Over the past few weeks I have bene looking for the "perfect" nursing program and do not like what I have seen. Most schools have 1 or more of these flaws that prevent me from enrolling:
1. Huge waiting lists
2. Exit exams
3. Unprofessional attitudes
So I have bene giving serious thought to getting a BS in radiologic science with the hopes of furthering my education to become a radiologist assistant. I've been researhing the field over the past week and I think it is something I will like. I already have an unrelated BS so I'm hoping I can complete the degree in less time than it would traditionally take.
There's no need to be rude like that. Based on how gung-ho you are about nursing, it does not sound like you gave it much thought. I wonder how many people here are going to NS merely because they heard on tv that healthcare is "recession proof." I don't like to rush my decisions and prefer to think them over a bit. Are you saying that I should just stop whining and go to a school with a 70% failure rate?
I went to a CC (no waiting list) for my LPN that had a 95% to 100% passing rate for the NCLEX. No official exit exam but the final exam for the last semester was very very hard. I had all A's and B's thus far (I graduated with honors) and I got a C on this "final final". Accept it as a fact of life that nursing schools want to weed out the people who are not going to pass the NCLEX. We started with 36 people in my class; 9 of the original 36 graduated. Everyone passed the NCLEX on the first try. Also a lot of the people who didn't make it to the end were people who were late for class (being late = an absence and 3 absences = you are kicked out even if you have an A - this happened to a good friend of mine). They were people who didn't take it as seriously as they should have.
Most schools (I'm from NY) that I know of don't have waiting lists. You can work on your pre req's and maybe get some nursing experience as an aide or tech while you are waiting. The time is going to pass whether or not you apply. But if this really is enough to deter you from nursing school, I would advise you to skip it. You need to really really want it to be successful.
And the PA programs I know of take 5 + years to finish.
I'm not in NY, my school starts with 110 students each semester and about 60 actually make it to the end to graduation, take the exit exam, and then take the NCLEX. All of those people don't just flunk out because of the exit exam, but usually flunk out before they even get that far.
Either way, you've already talked yourself out of nursing. Go into radiology if that's better for you. I don't know why this is even worth talking about anymore. You've already made up your mind.
If I decided not to go to Nursing School because I did was nervous about the science classes or b/c I did not want to do a million and one presentations (I HATE public speaking), then I would not be an RN today. People are going to fail out of nursing school, it is what it is.
I also don't agree with exit exams, but really, it was not so bad. I think that, by having the atitude that you will get to your last semester and fail the exit exam, that you are already setting yourself up for failure.
The fact that you are announcing your departure from nursing leads me to believe that you still have a little bit of hope that you will be talked into remaining in nursing.
Do all the NY LPN programs require an exit exam? BOCES? VEEB? Adult Learning Center?
Good luck in whatever choice you make
There's no need to be rude like that. Based on how gung-ho you are about nursing, it does not sound like you gave it much thought. I wonder how many people here are going to NS merely because they heard on tv that healthcare is "recession proof." I don't like to rush my decisions and prefer to think them over a bit. Are you saying that I should just stop whining and go to a school with a 70% failure rate?
I actually have not talked myself out of going to NS. If I had, I would not be here. In fact I stil have a couple of more schools to call to see if they have an exit exam. I don't agree with the premise of an exit exam. I have several doctors in my family and when I spoke to one just last week about NS and exit exam, he told me that he did not have to take an exit exam in med school. I'm sorry, but why are NS students being held to a higher standard than med school students? Not all med students pass their boards and that should have nothing to do with their standing at school. Even if they stand no chance of passing their boards, they still get their MD along with everyone else once they pass all of their classes.
Look at law school. There is no exit exam before you can take the Bar. In fact, some very high profile people like JFK Jr. failed the exam. But even though they had no chance of passing on the first stime, they still got their JD. And that is how ALL schools should work.
And for those of you who don't have a problem with exit exams, I urge you to please read some of the old thereds about them here. Type in "HESI exit" into the search box. Here is a current thread from the NJ forum:
Donald 11 stop whining and crying and call those schools and see if they have exit exams. If they do then tough. Either find another school somewhere else or just forget about nursing school and apply for a radiology program. PROBLEM SOLVED!
Every exam in nursing school is an exit exam. Start looking past the numbers, if you can.
Given the attitude you have shown thus far, I don't think you could handle nursing school anyway. It really is a series of exit exams, right from the start.
You learn vital signs, but before you go to clinical, you have to pass a checkoff - exit exam.
You have a number of dosage calculation tests you must pass before you can advance - hey another exit exam!
Oral meds - you must demonstrate you can give them properly before you can advance to clinical - exit exam.
Injections, Catheterization, IV meds, IV push, the list goes on and on.
It appears you would be just driving yourself crazy going "Oh my gosh, look at all the unfair exit exams that I must pass before moving on!!!"
If you are an excellent student, you will pass the exit exam if you can find a way to stop obsessing about them.
No offense, but I don't need a lecture on exams. I have a BS with a 4.0 GPA. I know how to handle exams. I can pass exams easily. But if my school gave me an exit exam on EVERYTHING I learned, I doubt I would have passed.. definitely not the first time.
Donald 11 stop whining and crying and call those schools and see if they have exit exams. If they do then tough. Either find another school somewhere else or just forget about nursing school and apply for a radiology program. PROBLEM SOLVED!
It's kind of hard to call a school and ask when nobody picks up the phone...
I've met some people in the radiology program at my school and they love it. They didn't have to wait to get into the nursing program (our waitlist was topping three years) and they will have a job by the time they graduate school. Radiology is in more of a demand in my area than graduate nurses.
So, if you think that you would like radiology, go for it! You can always switch back to nursing later if you wanted. Good luck!
Some girl got into BSN with no waitinglist. All I know nothing will stop from becoming a nurse. I will study something else while waiting... >_>
But if my school gave me an exit exam on EVERYTHING I learned, I doubt I would have passed.. definitely not the first time.
I hope that it doesn't seem like I'm attacking you, or maybe it's a misunderstanding on my part but how are you going to pass the NCLEX, and get your license if you're opposed to such testing?
Nursing is a different animal. If your professors do their jobs correctly, then you should have no problem with exit exams.
Donald11
187 Posts
There's no need to be rude like that. Based on how gung-ho you are about nursing, it does not sound like you gave it much thought. I wonder how many people here are going to NS merely because they heard on tv that healthcare is "recession proof." I don't like to rush my decisions and prefer to think them over a bit. Are you saying that I should just stop whining and go to a school with a 70% failure rate?