How to have teacher/class evaluated or action against program.

Nursing Students General Students

Published

So I am in my senior year of nursing for BSN have been going to school for the last 6 years. I was notified that i failed my 2nd attempt medmath exam?? Must have 90% or cannot pass meds, therefore fail clinical. we are given 2 attempts. the first attempt only 3 out of 36 students passed. We where given complex time consuming paragraph questions that included questions that in no way reflected the easy dosage practice questions given. And we were given 2 minutes to complete each question. very few people even finished the exam. I never failed math exam before and rigorously studied study material she provided and when to other website sand practiced the most complex questions I could get my hands on. Yet come time for the test there was stuff never covered again for the second exam.

Additionally I never failed a test before, so I suffered from a near anxiety/panick attack when sitting to take this second test.

This 3 unit newly modified course itself has been taking about 35 hrs per week to complete the graded weekly assignments due each with barely any time for other classes and clinicals. It says on her syllabus that 9 hours a week on completing homework and studying should ensure great success in this class. Being in the 4th week of school Ive done nothing but eat and breath this class material and then turn around and get 80% on midterm??

I hold a 3.7 have gotten mostly all A's in all my prerequisites and mostly A's in program with a few B+'s (around 91%) due to the grading scales. Our school have a new teacher who is now in charge of the curriculum for the critical care content and now i and other top students have to plan on spending an extra year and money wasted in this program.

We have gone through the chain of command for help and only got "you guys are just sloppy" in return. Whom can we reach out to to be heard. Anyone who has said any little thing has been targeted and treated with aggression and hostility.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Can you give an example of these super-hard questions?

What do you consider the "chain of command" (i.e. who did you speak to), and how did you approach those people? "OMG THIS PROF SUXXX!!!" is not going to get you anywhere.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I have presented all of my concern to my nursing school factually with nothing less professionalism, facts, respect and positive manner during communication. Sadly students voices go unheard and factually stick up for their own. I came here for ideas about additional resources in this time of struggle. If genuinely helping is not in your heart or intentions then why bother such negative remarks that only assume the worst.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospice.

Well, I think it's reasonable to wonder what kind of questions are so unreasonable as to cause all but 3 students to fail a test. Medical math is pretty fundamental to safe practice, so advice could depend on whether posters agree that questions are unreasonable. It's also impossible to advise on additional alternatives when there's no detail as to what has already been tried.

If BrendanO didn't want to help, he wouldn't have asked for more information.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I think the main problem here is that you're assuming that what you're being tested on is something a nurse SHOULDN'T need to know. You're expecting people here to take you at your word, without providing specific evidence of your claim.

I DO want to help you. It's not clear from either of your posts WHO you actually brought this complaint to. The "chain of command" in most schools goes from a professor, to the department chair, to the program director, to the school dean, to the provost. Complaining to other faculty members is not appropriate or productive. Did you talk to the department chair? Program director? Did you meet with them in person, or just send an email? What, exactly, was your complaint? "This class is too hard"? "We are being tested on material we never covered in class"? "The evaluation instrument is nothing like what we practiced"?

It is not difficult to sympathize with your situation; no student wants to do badly. However, it is difficult to offer any advice when you have provided no real details besides "the test was hard, even though i studied a lot" and "i've got a 3.7 GPA". I don't think there are many people on here who would encourage you to go forward with a complaint that we, in our own judgement, wouldn't make, as heron said.

Have you talked to the 3 students who passed the test the first time? How did they succeed on it? Is their approach something you can emulate? Can you provide examples of the questions you got wrong, so that we might help you learn to solve them?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in PACU.

90%? Geez, we can only get a 100%. Anything less than that is an automatic failure. We get 3 times, then we fail the semester entirely.

Would you be able to provide an example of these questions you were getting? What parts of the chain of command have you gone to? The professor? The dean? If the dean won't help you you could try going to the president, but I usually find that they tend to defer back to the dean (or professor) in many cases. Ask yourself if this is a battle you really want to fight, because you WILL have a target on your back (just a warning).

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment