HESI is Wrong ! Let's File Suit

Nurses New Nurse

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i go to school in montgomery co. texas and have done okay in the nursing program making mainly bs through out the course, but i am not good at taking nursing test. comming from a trade background i have found that when i look at the rationals to the questions i miss it is usually that i thought of things in a common sense way not a test way. that said i have suffered through and i am suppose to graduate in may and then comes hesi. i took the test monday, march 26 and missed passing by 53 points. i can take the test again on 4/27 but i don't like my chances any better at passing it then either, i just don't test well or i at least don't nursing test well. what gives collages the right to keep you from taking the boards if you have completed 2yrs of their bs? isn't the hesi about keeping the pass rate on the first try numbers up for the college? so they look good. i have decided even if i pass the hesi i am going to retain a lawyer and sue the college for it's practice and i think that if they are going to use hesi that they should just factor it into your grade and not ruin your life over one stinking test. i would like to hear some of your options on whether or not ya'll think we should bring a national class action lawsuit to stop this madness. some students in ca. sued and won the right to sit for the board even though they didn't pass hesi and i believe that we deserve that right too. (

Specializes in Critical Care.
I go to school in Montgomery Co. Texas

Besides, living just over the horizon from you in College Station, let me add that this area of the country doesn't exactly excel in upholding such lawsuits.

It would be an uphill battle, all the way.

(Let me also add that since you basically identified the school you go to, that you are one of those that failed, and what your score was: you've told any administrators of your program reading this - and you'd be surprised how many such people know about allnurses - pretty much exactly who you are. Food for thought in what you actually post on this topic.)

From Montgomery College Webpage on nursing:

http://www.montgomery-college.com/Templates/Content.aspx?pid=6263&keepheader=yes&keepId=1929

Testing Requirements

Students are required to take nationally-normed tests throughout the curriculum and to make satisfactory scores on each test. Additionally, in the last semester of the curriculum, students must achieve a satisfactory exit exam score in order to graduate from the program. All costs for the exams and remediation are the student’s responsibility.

I agree with you that the over-dependence on such exams is a result of programs not being held accountable for admissions and attrition standards. I agree that the test is a fail-safe to protect the programs from problems that are, essentially, of their own making.

I disagree that you have any legal standing to challenge this. After all, they DID list this requirement up front.

~faith,

Timothy.

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Specializes in ED, ICU, PACU.
I have read alot about the HESI, and here is my conclusion:

If the colleges don't trust their own nursing program, time to get a new Director, new instructors, a new curriculum and CLEAN HOUSE.

HESI doesn't license nurses the NCLEX does...let the NCLEX do it's job.

The reason the schools do this is to weed out those that may fail the NCLEX in order to artificially keep the school's NCLEX pass rate high. By preventing those that have difficulty with test taking from taking the NCLEX, the school appears to have a high pass rate, percentage wise. They only have to provide stats for the graduating students that pass or fail NCLEX. If they find a way to prevent you from graduating, you no longer are a threat to their NCLEX pass rate. I went to a university that was about to be put on probation for their pitiful NCLEX pass rate-this HESI thing is what they came up with to increase the pass percentages above what the state board wanted to see. What they should have done is what was suggested above; but, the school's goal was to only look good on paper, they didn't care if you learned anything at all.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
The reason the schools do this is to weed out those that may fail the NCLEX in order to artificially keep the school's NCLEX pass rate high. By preventing those that have difficulty with test taking from taking the NCLEX, the school appears to have a high pass rate, percentage wise. They only have to provide stats for the graduating students that pass or fail NCLEX. If they find a way to prevent you from graduating, you no longer are a threat to their NCLEX pass rate. I went to a university that was about to be put on probation for their pitiful NCLEX pass rate-this HESI thing is what they came up with to increase the pass percentages above what the state board wanted to see. What they should have done is what was suggested above; but, the school's goal was to only look good on paper, they didn't care if you learned anything at all.

They more than just 'appear' to have higher NCLEX pass rates as a result, they DO have higher NCLEX pass rates as a result. And, they know it. These test aren't going away.

Until Schools have to also account for the level of attrition they allow, these tests protect the only real accountability that matters to the programs.

~faith,

Timothy.

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gasguy, while it's unfortunate that you don't do well on standardized nursing tests, the fact remains that you will have to pass the mother of them all, the NCLEX-RN, in order to become a nurse.

You might not like that your school uses the HESI as a tool by which to eliminate those from graduation who are exceedingly unlikely to pass the NCLEX, but you knew going into the program that passing the HESI was a requirement of graduation. Again, you might not like that the school chooses this route, but it's one you were aware of, and if you knew you don't do well on such exams, wouldn't it have been a good idea to have sought out tutors to help with this problem? Why is it the school's fault that you are not good at passing such exams? Why do you feel that THEY should have made special efforts to get you to pass, rather than YOU taking the initiative to do whatever necessary to learn how to pass?

I understand the argument that the school is responsible for teaching you all that is required in a nursing curriculum, and therefore the onus is on them to give you all that you need to succeed. But it's a two-way street: since the vast majority of each class do pass this exam, it would appear that they ARE upholding their end of the bargain. They teach you what you need to know, your job is to learn how to pass that exam.

I've seen many students now who have argued that they ought to sue the school because they couldn't pass, or weren't allowed to graduate. They don't win based on those arguments. Will you sue your school if they DID allow you to graduate but were unable to pass the NCLEX? I'd bet that you would want to, just as you want to now. Your argument then would be "but they let me graduate with a B avererage, it's THEIR fault I couldn't pass NCLEX." And you'd lose that one, too.

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gasguy, while it's unfortunate that you don't do well on standardized nursing tests, the fact remains that you will have to pass the mother of them all, the nclex-rn, in order to become a nurse.

you might not like that your school uses the hesi as a tool by which to eliminate those from graduation who are exceedingly unlikely to pass the nclex, but you knew going into the program that passing the hesi was a requirement of graduation. again, you might not like that the school chooses this route, but it's one you were aware of, and if you knew you don't do well on such exams, wouldn't it have been a good idea to have sought out tutors to help with this problem? why is it the school's fault that you are not good at passing such exams? why do you feel that they should have made special efforts to get you to pass, rather than you taking the initiative to do whatever necessary to learn how to pass?

.

gasguy1960thanks for the reply mstigerlily. we never new any thing about hesi until about the last week of the first year when we took a bench mark hesi that didn't count but where told then about this one in second year. i am glad that you did so well on your test and just fyi i probably own every nclex study guide known to man and nothing snuck up on me. my point is that this test is being used in the wrong way. it should be used to uncover your weakness or the faculty's weakness as you progress and help you, what it is doing is masking the failure of the institutions to do their job.

rnsrwe, did you miss the above quote from the op?

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gasguy1960thanks for the reply mstigerlily. we never new any thing about hesi until about the last week of the first year when we took a bench mark hesi that didn't count but where told then about this one in second year. i am glad that you did so well on your test and just fyi i probably own every nclex study guide known to man and nothing snuck up on me. my point is that this test is being used in the wrong way. it should be used to uncover your weakness or the faculty's weakness as you progress and help you, what it is doing is masking the failure of the institutions to do their job.

rnsrwe, did you miss the above quote from the op?

yes, it looks like i did. however, i didn't miss this one, pasted from the op's own school listing: "from montgomery college webpage on nursing:

http://www.montgomery-college.com/te...es&keepid=1929

testing requirements

students are required to take nationally-normed tests throughout the curriculum and to make satisfactory scores on each test. additionally, in the last semester of the curriculum, students must achieve a satisfactory exit exam score in order to graduate from the program. all costs for the exams and remediation are the student’s responsibility."

it would appear that the op should have known that this type of testing would be expected to be passed. i understand the op says he didn't know, but that is never an excuse when it comes down to it: if your school has put the requirement in writing, ignorance of that rule doesn't excuse you from the ramifications. it clearly states that without passing these exams, students will not be graduating from that program. it also clearly states that remediation is the student's responsibility, which is what i was saying in my post.

it would be like saying "i didn't know we were getting tested on that material today, so why can't i take the midterm next week?"

a bummer, to be sure, but there was warning, even if the op didn't recognize it.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Let me try to correct the above link, as it appears to lead to an error page:

http://www.montgomery-college.com/Templates/Content.aspx?pid=1929

Click on "programs" in the top of page task bar, follow the link to the drop down menu for types of degrees, and then select, "nursing". It won't directly link to that page, but it's just two clicks away from the above link, as outlined here.

~faith,

Timothy.

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Yes, it looks like I did. However, I didn't miss this one, pasted from the OP's own school listing: "From Montgomery College Webpage on nursing:

http://www.montgomery-college.com/Te...es&keepId=1929

.

i will say up front, that i didnt follow the link,,,,however, unless it has dates of effectiveness in it, there is no way to know wether it was in effect at the time of his enrollment or not

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Specializes in Critical Care.
i will say up front, that i didnt follow the link,,,,however, unless it has dates of effectiveness in it, there is no way to know wether it was in effect at the time of his enrollment or not

All that requires is a phone call to verify.

I spoke with the interim director (the director is out on extended sick leave) of the program at that college:

1. Students have been made aware of this requirement from the start, since it's inception (this rule AND the program first started in 2002.)

2. Students are required, as the link states, to take these exams throughout. HESI was also required as an ENTRANCE exam. Students are specifically made aware at THAT time, before matriculation, that performance on THIS test will be a benchmark that they must pass, throughout the program.

3. During the last semester, students are required to take a HESI exit exam review course and are only required to take the HESI AFTER they finish the review. This review is a required college course for nursing students in the last semester.

4. Since this is such a big requirement, there is no way that students can be unaware of the requirement. I was told that discussing this requirement and the preparation FOR this requirement is a consistent theme of the program, and consistently appears as a theme within the students' personal discussions, comments, and feedback related to this program.

Hope that helps. Just call me a Scoop Zashagalka, for at least today. My investigative reporting is finished.

~faith,

Timothy.

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I despised the HESI! I'm glad to be done with it forever and ever :)

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All that requires is a phone call to verify.

I spoke with the interim director (the director is out on extended sick leave) of the program at that college:

1. Students have been made aware of this requirement from the start, since it's inception (this rule AND the program first started in 2002.)

2. Students are required, as the link states, to take these exams throughout. HESI was also required as an ENTRANCE exam. Students are specifically made aware at THAT time, before matriculation, that performance on THIS test will be a benchmark that they must pass, throughout the program.

3. During the last semester, students are required to take a HESI exit exam review course and are only required to take the HESI AFTER they finish the review. This review is a required college course for nursing students in the last semester.

4. Since this is such a big requirement, there is no way that students can be unaware of the requirement. I was told that discussing this requirement and the preparation FOR this requirement is a consistent theme of the program, and consistently appears as a theme within the students' personal discussions, comments, and feedback related to this program.

Hope that helps. Just call me a Scoop Zashagalka, for at least today. My investigative reporting is finished.

~faith,

Timothy.

now, we need the op to come back and explain.....if he indeed took the HESI as an entrance exam, he certainly passed it...i will be interested in his answer....

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Hesi sucks! I'm in my last semester of nursing school. Have made A's and B's all the way through. Now we have to take Hesi and make a 950. We get 2 shots at it. I'm $47,000 in debt with school loans so if I don't pass thats like putting that money in the garbage. Hesi doesn't give us a license! Nclex does! Another thing is that when I entered the program the Hesi score required was only a 900 and they just upped it this semester. Shouldn't our required pass score be what it was when we first entered the program? Atleast thats how it is at other schools in our area. This madness really needs to stop!!!!!

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