How many started your program vs, graduated from it?

just_cause, BSN, RN · Mar 25, 2009

... how can you determine that a school is failing out the student and not the student just failing out? Life happens~

I do like seeing those same type of statistics but don't think you can make a 'specific' correlation with a school failing a student for that purpose......

Bandaide, ADN · Mar 26, 2009

If a school starts a class of 60 students, and 56 of them complete and 51 of them pass the NCLEX, that tells me that the school does a fair job of selecting students and supporting them through the program.

If another school starts a class of 60, and 25 of them either drop out or fail before the end of the program, the school is either doing a poor job selecting students or supporting them while in the program. And if all the graduating students pass NCLEX on the first try, I have to wonder if the school is getting rid of the ones that may not pass, just to keep the school's pass rate high.

I haven't found any statistics on this on any website, so I was hoping to hear from graduates from around the state for a rough idea which might be the best place for me. I'm looking for a program that wants to help all their students, not just take the tuition and then skim the best test takers of the top.

twinkletoes12 · Mar 26, 2009

That's an interesting point of view, Bandaide. Although I am a soon to be BSN student, my hunch is schools are not purposely "firing" or "kicking out" students who are perceived to be weaker. Those students are showing they are weaker as evidenced by low test scores, absenteeism, etc. and are failing or dropping out on their own. I wonder about schools who only go by GPA and point scores for selection criteria because these cannot determine work ethic, responsibility, maturity, and the student's actual knowledge of the nursing profession and readiness for it. Based on your research, are you noticing a difference in dropout rates based on the various schools' selection criteria being used? I'm curious!

stellasaurus · Mar 26, 2009

I can tell you about UW. I've heard of one person not being allowed to continue in the program because of failing the TOEFL (English language competency) exam. Otherwise, as far as I know, everyone who starts the program has completed the program. We were told that "a few" didn't pass the NCLEX last year. Some of these people have said that they didn't study for it: Didn't think they had to study for it after all the classes; Went on vacation instead of studying, etc. All passed it the second time around.

In terms of being supported as a nursing student... you're really on your own at UW. They tell you this from the beginning, but it can be a frustrating reality to come to terms with. UW is a research-driven institution and sometimes researchers aren't the very best teachers. So there are classes we've had to basically teach ourselves from a book and soak up everything from clinical preceptors (who are FANTASTIC). If you aren't getting what you want out of a class, you have to take the initiative and form a study group and/or get extra help from TAs. I think it forces students to be assertive and to (I hate to say it) think critically. I'm pretty sure all the schools in the Seattle area are the same. We all take the same licensing exam in the end, and I've been told that no hiring manager will EVER ask you about your GPA in nursing school. So it's really about you getting the most out of your classes and carrying that into practice (where you learn everything anyway). Good luck!

just_cause, BSN, RN · Mar 26, 2009

I am going out on a limb and going to say that approx all students who enroll and are admitted into WA ADN programs are capable of passing and only wouldn't do so if they had 'life' problems that distracted them or preventing them from dedicating the time necessary ie medical issue, deciding to work FT during school, personal issues, etc. JMHO.