How could she! Please read, need advice

Nursing Students General Students

Published

Okay, without going into a long explanation........

I am in nursing school, 2nd level, LVN. Our Gerontology instructor purposefully made the final so difficult that she could fail out the students that she wanted. I myself passed the class, barely. However, there are several students that are now out of the program b/c of this class. Now, not to belittle the course, because it is just as important as the others, but it should be an easy class.

I am distraught for these people, and I don't know what to do. Everyone is up in arms about this, signing petitions, going to the director about it, etc.

Has anyone ever had a situation like this? I know you don't know me, but if you can just have some faith and believe me when I tell you that this is true, that instructor was wrong to do what she did. It was vindictive and mean, and I feel sooo bad inside. Furthermore, do I stand up for what I believe and risk her re-grading my test and failing me? (yes, she did that to someone)

anyone have advice?

I think the original poster needs support:uhoh21:

I agree. Talk about nurses eating their own. :uhoh3:

I understand why the poster feels so badly. In my school there is no doubt that they made the final test more difficult to get rid of border line students to keep the NCLEX test high. My school has 100% NCLEX pass rate and now I see why.

I don't think I'd write my name ob the petition though. Hopefully, there's enough of them that didn't pass that can go to the higher uppers to get help. In the school that I attend, the instructors run the place and nothing would probably happen from the petition. Like most institutions, as long as the program looks good to perspective clients, the president is happy.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Trauma ICU.

How could someone make a test that only certain students would fail?? Is that even possible? How could she know what one students knows versus the other?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Telemetry/Med Surg.
Talk about nurses eating their own. :uhoh3:

...huh?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Okay, without going into a long explanation........

I am in nursing school, 2nd level, LVN. Our Gerontology instructor purposefully made the final so difficult that she could fail out the students that she wanted. I myself passed the class, barely. However, there are several students that are now out of the program b/c of this class. Now, not to belittle the course, because it is just as important as the others, but it should be an easy class.

I am distraught for these people, and I don't know what to do. Everyone is up in arms about this, signing petitions, going to the director about it, etc.

Has anyone ever had a situation like this? I know you don't know me, but if you can just have some faith and believe me when I tell you that this is true, that instructor was wrong to do what she did. It was vindictive and mean, and I feel sooo bad inside. Furthermore, do I stand up for what I believe and risk her re-grading my test and failing me? (yes, she did that to someone)

anyone have advice?

Advice? Develop (and encourage in your classmates) a stronger internal locus of control. By your own admission, some students passed. How did *they* accomplish that? Now ask yourself honestly, how did the others fail? Unless the test was essay only, I don't see how the instructor could selectively pass or fail students. Maybe some pieces of the story are missing?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks to you guys that are being supportive and just believing my original post. I have waited to reply b/c quite frankly this has been such an ordeal that I really needed to get a cool head about it. There is a whole lot more to the story, which at this point I really am not up for telling. I suppose I just wanted some direction. Yes, believe it or not, there is a way to make a test so difficult that you can fail someone. It happened. I failed the final which gave me a C in the course. I got 3 B's and 2 A's in my other classes, including an A in my Geri clinical if that helps you believe me. Look, I'm not trying to defend myself here, I am just really upset about the whole thing and was looking for some support. I was feeling vengeful towards that instructor at first, though now I realize that by reacting that way i am doing exactly what she did. I have had 2 days to think and talk it out, so it's time to move on. Sincerely, thank you to everyone that read this. Peace and love.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Geriatrics, Cardiac, ICU.
Thanks to you guys that are being supportive and just believing my original post. I have waited to reply b/c quite frankly this has been such an ordeal that I really needed to get a cool head about it. There is a whole lot more to the story, which at this point I really am not up for telling. I suppose I just wanted some direction. Yes, believe it or not, there is a way to make a test so difficult that you can fail someone. It happened. I failed the final which gave me a C in the course. I got 3 B's and 2 A's in my other classes, including an A in my Geri clinical if that helps you believe me. Look, I'm not trying to defend myself here, I am just really upset about the whole thing and was looking for some support. I was feeling vengeful towards that instructor at first, though now I realize that by reacting that way i am doing exactly what she did. I have had 2 days to think and talk it out, so it's time to move on. Sincerely, thank you to everyone that read this. Peace and love.

I for one want to say I wasn't being unsupportive or disbelieving. I would just have liked to see more logical evidence that someone could construct a test designed to fail exactly who they wanted it to.

That person would have to be a genius.

I am glad you have moved on though. Good luck with the rest of school.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

At my school we had an instructor who would just fail students (in her own way) to meet her agenda. She was such a sick woman that she would have a vitriolic session with the student wherein she disgustingly stated her intentions, her methods, etc. That is the way it is with some people.

You should be thankful and grateful to your higher power that you are not one of the ones who failed. Your emotional state would be justified if you had failed. Since you were successful, even though marginal, your emotional involvement is misplaced. If you want to put this situation to good use, try to come up with strategies to help yourself and your classmates insure that more are in the passing category for your next round of classes. Were you to become a tutor or set up good study groups, this would be an excellent tribute to your fallen by the wayside friends. Resolve to insure this doesn't happen to others throughout the remainder of your program. Help each other.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

you were very vague and did not reveal that you were one of the students who failed this final in your original post. you spoke about those who failed as if you were not part of that group and you were separate from them. seeing your latest post, i see that is not the case at all. why did you hide that fact then only to reveal it now? seems deceptive and manipulative to me. i originally told you to be grateful you passed. i'm now amending that. study harder. try to anticipate what the instructor is going to ask on an exam. exams are subjective and are affected by the personality and experiences of the person who writes them, so you have to consider that when preparing for a test.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

i dont think the OPs point was that the test was aimed at failing a particular student(s); but that it was so hard that any/all, could/would fail, depending how she (the instructor) graded a particular student.

Re read and you will see that one student who originally passed, "failed" when that student complained......i worked at a state institution years ago, some department managers would post job openings with req that had little or no relation to the job....but it allowed them to hire whom they wished...as the other applicants didnt "meet the requirements"......and of course the successful hire, often/rarely did either

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I once had a high school english teacher that gave 3 boys "D"'s on a test and marked the same answers correct for the girls and they got "A"'s. When the students compared and complained she fixed this, but she routinely graded the boys lower than the girls. I always try to just give people the benefit of the doubt, but I have had nursing instructors flat out tell the class (XYZ) will NOT be on the test, you do not need to know this right now and low and behold it is on the test multiple times. Or the reading for the next unit contained the information we needed for the test we just took etc... In any case it is a rare situation when you can do anything about this so just be happy that you passed the class and can move on. I think students do have to take responsibility for their own learning, but the teacher shares some of that responsibility when more than half of the students apparently aren't grasping the material sufficiently to pass the class.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in med surg ltc psych.

As a first year student myself, I think some of the responses I've read here have been rough. I whole heartedly belive that there are some courses and some instructors that make exams difficult not by the material you are supposed to know or be prepared for, but oddly arranged on a test so that extensive studying didn't match up at all. It has happened in one of my courses. The nutrition & diet therapy course proved to be by far one of the most difficult for my entire class. 3/4 of the class failed. Had I not had a very solid knowledge of A&p, micro, and chemistry I am certain I would have just barely passed or failed because the entire course was based on those three subjects. Study guide material did not match to the test material and explicit instruction to pay attention to "KNOW THESE" were no where on the test questions at all. Yep, some of the questions were even dirived from two chapters ahead of the syllabus schedule. I've seen the reaction from the A students who were knocked completely off course by a final that was prepared in such a way that they also did poorly. It may sound like us students are a bit paranoid of certain instructors, but that's because some seem to prepare an exam that will affect ALL the students no matter what your grade status is. I think there is some truth to the power that instructors have to make or break a students grades because you know if you had Miss SoandSo for that class instead, the entire class is successful and the instruction reflects the students grades and comprehension of the material. Miss SoandSo is not "easy" it's just that the material is presented in a format that you absolutely have to know the material or you don't, and the test is not so ambiguous that the 100 questions are not all over the place and questions sneaked in there that were NEVER mentioned or covered. Final thought... yes I do believe there are some instructors who have a secret recipe for a final and wonder if they derive a little satisfaction from the bewilderment seen on the students faces.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Geez, Daytonite.....not everyone is an orifice. Some people deserve the benefit of the doubt.

Not all instructors are beyond petty games and vengeful practices, Why? B/c instructors are HUMAN and humans screw up.

I think this is one of those times where if you can't say something nice...........

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment