How horrible

ByTheLake · Dec 15, 2005

Sounds an aweful lot like my school... HUGE fail rate during school, which is somehow (?) justified by a high NCLEX pass-rate. People that I was really close to that are now gone I'm still close to. Ones that I wasn't close to, have just fallen away, so to speak. You can remain friends who have not gone on with you. They may continue the program behind you or go on to study something else, or go to a different school. You can hang out between cramming for tests (grin) and attend each others' pinning ceremonies, and then go for drinks together after your 12's at the hospital. Just becsause they aren't in your class anymore doesn't mean they can't be your friends. AFter all, you do have other friends you didn't meet in school, right?

Future_Nurse_Natalie · Dec 16, 2005

When I started there were 50. Then it got down to about 20 after finals. Then the summer class joined in and there were 40. Now after this semester finals there are 30 again. There is such a thing as a "weeding out" process where I go and you just expect to lose about half of your class. Granted I go to the hardest school in my area!

NurseLatteDNP, MSN, DNP, RN · Dec 16, 2005

They have told us the same thing like posted above. They said that it is so hard now, but those who make it have great chances at NCLEX. And they have also said that this school is harder than many others, and that is why our students are very wanted at Dallas Hospitals (according to our instructors). But I still have 3 semesters left. It does not mean that I am safe yet.

qtgirl4u04 · Dec 16, 2005

I'm one of those who just found out that I did not pass my theory class in level 3, its a 4 level nursing program I'm in. My best friend did pass and is going on to level 4. My only choice is pray that there is a opening in the theory class this spring and if not I have to waite until september and then repeat and not finish until spring of 07.

qtgirl4u04 · Dec 16, 2005

I'm one of those who just found out that I did not pass my theory class in level 3, its a 4 level nursing program I'm in. My best friend did pass and is going on to level 4. My only choice is to pray that there is a opening in the theory class this spring and if not I have to Waite until September and then repeat and not finish until spring of 07.

Gennaver, MSN · Dec 16, 2005

Hi there,

This is horrible. Darn.

I met a woman about to graduate with her ADN while we were at our new employer recruiter's office. She told me that of her initial 100 starters in her class that only 12 were left! 12!

Good grief. She told me that each semester was scarey to come back and see the empty seats. This is crazy.

When I accepted my school I was told to look at both the attrition, (drop rate) and NCLEX RN pass rate as an indicater. I mean, if a school has something like a 98% NCLEX RN pass rate, what does that mean if it has over an 80% drop (attrition) rate!

The program I am in has about a 10% attrition rate and about a 98% NCLEX RN pass rate. There are only 25 students in my class and during the first quarter we all pretty much agreed that we hope to have a no-attrition factor for us. It is hard, and we have to maintain an 86% grade, (because it is a graduate entry program we will be dismissed if we earn more than a single C grade).

At the end of our first quarter we did a group check, to make sure we are all still here. So far, so good, one quarter out of seven down.

Phew, and yikes!

Gen

Gennaver, MSN · Dec 16, 2005

I'm one of those who just found out that I did not pass my theory class in level 3, its a 4 level nursing program I'm in. My best friend did pass and is going on to level 4. My only choice is to pray that there is a opening in the theory class this spring and if not I have to Waite until September and then repeat and not finish until spring of 07.

Hi there qt,

Best wishes that there is an opening, yet, if there is not an opening can you petition or request to the professor to allow you to audit the class? I have audited a class that was closed, as an audit you get to attend the class and hear the lectures but, your grad is not 'legal'.

The benefit here is that when you do take it again, it will be your third time in there and you ought to score!

Good luck, you can do this, sorry fo you to have to wait all over again.

Gen

AnnieJac, RN · Dec 16, 2005

All I can say is wow. I didn't loose any of my friends. I'm not sure how many failed. I didn't think Fundamentals was that difficult. I thought we'd lose some next term with Med Surg and Diseases. I studied alllll the time and still got a B in fundamentals and pharm. At least I was consistent lol. It is so sad to see those that have really worked so hard and then to fail. I also think you have a very good heart. Some people are like, oh well, but its nice to see you care about those other students.

DeanG · Dec 16, 2005

We started with 40, last semester we had 30 (including some new ones who already had their LPN) we were told that only 15 of us are expected to make it to our next (and last) semester. I don't know how many we will have in Jan. But of the ones we've lost, I miss most of them. Yes a few should have not been accepted in the first place, but we did lose a few who were good people that were determined and passing, some just misssed to many days or clinicals. Its very sad.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Dec 17, 2005

There are a lot of wonderful people in the world who have great hearts and want to be nurses. But, the fact is that some will not make it in the collegiate world. College level study requires an ability to think and apply what you have learned. Some people are just not able to "put all the information together" to come up with the right answers on nursing tests.

There are a couple of options for them. They can always try their hand at LPN school. It, generally, doesn't require the same level of applied thinking as RN programs do. They can repeat the first semester if it's allowed with a lot of tutoring help to show them how to apply what they are learning. There are other healthcare careers available to them where they can make use of all those pre-requisites they already have under their belt.

Life just doesn't always seem to be fair, does it? However, I truly believe that things happen for a reason. Those who failed at your school are most likely destined for other things in their life, just not nursing.

Sheri257 · Dec 17, 2005

College level study requires an ability to think and apply what you have learned. Some people are just not able to "put all the information together" to come up with the right answers on nursing tests.

That's a big part of it. But the classic mistake some people made in my class was not building enough points going into the final. With the class before us ... everybody failed the final. And everybody in our class knew this .. but some people didn't take this seriously until the last month. They did do a lot better on the last two tests but, since the final was comprehensive, and they didn't study the earlier material all that well, the final was a disaster for them.

:coollook:

donsterRN, ASN, BSN · Dec 17, 2005

That's a big part of it. But the classic mistake some people made in my class was not building enough points going into the final. With the class before us ... everybody failed the final. And everybody in our class knew this .. but some people didn't take this seriously until the last month. They did do a lot better on the last two tests but, since the final was comprehensive, and they didn't study the earlier material all that well, the final was a disaster for them.

This, too, is true. 25 of us started our diploma program this past fall. This past Wednesday, 11 of us took the first semester final. We lost those 14 people at midterms, and at least three of the remaining 11 told me they needed to get in the low to mid 90's on the final to stay with the program. They didn't have a cushion, or, as one of the instructors puts it, "money in the bank" to help them through.