I failed out of Nursing School... Appealed and WON!!
I am currently a Senior Nursing Student, I have read countless blogs, threads, and websites and have yet to find a story about a successful nursing school appeal. My nursing school journey is unique & I hope that it inspires those who have lost hope to never give up.... I failed out & appealed my grade. It is possible to win a nursing school appeal... I know this because I won MINE!!!
Members are discussing the differences between ADN and BSN nurses, with some arguing that periodic NCLEX testing is necessary to keep up with advances in nursing education and procedures. There is also debate about the importance of critical thinking skills in nursing, with some members questioning whether all nurses, regardless of degree, need to think critically. Additionally, the impact of having a BSN versus an ADN on patient outcomes is being discussed, with some members highlighting the importance of practical nursing knowledge beyond just passing the NCLEX.
I didn't choose nursing it chose me. I firmly believe that God called upon me to become a nurse. I know this because he planted a seed in me long before I knew it myself. I've had quite the journey in nursing school, and I attribute my success to persevering and never giving up. Florence Nightingale once said, "I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took an accuse". This quote really means a lot to me and is what inspired me to keep going even when the odds were against me.
I was diagnosed with ADHD as a young child. I have always struggled, but I have learned to manage my disability, and I continue to strive to be an exceptional student. It is because of my learning disability, I have to make a daily effort to stay on top of my studies, and overcome the adversity of my circumstances.
In nursing school you're only able to retake one nursing course, which I already did a year prior. However, last fall my worst nightmare became a reality, I failed a second course by less than half a point, 0.43 to be exact. I was completely devastated but I wasn't going to give up that easy. If a nursing student fails a class regardless of whether it's their first or second failure, and if that student has reason to believe that the grade does not reflect his or her academic ability then they can appeal the grade with the dean of nursing. And that's exactly what I did, as a Bachelorette nursing student we have been taught that the best practice is evidenced based. After all that is what separates a BSN degree versus an ADN degree, we are trained to use our critical thinking knowledge and research the best clinical evidenced based practice.
I researched nursing school appeals to see if there were ever any students to fail out but were able to win an appeal. To my dismay I did not find any successful nursing school appeals even ones that went to court. That was a little discouraging but I knew I was born to be a nurse and that even if my appeal was not successful at least I gave it my all. Any nursing student can attest to the fact that it is infuriating when you get a test question and every answer available is correct. However, there is always one that is "most correct". Those pesky priority questions and select all that apply will always be the death of me. In this particular course there were three exam questions that I knew were reasonably debatable and I was going to find the evidence.
I wrote my nursing appeal letter and made a meeting with the dean. I found evidence base practice in my text-books, reading material from other classes and even in an NCLEX book that my school endorsed. All I needed were two points added back in order to be successful, I knew I had to appeal this because I was meant for greatness. After a long few weeks, I finally received the letter that would determine my future career as a nurse. I opened the letter and it said that my appeal was successful. That I was given back two out three of the test questions that were contested. I was in tears because I had never fought so hard for something in my entire life. But it was worth it and the only explanation that I can come up with is that this experience was a test. God knew I was supposed to be a nurse but how far was I willing to go? Also, one day I will have patients with way bigger fears and battles than I have ever had to endure. He wanted to know that I was willing to stand up for what I believe in and that I would speak even if my voice shook.
I graduate FINALLY in August this year and I plan to attend graduate school to pursue a masters in nursing. I would love to become a nurse practitioner but I think after this experience I would love to pursue a degree in nursing education. Nursing school is hard, I especially know this and hopefully my story will inspire others to never give up. I couldn't have done it with out God because he is the one who called me to be a nurse. I could have thrown my hands up and quit but I didn't. I inspire to always attribute my success to never giving or taking an accuse, like Florence Nightingale. Little did she know that her one observation of how important hand washing was between patients would forever change healthcare. And how it gave nurses and future nurses like me the hope and courage to make a difference.
-Hope this inspires others to keep going & believe in the impossible, JB ?
I don't agree. She had already failed once before & was let back into the program. Then she failed again. Is it horrible that she failed by less than a point? Yes. But do I take her side? No. She could've used all that energy that she used to fight, to study for her test.
NCLEX style questions are tough to get use to but obviously people comprehend them. It is a different way of thinking, definitely. It takes awhile to get use to. But the OP should not have been let back into the school after she failed for the second time.
But are the people who comprehend them better nurses? Are the people who don't comprehend them worse? That's the assumption I challenge. I think NCLEX style questions are often times wholly unfair and poor predictors of successful nurses.
I'm sure you could point out people you graduated with, some who were great in the classroom and piss poor in the clinical realm, and visa versa. To me, that speaks volumes about the quality of how we test, and what we as a profession within academia consider important.
Take a deep breath. You're a psych nurse you know. Listen to the message not the messenger.
A young wide-eyed hopeful destined for greatness unappreciated by tyrannical old bats posing as instructors fights back and regains her rightful place continuing in Florence Nightingale's inexcusable footsteps.
That's about it.
Any similarities real or imagined are not the intent of this writer.
Are you the famous 'Cliff' of CliffNotes? If so, I would like to order a copy of "The Bachelorette and How She Gained Magnetic Status" please.
Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
Mully said:
But are the people who comprehend them better nurses? Are the people who don't comprehend them worse? That's the assumption I challenge. I think NCLEX style questions are often times wholly unfair and poor predictors of successful nurses.
I'm sure you could point out people you graduated with, some who were great in the classroom and piss poor in the clinical realm, and visa versa. To me, that speaks volumes about the quality of how we test, and what we as a profession within academia consider important.
Clearly she didn't comprehend it the first time, she failed. She didn't understand the questions the second time she failed. She won't get to rework the questions for the NCLEX so she will pass. How many tries do you think it will take the OP to pass the NCLEX?
No everyone I went to school with was good in clinical & if they failed, they failed! We had 1-2 people fail but they didn't try to fight it. They knew it was their fault. Not the school's, not anyone else's.
If there is a better way to teach or get a nursing license then, by all means, tell us. I think the NCLEX is fair. I don't think the test the doctor or lawyer has to take is easy. Why should it be? I personally think there should be a limit. But that's another post all together.
Very true, and this is exactly how a nursing instructor would respond in defense of the question. However, even this question is subjective. In answering "put the fire out", I'm not denying the value of the RACE acronym. I'm simply defending the fact that it's not applicable in all scenarios. In real life, I would assess the size of the fire, and act based on the situation. If you witnessed someone light a match and throw it in an empty trash can, is the appropriate response to begin rescue procedures for the entire hospital? Certainly not.
I believe you make valid points about NCLEX questions, but I believe that there are specific reasons why the question doesn't merely state "what does RACE stand for". At times we older (and wiser) nurses that have been through all the NCLEX style questions look at it from our perspective rather than that of a new nursing student. Just asking the meaning of RACE is purely regurgitation of data and it is necessary for the new nursing student to understand that "hey there is a problem", what now. We look at it as, "that question is simple and misleading because duhhhh we would put the fire out." From their perspective they need to understand their priorities, rescue your patient (ultimate responsibility), alert or activate alarm, contain, and extinguish. Your answer, extinguish, skips three important priorities a new nurse needs to understand. That doesn't mean that in a real world situation you would not assess and then take whatever action is necessary.
I do see your side of the discussion though. NCLEX questions are not real because there is so much more information in an assessment than just what is given in the stem of the question. They do however teach nursing student how to pick out important data and act. Adding data or information not supplied muddies the water, not the formulation of the question itself. In the OP's case though she has failed before and is on the edge again. She needs to rectify the learning issue, not fight because she feels one questions is better than the proposed answer. I think we can agree on this no matter what your position on the validity of NCLEX questions.
I started the hard way. I was once an "orderly". Who remembers those?
Mully said:
But are the people who comprehend them better nurses? Are the people who don't comprehend them worse? That's the assumption I challenge. I think NCLEX style questions are often times wholly unfair and poor predictors of successful nurses.
I'm sure you could point out people you graduated with, some who were great in the classroom and piss poor in the clinical realm, and visa versa. To me, that speaks volumes about the quality of how we test, and what we as a profession within academia consider important.
We are cut from the same cloth Mully. Just wanted you to know.
"After all that is what separates a BSN degree versus an ADN degree, we are trained to use our critical thinking knowledge and research the best clinical evidenced based practice."
Yea... stopped reading after that.
I really hope you treat your coworkers with more respect on the floor. I promise you won't know the difference between ADN and BSN nurses by just looking at them and as a new nurse, you are just that: a new nurse with the same information as any other new nurse.
We all sit for the same boards and are expected to give the highest patient care we can as nurses regardless of our degree. And we all worked extremely hard for those degrees whether they took us 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10 years!!
It takes a whole team to give patient care, RNs, CNAs, LPNs, Doctors, lab, dietary and even house keeping! Get your nose out of the air and learn some respect for others.
True. The problem, I guess, then becomes the subjectivity of the testing. With medicine, one can explicitly test on factual scientific knowledge. Q. What neurotransmitter stimulates adrenergic receptors? A. Norepinephrine. Boom, no arguing. With nursing, although it is based within frameworks of knowledge (Orem's self-care, etc.), it translates to being quite subjective. And in turn, we fail people, not for being wrong, but for being not more right lol.
Have you ever heard of Bloom's taxonomy? There is no way that medical tests are written at the recall level. Have you seen sample USMLE test questions?
Hospitals that employ larger numbers of BSN-prepared nurses have lower patient mortality rates, according to Linda Aiken, PhD, RN, FAAN, director of the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. A 10-percent increase in the proportion of nurses with BSNs was associated with a 7-percent decrease in patient deaths, she found in a study published in February in the Lancet.
Is there any reason to believe that the proportion of nurses with bachelor's degrees is associated with better outcomes? The answer is Yes, Aiken said in an interview.
The author stated she has ADHD. Grandiose thoughts can occur if the symptoms are not well controlled. I believe that she may have a learning disability that affects her ability to express her thoughts on paper in an organized manner. I suspect that it took great effort for her to compose this essay and that her poor word choices are a part of her disability.These are enormous obstacles for a college student and her hard work and determination are commendable.
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
Mavrick said:
Take a deep breath. You're a psych nurse you know. Listen to the message not the messenger.
A young wide-eyed hopeful destined for greatness unappreciated by tyrannical old bats...
...that's would be crusty. Crusty old bats. We're like John Housemans who secretly wipe away a tear when that promising student (who doesn't know you've been watching them all along) does good. I mean does well. In fact, he walks in Florence Nightingale's inexcrementable footsteps.
Just thought I'd throw in because this thread isn't weird enough, yet.
To the OP, I admire your persistence and glad your appeal was successful.
Just wanted you to know.
Mully
3 Articles; 272 Posts
But are the people who comprehend them better nurses? Are the people who don't comprehend them worse? That's the assumption I challenge. I think NCLEX style questions are often times wholly unfair and poor predictors of successful nurses.
I'm sure you could point out people you graduated with, some who were great in the classroom and piss poor in the clinical realm, and visa versa. To me, that speaks volumes about the quality of how we test, and what we as a profession within academia consider important.