HESI's unfair practice of holding nursing students back after completing the programs

llg, PhD, RN · Jan 6, 2010

You're barking up the wrong tree. It's not HESI's fault. It's the schools' faults for how they run their programs -- passing students along in their courses, taking their money -- until the very end of the program, when they are afraid to give them the actual degree and/or approval to sit for the NCLEX out of fear the students can't pass the test. The schools' practices related to student progression through the program are the problem, not the HESI itself.

If you got rid of the HESI, the schools could easily devise another criterion to determine eligibility for graduation. They would just change the system a little and omit the HESI.

If you want to bring about change, you must address the schools' admission, grading and progression policies and practices -- the policies and practices that put students in the position of being at the end of the program but still not able to pass a test similar to the NCLEX.

I agree that the practice you are talking about is abhorrent -- but focusing on the HESI itself and its use as a "final exam" for nursing school distracts people from the real underlying issues that are at the root of the problem.

caliotter3 · Jan 6, 2010

I agree with llg on this. It is not the HESI exam itself that is at fault, but the policies of the schools on how they use the HESI. All efforts should be directed at the administrative policies of each individual school.

bbrown6 · Jan 6, 2010

How do you do that!!! When you have been to the Board of Directors and no one even hears you, you tell me where do you go from here!!! No one seems to hear you at all. Hesi material has not been taught in the curriculum, but you are being tested on material and specialty areas that are unknown. Hesi does not follow curriculum, but the NCLE does. What's up wiath that!!!!!

itsmejuli · Jan 6, 2010

Hesi does not follow curriculum, but the NCLE does. What's up wiath that!!!!!

The HESI exams as well as the NCLEX I wrote followed my school's curriculum. In other words, the school I attended lectured and tested according to the current NCLEX exam content areas. Hence, everyone in my class passed the NCLEX the first time.

As other posters have pointed out, its up to the school to teach to the NCLEX curriculum. This curriculum as well as HESI curriculum is available to the schools. Its up to the schools to design their curriculum to meet the educational needs of the students writing HESI and NCLEX.

Its unfortunate for you that your school didn't teach to the NCLEX curriculum. As other posters have pointed out, this is the issue that needs to be addressed. Unfortunately, I don't have any suggestions for you other than to file a complaint about your school with the state board of education.

For readers who have not completed the HESI or NCLEX, be sure to get an NCLEX review book. Study it and practice the questions. Doing this well ensure that you have covered material that your school may have missed in their curriculum.

FowLaf24/7 · Jan 7, 2010

HESI exams are used by the schools to determine if the student has the ability to pass boards. One must keep in mind a nursing school's student pass rate on the NCLEX determines if the school will be able to continue. A school can not have student showing up for boards only to have the student fail. This reflects badly upon the program. A lot of students blame their school for not being able to pass the HESI exam. I believe the student can only blame themselves for the failure. If one enters a school of nursing with only doing the bare miminum, the student can not expect much to come with such an effort. Study hard and study often. Read, Read, and read some more... :smokin:

RNMeg · Jan 7, 2010

Hesi does not follow curriculum

Actually, according to my instructors, HESI is tailored to each program (or class if it's an end-of-semester HESI) based on the syllabus. So, HESI should follow the curriculum exactly. HESI is not about material, it's about test-taking skills and how easily you are able to pass an exam set up like NCLEX. I'm sorry you're having trouble, but like other posters have said, it's a problem with the individual programs and how they're using the test, not with the exam itself.

rovena10 · Jan 7, 2010

Hi I am new to the forum and I am taking HESI in march, I am terrified, I am a B student but English is my second language. Does anyone has any tips how to pass Hesi

guiltysins · Jan 7, 2010

Does you school only use the HESI when you're about to graduate. Because my school uses the HESI's every semester for students to go onto the next phase in the program. Also, how can you say it covers specialties that are unknown? Again maybe this is your school but for our school, the HESI that you get at the end of the semester goes along with the clinical you had that semester within that specialty. EX: The semester that you take Pediatric clinicals is the semester you take the pediatric hesi.

I think people need to realize that nursing school is still school and like all schools, there are students that find their way of BS'ing their way through it without fully knowing the material. Nursing professors are still professors and can sometimes pass a student through based on biases. Or a professor's work can be extremely easy and not teaching the material required for the boards. Some students think that memorization will get them through the program and don't actually KNOW the material but memorize what they have learned in class. As far as being able to take it until you pass it. That could take months or years. Who knows how long it would take for someone to actually pass it. If you can't pass it the second or third time around then I think there's a good chance you don't know the material and need to either redo the entire semester or find some other alternative.

The reason that you probably won't have much luck with this is because there are a lot of people that pass their exit Hesi's just fine. The only people that would support it would more likely be students who can't pass them or are having trouble. If other people in your program pass these tests with no problem, then the school is not going to look at their use of the test but the individual student to see if their problems are simply a result of not knowing or understanding the material personally.

rovena10 · Jan 7, 2010

We need to pass HESI with a score of 850 and we have only 2 chances, I am only asking if anyone has any study tips?

kgh31386, BSN, MSN, RN · Jan 7, 2010

It's definitely not the HESI's fault..it MIGHT be the schools fault, but not necessarily in their curriculum. The fact that a lot of schools are passing students along just to pass them along is something I've seen. I know some programs that are giving EASY standardized exams, and extra credit at the end of the semester..that pass a LOT of students who otherwise would fail. The students are even saying," Wow I shoulda failed!"..so they just laugh(yes laugh) about it and move on. Some schools are allowing students to pass who shouldn't. And I'm sure that, combined with a curriculum that may not follow the HESI, is a bad situation. Neither of those change the fact that a majority of students pass both the HESI and NCLEX on their first try...regardless of it being an ADN or BSN program.

smyrnasahm · Jan 7, 2010

I am about to start the 2nd semester of a 2 yr RN program- we had to take a hesi at the end of first semester. I didn't study for it at all besides all the studying I did on the lecture materials and for tests- I got a 927. I don't have any pointers for it, but to me it doesn't seem like it is a difficult test to take. Take your time and read the questions- many of them have a "Clue" to direct you to the correct answer... The questions I did miss- looking at the rationales I understood all of them.... Just don't let the questions trip you up