Lowest Passage Rate in all 50 States for Nurses

[barefootlady, ADN, RN]

Well it is official. The Charleston Gazette printed a big story on this fact in todays paper. WV has the lowest rate for passage of the NCLEX test of all 50 states. The Gazette stated that every school in the state but two had decreased passage rates despite taking the best and brightest students they could get. Every school is attempting to increase their passage rates and re-evaluate their programs. Of course, every school is saying the need for instructors is critical. So, anybody have any thoughts on this subject?

It has been forever since I went to school. My cousin is in nursing school now, she has called me several times, seeking assistance. When I tell her what I see as a problem, she freaks out. When we discuss skills, she freaks out. This girl will graduate in May, and to me, she has no idea what to do or how to do it. She is a honor student, has gone to all clinicals, and is very bright. I am at a loss on what to tell her. I just know I do not want her as a nurse for me or my family. Too many times when I have attempted to show her an area she is missing in a care plan, or I have attempted to give her advice, tips on assessments or skills, she says "we do not do that now."

So, what do younger nurses do now? Have basic nursing practice's changed so much?

About a year ago, when care plans really became an issue with her group, several older nurses were asked to assist these students, we met, were broke up into groups, started working on different patients and their care plans. I was amazed, no one had a idea of how to formulate a nursing diagnosis, set realistic nursing interventions, set time defined improvments or set realistic evaluation periods. Lets just say patient teaching, developing tips for coping skills for patients and the family, and long range patient goals were not even covered. Am I nuts? This is how I nurse, sure I fall short at times, but how in the world do these girls expect to come out of school and take care of patients if they have no plan, no interventions, no evaluations, no goals, or no patients teaching? How do you not know some basic problems patients face with a disease?

Sorry this is so long guys, but I am truly baffled. I am scared too. I just do not know what nursing is these days, at least, around here.

[Noryn]

I havent read the Gazette yet today because I like to read it at work to help pass time some days--yes I suck. They are actually rehashing a story that they reported on 2 weeks ago.

http://wvgazette.com/News/200801260005

What really surprised me was Bluefield State's name but reading it further it seemed like the Beckley campus had a 100 percent passage rate but the Bluefield one dipped.

I havent talked to any nursing students for years, so I am unsure what the problem is. But as usual we are the leaders for the country in another category .

[barefootlady, ADN, RN]

Hi Noryn,

Yes, any negative, demeaning, or degrading comments that can be made regarding any subject touching WV are only too widely published in our papers.

I did not, nor did many of my classmates fit the top student profiles these schools are so determined to keep these days. Ofcourse, we, as a group have been the most productive class, the most driven class, and the one that passed with better colors than many before us and many since we were in school.

One thing I do remember from LPN and RN school. Our tests and quizzes were all in two parts, maybe we did not realize it at the time, but we had questions directly related to the material we had just covered and we had questions from old boards.

You had to pass all sections of the test to pass the test. I wonder if they even to that now. Clinicals were the same way. We had to have patients that were in tune with our class work and we were given specific goals and duties we had to complete each week in order to advance another step. Do they do that anymore?

Pharmocology was a bear. But, I still do not give antiacids with Lanoxin. I always take a pulse. Check resp. rates. Tell patients to call if antiboitic is hung and they notice any sort of itching, flushing, pain or breathing distress . I ask about bowel and bladder problems each day. I don't know, it just seems to be part of the job.

From day one we were taught to CYA, do no harm, be responsible, kind, caring and smart. If we were not smart then ask someone who was. I get the feeling these girls and guys are in dire need of some good-old-fashioned, hands-on, up to elbows kind of nursing and teaching we had to do. Man, I spent many a night up to 2 a.m. and in class by 8 a.m. I know these kids do too. But something is just not clicking into place. We had to close our eyes and visualize patients, scenerios, and our actions in one part of our clinicals. Then we jotted down a short note, read it outloud, and were given input from the others in our group. It did not take long to get the idea. Get it right or get failed for that part of clinical.

Sorry, this is too long. I just love nursing and hate we are once again at the bottom of the scale.

[gospel Rn, BSN]

I havent read the Gazette yet today because I like to read it at work to help pass time some days--yes I suck. They are actually rehashing a story that they reported on 2 weeks ago.

http://wvgazette.com/News/200801260005

What really surprised me was Bluefield State's name but reading it further it seemed like the Beckley campus had a 100 percent passage rate but the Bluefield one dipped.

I havent talked to any nursing students for years, so I am unsure what the problem is. But as usual we are the leaders for the country in another category .

I am a nursing student at Marshall University but I honestly cannot tell you what the problem is either as Marshall's passing rate was above 90% the best in the state among Universities. I know they have changed the nclex somewhat but I don't know if it could make this big of a difference.

Gospel

[eccentricRN]

okay so I don't live in WV, but I just finished school in Dec. We had to develop extensive care plans, we were up to all hours of the night preparing for our clinicals, we were tested using the NCLEX format of critical thinking. We had to know our meds, admin guidelines & side effects. We were required to understand the disease process our pts had & how it impacted other conditions they have; & of course how to assess & what we should be assessing for. I also happened to attend a program with extremely high NCLEX passing rates & my school is very well respected in our area. Not one of us had difficulty quickly finding a position following graduation. So I think it all depends on the school... and part of being a consumer is shopping around & getting the most bang for your buck.

[gospel Rn, BSN]

okay so I don't live in WV, but I just finished school in Dec. We had to develop extensive care plans, we were up to all hours of the night preparing for our clinicals, we were tested using the NCLEX format of critical thinking. We had to know our meds, admin guidelines & side effects. We were required to understand the disease process our pts had & how it impacted other conditions they have; & of course how to assess & what we should be assessing for. I also happened to attend a program with extremely high NCLEX passing rates & my school is very well respected in our area. Not one of us had difficulty quickly finding a position following graduation. So I think it all depends on the school... and part of being a consumer is shopping around & getting the most bang for your buck.

I agree, and I also know that there is a shortage of nursing instructors in our state as many are starting to require you to have a Dr.'s degree or at least working on one to teach. I have seen many come and go in our program in the past 4 years because they were tired of working on the D-degree.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I am not from West Virginia ... but I work with nursing students and new grads on a regular basis for many years. I have also done a little bit of teaching in local nursing schools.

I have seen a great "dummying down" of nursing programs in general over the years. Curricula are being designed to cover more content in a superficial manner without going into depth on anything -- and the expectations for student performance is going down. It's assumed that students either have jobs or families that take up their time so that there is less homework. They are given decent grades for mediocre performance that would have received C's and worse back in the old days. When they get to the more advanced courses in their nursing curricula, there is no strong foundation to build upon.

And it's not all the students' fault. The standards for faculty have gone WAY down in some places ... and faculty get no support from the school administrations. They are asked to teach too many classes and perform too many other services for the school to be able to do a good job on any one of them.

You'd be amazed how many junior and senior level BSN students I meet who don't know how to use their own school libraries! ... or ... How to write a decent paragraph! ... It's appalling. And of course, if the professor gives them a bad grade, they go to the dean and threaten a law suit. They were raised to think that everyone should get an award for participating just like they got when they were children.

Sure, there are some great school and lots of great nursing students out there. But they are in the minority.

Be grateful that you local newspaper is publishing the bad news. Maybe it will embarrass some of the schools into making some improvements. Maybe some prospective students will do additional research into the quality of the various schools before they pay their money for a bad education.

[eccentricRN]

You'd be amazed how many junior and senior level BSN students I meet who don't know how to use their own school libraries! ... or ... How to write a decent paragraph! ... It's appalling. And of course, if the professor gives them a bad grade, they go to the dean and threaten a law suit. They were raised to think that everyone should get an award for participating just like they got when they were children.

Sure, there are some great school and lots of great nursing students out there. But they are in the minority.

Okay I gotta give you that one... I'm amazed at how many people can't write, but it's a general thing & very scary.

Yes, there are also a few classmates that should have never made it through & it's scary to think they will be taking care of patients.

[elkpark]

I am not from West Virginia ... but I work with nursing students and new grads on a regular basis for many years. I have also done a little bit of teaching in local nursing schools.

I have seen a great "dummying down" of nursing programs in general over the years. Curricula are being designed to cover more content in a superficial manner without going into depth on anything -- and the expectations for student performance is going down. It's assumed that students either have jobs or families that take up their time so that there is less homework. They are given decent grades for mediocre performance that would have received C's and worse back in the old days. When they get to the more advanced courses in their nursing curricula, there is no strong foundation to build upon.

And it's not all the students' fault. The standards for faculty have gone WAY down in some places ... and faculty get no support from the school administrations. They are asked to teach too many classes and perform too many other services for the school to be able to do a good job on any one of them.

You'd be amazed how many junior and senior level BSN students I meet who don't know how to use their own school libraries! ... or ... How to write a decent paragraph! ... It's appalling. And of course, if the professor gives them a bad grade, they go to the dean and threaten a law suit. They were raised to think that everyone should get an award for participating just like they got when they were children.

Sure, there are some great school and lots of great nursing students out there. But they are in the minority.

Be grateful that you local newspaper is publishing the bad news. Maybe it will embarrass some of the schools into making some improvements. Maybe some prospective students will do additional research into the quality of the various schools before they pay their money for a bad education.

I've been in and out of nursing education in a few different places for close to 15 years now, and I agree completely. I have no idea how all of this happened, but nursing education seems to have really gone off the rails somehow.

[barefootlady, ADN, RN]

I want to thank each and every poster who took time to respond to this post.

Keep the ideas coming.

[pama]

I am a nursing student at Marshall University but I honestly cannot tell you what the problem is either as Marshall's passing rate was above 90% the best in the state. I know they have changed the nclex somewhat but I don't know if it could make this big of a difference.

Gospel

Gospel, I hate to burst your bubble:nono:, however West Liberty State College and Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College had the best pass rates in WV in 2007, 100%. Same is true for Southern in 2006, 100%.

[gospel Rn, BSN]

. First let me say, I have no bubble to burst, as I am talking about Universities as the paper mentions Marshall 95% and WVU 82%. When given this report by our professors they stated that Marshall had the highest pass rate among the Universities. Congrats to Southern, and all the State colleges as I see I did not explain that I was talking among Universities.

Marshall University students passed at a 95 percent rate and WVU students passed at an 82 percent rate, according to preliminary numbers, she said.