. So you're saying that if you have a Jehovah's witness as a patient, that's not relevant to their care? I had a patient with a Hct of 15 last week, but she was a DNR and her religion did not allow her to receive blood. So you think that's not important? Instead of us treating her, her religion played a huge factor and she ended up going home on Hospice because of it. Your anger seems very immature. Of course you'll be biased towards your friend and hate the teacher who failed them. But your friend failed herself. Curious, how do you justify her being an excellent student if her semester rode on 1 question? Is your rage justified? I'll sum that up in a bullet point response
1. no
2. not really no
3. pretty much no
4. your outrage is actually time consuming and adds to stress of instructors and is still getting a no.
And if your instructor REALLY wanted, they could get on to you for having questions from tests. That's an entirely different discussion, but too often teachers don't change tests and they get handed down to people like this. It kind of sucks that people pass based on handmedown tests and lucky guesses...I don't see how anyone can get a job as a nurse knowing that they just pass based on lucky guesses...tisk tisk
What about the other questions she missed on the test? What is the excuse for missing those?
I was wondering the same thing. I find it hard to believe that your "friend" failed for missing one question. True enough, one more question may have caused her to pass but this person probably went into the last test at risk for failing. So why are you so outraged? I am not at all being judgmental but I just finished my third semester of NS and it seems like everyone who failed, failed by 1 point. Ummm Yeah..... that's not true. As far as the teacher situation, I have heard so many stories about instructors being mean and unfair and when I meet them, I don't see any of that. I find out later that the students weren't prepared for clinical, showing up late to tests and clinical and want to be babysat the whole time and the instructors get frustrated. I totally understand why. So my advice to you.... Please go into your program with an open mind. You are going to ruin your own experience listening to disgruntled students who expect to be babysat through nursing school.
Do you (everyone) think there's any room in nursing for accommodating different learning styles and modalities? I have always been a very traditional learner--sit down with the new AJN and funnel information into my head--but I have a friend doing her master's nurse ed. and is all pie in the sky about integrative learning, which makes me think of integrative medicine, yikes. I'm afraid I'm just oldfashioned though. Know of any progressive programs out there?
That sounds like an oxymoron, aren't being a poor student and academically challenged basically the same thing?
I've been wondering about this, too, and I'm wondering if maybe the poster is using "good" and "poor" student in the sense of effort rather than results -- that a "good" student is one who tries hard, does all the readings and assignments, never misses class, etc., and a "poor" student is one who isn't putting forth the effort in the first place.
In that sense, one could be a "good" student and "academically challenged" (i.e., not grasping the material as easily as some of the other students) at the same time.
I'm not trying to put words in anyone's mouth; I'm just trying to make sense (for myself) of some of the previous posts ...
Do you (everyone) think there's any room in nursing for accommodating different learning styles and modalities? I have always been a very traditional learner--sit down with the new AJN and funnel information into my head--but I have a friend doing her master's nurse ed. and is all pie in the sky about integrative learning, which makes me think of integrative medicine, yikes. I'm afraid I'm just oldfashioned though. Know of any progressive programs out there?
In my experience teaching nursing, the nursing education world is very conscious and preoccupied with "different learning styles and modalities." There's no such thing as just standing up and lecturing any more -- you're expected to put on a whole "dog and pony show" that will engage and entertain every student in the class, across all cognitive domains and learning styles. You're also expected to assume that students have a v. short attention span, and keep changing things up to keep them from getting bored and tuning out. All of the workshops and continuing ed programs in nursing education are full of this stuff (and that is the expectation in the "real life" nursing programs in which I've taught). I'm sure it's not being practiced uniformly across the board, however. Like everything else, there are good, mediocre, and bad schools, and good, mediocre, and bad instructors ...
It sucks your friend failed but it wasn't because of that one question. Even though it is a vague question the argument can be made that she did miss an very valid and important nursing question at some other point in the semester that could have saved her. That is how the teachers look at it and they have to draw a line in the sand somewhere. However, some of the more fair teachers may throw out certain questions if enough people in the class get it wrong and others don't... it's just the way it goes
I'm not trying to pass judgments here but I do want to make a constructive criticism. If you and your friend are blaming failure on getting the one test question wrong that that is showing a lack of accountability that is not going to fly in any nursing program. As a nurse, we need to be accountable for our own actions and not try and create excuses for why we didn't do what we needed to do... thats how we grow. Your instructor may be being mean but, then again, the student most likely went about it in the wrong way. If a student comes to a instructor after the final and complains about the fairness of one test question rather then seeing the instructor early on in the semester to state she was in trouble and this was her plan of action to improve then she's not going to help that student
that was not the only question missed on the test, however that question is the only one that can be questioned by the students.
one of my friends didn't pass both of our classes for level i, when we got out after taking the last final, she said to me,
"you know, it's my fault, for not studying harder, longer, and for not understanding things better. i beleive teachers don't fail us, we either score high enough, or low enough to fail the test.
I was wondering the same thing. I find it hard to believe that your "friend" failed for missing one question. True enough, one more question may have caused her to pass but this person probably went into the last test at risk for failing. So why are you so outraged? I am not at all being judgmental but I just finished my third semester of NS and it seems like everyone who failed, failed by 1 point. Ummm Yeah..... that's not true. As far as the teacher situation, I have heard so many stories about instructors being mean and unfair and when I meet them, I don't see any of that. I find out later that the students weren't prepared for clinical, showing up late to tests and clinical and want to be babysat the whole time and the instructors get frustrated. I totally understand why. So my advice to you.... Please go into your program with an open mind. You are going to ruin your own experience listening to disgruntled students who expect to be babysat through nursing school.
People always want someone to blame other than themselves. It took me a long time to realize that it was my fault for not passing the third semester. I thought about it, looked back on it and realized I could learn a lot more if I didnt fight it every day of that semester. I thought my life was over when I failed the semester the first time, but when I readjusted my attitude, it worked wonders in my tests and assignments.
Sometimes you have to look within and say wow I messed up as opposed to "the teacher screwed me". Own up to your mistakes and life is better that way.
I've been wondering about this, too, and I'm wondering if maybe the poster is using "good" and "poor" student in the sense of effort rather than results -- that a "good" student is one who tries hard, does all the readings and assignments, never misses class, etc., and a "poor" student is one who isn't putting forth the effort in the first place.
In that sense, one could be a "good" student and "academically challenged" (i.e., not grasping the material as easily as some of the other students) at the same time.
I'm not trying to put words in anyone's mouth; I'm just trying to make sense (for myself) of some of the previous posts ...
You hit it on the button! And you know...if I fail a class (or test or essay) that in my opinion does not make me a failure, quitting would be failing IMO.
Some classes I have 90+ % and am way ahead of others, then in another class I am sitting at a B or C. However I look at that as good as I am not sitting on my butt, Im working hard for those grades, just as hard as the A, however I tend to struggle more so with the material (and yes that is with studying, not goofing off!).
Again, if I have to repeat because the grade of the course did not cut it, I dont let it get me down. It is not the teachers fault, it is not my fault, it is part of MY learning process :)
I wrote an exam today...studied hard for it...however there were some questions that I just did not know...however I am quite confident I did well...Im thinking 70-75 range, which in that course happens to be excellent for me as I struggle big time:yeah:. I have 2 more exams to write...one class(A&P) Im holding a C+ and after my theory exam am confident Ill bring that up to a B or B+, and a nrsg theory exam (am sitting at 87 %) and am confident Ill ace the final as well :).
Clinical I passed and had wonderful comments from my instructor...so Im quite satisfied with how Ive done so far this term :)
Just a thought...its not all about grades, nor should it be :)
I agree and I just wanted to point out that I don't agree with the whole notion of "well, you wouldn't want a nurse who JUST passed through nursing school".... I don't think it makes any difference what your grades are in nursing school. The goal is to meet the standards of your school and pass boards which makes you registered by the state to safely practice nursing.
kgh31386, BSN, MSN, RN
815 Posts
Culture is VERY relevant to nursing,. And I hate to burst your bubble, but the answer isn't cultural. So you're saying that if you have a Jehovah's witness as a patient, that's not relevant to their care? I had a patient with a Hct of 15 last week, but she was a DNR and her religion did not allow her to receive blood. So you think that's not important? Instead of us treating her, her religion played a huge factor and she ended up going home on Hospice because of it. Your anger seems very immature. Of course you'll be biased towards your friend and hate the teacher who failed them. But your friend failed herself. Curious, how do you justify her being an excellent student if her semester rode on 1 question? Is your rage justified? I'll sum that up in a bullet point response
1. no
2. not really no
3. pretty much no
4. your outrage is actually time consuming and adds to stress of instructors and is still getting a no.
And if your instructor REALLY wanted, they could get on to you for having questions from tests. That's an entirely different discussion, but too often teachers don't change tests and they get handed down to people like this. It kind of sucks that people pass based on handmedown tests and lucky guesses...I don't see how anyone can get a job as a nurse knowing that they just pass based on lucky guesses...tisk tisk